Excel AutoFill Examples

AutoFill is one of those Excel features you start using once… and then can’t live without. It allows you to quickly fill cells with numbers, dates, text, and patterns without typing everything manually.

On this page, you’ll find simple, practical AutoFill examples that show exactly how it works in real situations. No theory, no fluff — just clear examples you can use right away.

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How AutoFill Works in Excel

Excel uses the fill handle, a small green square at the bottom-right corner of a selected cell or range. When you drag this handle, Excel looks for a pattern and continues it automatically.

That’s it. Simple, but extremely powerful.

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AutoFill Numbers

Let’s start with numbers.

1. Enter 10 in cell A1
2. Enter 20 in cell A2
3. Select both cells
4. Drag the fill handle down

Excel continues the pattern:

10
20
30
40
50

Excel uses the first two values to determine the step size.

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AutoFill Month Names

AutoFill also works with built-in lists such as months.

1. Enter Jan in cell A1
2. Drag the fill handle down

Excel automatically fills the remaining months of the year.

This works with both full names (January) and abbreviations (Jan).

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AutoFill Product Names

AutoFill is very useful for labels.

1. Enter Product 1 in cell A1
2. Drag the fill handle down

Excel creates:

Product 1
Product 2
Product 3

This is perfect for product lists, tasks, or numbered items.

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AutoFill Day Names

1. Enter Friday in cell A1
2. Drag the fill handle down

Excel fills the following days automatically.

It works with any day of the week.

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AutoFill Dates

Fill Consecutive Days

1. Enter 1/14/2025 in cell A1
2. Drag the fill handle down

Excel fills the next dates one day at a time.

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Use AutoFill Options

After dragging, click AutoFill Options to choose how Excel fills the series:

• Fill Days
• Fill Weekdays (skip weekends)
• Fill Months
• Fill Years
• Fill Formatting Only
• Fill Without Formatting

These options give you full control over the result.

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AutoFill Dates with a Pattern

You can also define your own pattern.

1. Enter 1/14/2025 in cell A1
2. Enter 1/21/2025 in cell A2
3. Select both cells and drag the fill handle

Excel continues the weekly pattern automatically.

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AutoFill Time Values

1. Enter 6:00 AM in cell A1
2. Drag the fill handle across or down

Excel fills the time sequence correctly, increasing the time by one hour.

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Create a Custom AutoFill List

If Excel doesn’t recognize a list, you can create a custom list.

Example:

Low
Medium
High

Once added, Excel can AutoFill this list in any worksheet.

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Flash Fill vs AutoFill

AutoFill continues a pattern.
Flash Fill recognizes a pattern based on your input.

Flash Fill is great for:

• Extracting text
• Combining values
• Reformatting data

If you haven’t used it before, it’s worth learning.

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SEQUENCE Function (Excel 365 & Excel 2021)

If you’re using modern Excel, the SEQUENCE function can replace AutoFill in many cases.

Generate a 2-D Sequence

=SEQUENCE(7,4,0,5)

This creates 7 rows and 4 columns, starting at 0 and increasing by 5.

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Generate Odd Numbers

=SEQUENCE(10,1,1,2)

This formula generates a list of odd numbers automatically.

The result spills into multiple cells, a feature available in Excel 365 and Excel 2021.

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Final Thoughts

AutoFill is one of the fastest ways to work smarter in Excel. Whether you’re filling numbers, dates, text, or using functions like SEQUENCE, it helps you get more done with less effort.

Once you start using AutoFill regularly, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it.