Display a cheat sheet for your function right in the formula bar (Excel 2003/2007)

You’ve probably seen the ToolTip that appears when you begin to type a formula. Once you enter the opening parenthesis, the arguments for that function appear below the Formula bar or active cell. But, many power users find these ToolTips more annoying than helpful, especially for functions they know by heart. You can disable the ToolTips and still view Excel’s cheat sheet when you get stuck.

To turn off the function ToolTips:

1. Launch Excel and choose Tools | Options to access the Options dialog box. (In 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, click Excel Options, and then click on Formulas.)
2. Click on the General tab, if necessary.
3. Deselect the Function Tooltips check box (Formula AutoComplete in 2007) in the Settings panel.
4. Click OK to disable the function ToolTips.

To insert the function arguments right in the cell or formula bar:

1. Enter the function in a cell, along with its opening parenthesis—i.e., =SUM(.
2. Press [Ctrl][Shift]A to enter the arguments right within the active cell (or the Formula bar if you’re working directly in the Formula bar).
3. Replace each argument with your relevant data or cell reference.