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Excel HSTACK Function: Combine Arrays Side‑by‑Side with Dynamic Spill

The HSTACK function appends ranges and arrays horizontally in one step, returning a single dynamic spill range that expands or contracts as sources change. If VSTACK is the vertical stacker, HSTACK is its horizontal twin, designed to line up multiple lists or tables next to each other without helper columns, copy‑paste, or manual resizing. The syntax is simple: =HSTACK(array1, [array2], …). Each subsequent array is placed to the right of the previous one, and the result spills into as many columns as needed. Microsoft’s function reference notes that HSTACK’s row count equals the maximum number of rows among the inputs, while the column count equals the sum of all input columns, with shorter arrays padded to match the tallest input. This behavior makes it ideal for consolidating period columns, stitching lookup results beside IDs, or building side‑by‑side comparison panels that stay in sync with source changes.

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Excel EXPAND Function: Resize and Pad Arrays Like a Pro

The EXPAND function lets Excel 365 users resize a returned array to exact dimensions and fill added cells with a value of choice. Think of EXPAND as the missing piece when building report‑ready ranges from dynamic arrays. It takes a source array, returns a version with the exact number of rows and columns specified, and pads any new cells with either a custom value or the default error. This makes it ideal for standardizing array sizes for charts, dashboards, and exports. According to Microsoft’s documentation, the syntax is =EXPAND(array, rows, [columns], [pad_with]) and it will return #VALUE if rows or columns are smaller than the source, and #N/A in padded cells if pad_with is omitted. It’s part of the dynamic array family and available to Microsoft 365 users on Windows, Mac, and the web as of recent builds.

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How to Use the Standardize Function in Excel

In this Excel tutorial I show how to use Standardize Function in Excel. The Standardize function transforms a value within a dataset into its corresponding z-score, which tells you how many standard deviations that value is away from the mean of the dataset. This is useful for comparing data points from different distributions or for identifying outliers. Let’s break down how to use the Standardize function in Excel.

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How to Use the Search Function in Excel

In this Excel tutorial I show how to use the Search function in Excel. It’s a tool for finding text within other text, and while it might seem a little intimidating at first, it’s actually quite straightforward once you get the hang of it. Think of it as a more powerful version of Ctrl+F. While that shortcut helps you find things visually, Search lets you use those findings in formulas, opening up a whole new level of possibilities.

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How to use the lookup function in Excel

In this Excel tutorial, I show how to use the lookup function in Excel. The lookup function helps you to find specific data quickly. This function comes in two forms: vector and array. The vector form searches a single row or column. The array form searches multiple rows and columns. Both forms are useful for different tasks. Below is a step-by-step guide to using lookup effectively.

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