After 40 years, Excel is breaking one of its oldest rules: one cell, one value
Lists are the most straightforward part of the rollout. A user can create one through Insert > List or by pressing Ctrl+J, then add items separated by commas or semicolons, based on regional settings. The values remain grouped in one cell, but Excel can treat them as separate items rather... Read Entire Article
Microsoft is testing an experimental version of Excel that enables users to store multiple values within a single cell, marking a departure from the spreadsheet program's long-standing convention of one cell per value. This new feature is currently available on an opt-in basis to Microsoft 365 Insiders using the Excel Beta Channel for Windows and Mac.
The functionality supports lists, arrays, and nested arrays, which can be added through the Insert List option or by pressing Ctrl+J. Lists can be edited by double-clicking the cell or pressing F2, and can be used in filtering and calculations. Arrays, which can have varying dimensions and contain other arrays, can also be stored within a single cell using braces to prevent spilling into multiple cells.
New functions like FLATTEN, HAS, HASANY, and HASALL have been introduced to work with these structures. However, the implementation could complicate existing workflows, as many applications and libraries expect cells to contain simple data types. Microsoft has not yet determined how these features will be represented in .xlsx XML files, which may require updates to relevant software libraries and applications.
Several Excel features, including PivotTables, Power Query, charts, data validation, and Find & Replace, do not currently support these new cell types. The new rules are still in experimental stages, and users are advised to avoid relying on them for critical work until general availability.
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