You can launch Origin by dragging-and-dropping Origin files (*.OPJ, *.OGG, etc.

)
or Excel files (*.XLS) onto the Origin program icon or the ORIGIN50.EXE file.
You can append Origin files (*.OPJ, *.OGG, etc.) or Excel files (*.XLS) to an ex
isting project by opening the existing project in Origin and dragging-and-droppi
ng the files onto the workspace.
Default folders for opening and saving files and templates can be specified on t
he File Location tab of the Options dialog box (Tools:Options).
Simulate data using Origin's nonlinear curve fitter. Data simulation is a usefu
l technique to learn about Origin's built-in equations and to find the initial v
alues for the parameters. Select Action:Simulate from the fitter's menu bar.
Place a date/time stamp on your graph by clicking the Date and Time Stamp button
on the Graph toolbar.
Instead of having its own menu bar, the Origin notes window utilizes Origin's ma
in menu commands. All commands in the Edit menu, the Word Wrap command in the V
iew menu, and some common commands in the File menu can be applied to the notes
window.
Control the display of the data points in a data plot (including the symbol type
, color, and size) based on another dataset's values. Highlight your data and c
lick the Indexed Size (Bubble Chart), Indexed Color (Color Map), or Indexed Size
and Color button on the 2D Graphs Extended toolbar.
The new FFT filter allows you to filter your data using the classic filters of l
ow pass, high pass, band pass, and band block. Select Analysis:FFT Filter:Filte
r Type when a graph window is active.
To ensure that text labels are optimally placed on your graph before printing or
exporting to a file, you can: 1) Preview the graph by selecting File:Print Prev
iew, or 2) Switch and work in the Print View mode (View:Print View).
Drag-and-drop your Excel data to create an Origin graph. Highlight the desired
range of data in the Excel workbook and then drag the data onto the graph window
. (To drag your Excel data, click and hold at the edge of the selected data blo
ck.) The default plot type can be set in the Drag and Drop Plot Default drop-do
wn list on the Excel tab of the Options dialog box (Tools:Options or Window:Orig
in Options).
To customize the display of individual data points or error bars, press CTRL whi
le double-clicking on the data point or error bar. To return the data point or
error bar to the general plot settings, click-and-drag a rectangle around the ob
ject and press DEL.
You can reduce the display size of every tool opened from the Tools menu (Baseli
ne, Linear Fit, 3D, etc.) by double-clicking on the tool's title bar. This acti
on "rolls up" the tool. To display the full tool, double-click on the title bar
a second time.
Use Origin's master page option to add your company logo to all your graph windo
ws. Rename your source graph window "Master" to add the logo to all graph windo
ws. Rename your source graph window "Portrait" or "Landscape" to add the logo t
o only portrait or landscape oriented graph windows. For more information, sele
ct Help:Search. Search on "master page".
The Data Display tool can be customized by right-clicking on the tool and select
ing Properties from the shortcut menu. This tool can also be resized, relocated
, and docked.
Select the X dataset source for a fit curve created in the nonlinear curve fitte
r from the After Fitting dialog box (select Scripts:After Fit from the fitter's
menu bar). Additionally, edit this dialog box to specify the output location fo
r the resultant fit parameters.
Create a text label displaying the X or Y values of a graph's data point. Use t
he following notation in the Text Control dialog box: %(WorksheetName, ColumnNu
mber, RowNumber). Select the Link to Variables check box in the Label Control d
ialog box. Refresh the graph window to update the label (Window:Refresh).
With the new Origin start-up option, you can start Origin with a customized Orig
in project, a new worksheet, an Excel workbook, or a graph window by selecting y
our preference from the Start New Project With drop-down list on the Miscellaneo
us tab of the Options dialog box (Tools:Options).

Select the layer into which your Excel data will be plotted by dropping the data
onto the desired layer icon in that graph window.
If you rename an Excel workbook sheet from which you have already plotted data,
re-establish the connection to the associated data plots by right-clicking on th
e workbook window title bar and selecting Update Origin from the shortcut menu.
To automatically create a backup of your currently saved project file, select th
e Backup Before Saving check box on the File Location tab of the Options dialog
box (Tools:Options).
When plotting data from an Excel workbook, use the CTRL key to plot against the
row number. After selecting your data, press CTRL while selecting Plot:Graph Ty
pe or while clicking the Graph Type button on the 2D Graphs toolbar.
Enhance your view of a data plot in a graph window by right-clicking on the data
plot and selecting Hide Others from the shortcut menu. To re-display the hidde
n data plots, right-click on the page in the graph window and select Show All Da
ta from the shortcut menu.
After customizing the text in a graph legend's Text Control dialog box, rename t
he legend to prevent Origin from updating the legend during re-plotting. To ren
ame the legend, press ALT while double-clicking on the legend text in the custom
legend. Enter a new name in the Object Name text box.
Extract a multiple layer graph into multiple graph windows. Click the Extract t
o Graphs button on the Graph toolbar.
Append a project's graph or worksheet window to a second project. First, save t
he desired child window to its own file (File:Save Window As). Then, open that
file in the destination project (File:Open). Make sure to select the desired ch
ild window file type from the Files of Type drop-down list in the Open dialog bo
x.
Display text from a worksheet column as axis tick labels in your graph. Doubleclick on the default tick labels to open the Axis dialog box. Select the Tick L
abels tab, and then select Text from Dataset from the Type drop-down list. Sele
ct the desired dataset name in the Dataset text box.
To perform a calibration of data or to create a standard curve, use the ASSAYS.O
TW worksheet template located in the Origin BUTTONS folder.
If the proportions of a picture in the layout page window are changed, return th
e picture to its original proportions by pressing and releasing the ALT key whil
e clicking and dragging on a control handle.
To add labels that display the X values marking your data points, especially pea
ks, use the LABELPKS.OTP graph template located in the Origin BUTTONS folder.
Display a data plot using different X or Y axis scales in the same graph (e.g.,
Centigrade and Fahrenheit) by adding a linked layer to your graph. Customize th
e link between the X or Y axes using a mathematical expression.
View an enlarged section of a graph in a new window. Select the Enlarger tool l
ocated on the Tools toolbar, press CTRL, and then drag a rectangle around the de
sired section of the data plot. A new graph window containing the selected rang
e opens.
Dock a toolbar (including the Data Display tool) by dragging it to the edge of t
he workspace, or by double-clicking on it. Float the toolbar by dragging it ont
o the workspace.
Create a graph from Excel workbook data by selecting your data and graph type, w
ithout an intermediary dialog box. To use this plotting method, select the Defa
ult Plot Assignments check box on the Excel tab of the Options dialog box. To o
pen the dialog box, select Window:Origin Options when the workbook is active, or
Tools:Options when any other child window is active.
To open the Plot Details dialog box associated with an inactive data plot, press
CTRL while selecting the data plot of interest from the data list at the bottom
of the Data menu.
Shortcut menus are available from many locations in Origin. Use shortcut menus
for quickly accessing object-specific features. Shortcut menus are available by
right-clicking on child window title bars, within child windows, on the Data Di
splay tool, and even in the toolbar spacer region (the gray space below the dock
ed toolbars).