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Overview
Excel is a spreadsheet application in the Microsoft Office suite. Excel can be used to
create and format workbooks in order to analyze data, write formulas, calculations, and
charts to name a few.
Excel opens a workbook with a default of three tabs (spreadsheets) at the bottom.
These tabs can be renamed easily and color coded.
Name box
showing active
cell address
(B5)
Formula Bar
The Excel application has vocabulary that is particular to it and must be understood.
Following are some of the more common vocabulary and definitions.
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Vocabulary
Cell
The intersection of a row and a column. A cell can contain a label, a
numeric value, or a formula. The active cell will have a dark border around
the cell and its address shown in the name box.
Cell Address
Location of a cell on a worksheet and is defined by the column letter and
the row number. (Cell Reference).
Chart
A graphic representation of data from a worksheet.
Column
Vertical divisions of a worksheet and identified by letters.
Column Header
The gray boxes containing sequential letters at the top of the worksheet.
Column Select
Click the column header to select the entire range of cells in a column.
Drag-select
To select a range of cells, click and drag, then release the mouse button
after the range of cells you want is highlighted.
Fill Handle
A black symbol in the lower right corner of an active cell. Click and drag
the fill handle to copy cell contents or to create a series.
Formula Bar
Located under the toolbars at the top of the worksheet, it contains the edit
line for working with formulas and provides information regarding cell
addresses.
Formulas
A sequence of values, cell references, and operators that produce a new
value from existing values. A formula always starts with an equal sign.
Name Box
Located on the formula bar indicates the current address of the active cell
or range.
Print Area
A range of cells that you have specified to print. If you did not set a print
area, the range of the worksheet that contains data will be printed.
Row
Horizontal divisions of a worksheet and identified by numbers.
Row Header
The gray boxes containing sequential numbers along the left of the
worksheet.
Row Select
Click the row header to select the entire range of cells in a row.
Spreadsheet
The generic term for Excel.
Workbook
A collection of spreadsheets.
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Shapes of the Cursor
The Excel cursor can take on many shapes and will perform different functions
depending on the shape of it.
Default pointer shape. Moves cell pointer or selects a range of cells by clicking into
one cell and dragging across a range.
Appears when the pointer is on the fill handle of a cell. Click and drag to auto fill
other cells with copied or data in a series.
Appears when the pointer is between a row header divider to adjust height and
width of rows
Appears when the pointer is between a column header divider to adjust height and
width of columns
Appears when the pointer is on a column or row heading and selects columns or
rows.
Appears when the pointer is placed over a cell border, graphic, or other object to
enable a move.
Appears when editing cell contents by providing an insertion point. Often called an
I-Beam.
Appears when over the ribbon, menus, and taskbar.
Enter Data in a Worksheet
1. Click in a cell.
2. Type data in the cell.
3. Press [Enter] or [Tab] to move to the next cell or [Ctrl] + [Enter] to remain in the
cell.
Data displays in two places–in the cell itself, and in the formula bar. The text is not
actually entered into the cell until the [Enter] key is tapped. To make corrections, either
click into the formula bar or double-click into the cell, itself.
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Navigate within a Spreadsheet
There are many ways to move your mouse cursor within a spreadsheet. These are a
few:
Move to end of data
[Ctrl] + [End]
Move to top of data
[Ctrl] + [Home]
Cell to the right
[Tab] or use right arrow key
Cell to the left
[Shift] + [Tab] or use left arrow key
Cell below
[Enter] or use down arrow key
Cell above
[Shift] + [Enter] or use up arrow key
Specific cell
Enter Column and Row in the Name Box + [Enter]
Highlight Cells
Highlighting or selecting a cell is done when the data in that cell needs to be
manipulated.
Several cells
Click into a cell, hold down the mouse button and drag
A column
Click on the column header (letter)
A row
Click on the row header (number)
A large area
For adjacent cells, click at the beginning of the area and
hold down the [Shift] key as you click at the end of the area.
For non-adjacent cells, hold down the [Ctrl] key and click.
The entire worksheet
[Ctrl] + A or click in the blank corner at the intersection of
Row 1 and Column A.
Text Wrap within a Cell
Long text or data, by default, will not fit a cell. To wrap within the cell space follow these
steps.
1. Right-click in the cell. From the shortcut menu, select Format cells.
2. Click on the Alignment tab, and then click in the check box next to Wrap text.
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3. Click the
Use Excel
button.
NOTE: To break text at a specific point, click where you want the break to be, hold down the
[Alt] key and tap the [Enter] key.
Automatically Fit Text to a Column
Excel can automatically resize the column to accommodate the longest text fit within the
column; or if a cell is formatted to show a number value, and all of the numbers do not
fit in a cell, the values will look like ######### Double click on the divider between two
columns to the right of the column to be resized. (The cursor will become a two-headed
arrow).
NOTE: Resizing a row is done manually by clicking on the divider between the columns and
dragging to the desired size.
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Automatic Fill
Excel will continue a series such as days of the week, or number patterns by clicking
and dragging the fill handle. An active cell will have a dark outline and a corner in the
lower right called the fill handle.
Type, for example, Monday in the active cell. Click on the fill handle. The pointer will
become a black cross
down the cells to fill.
. Click and hold the mouse button down and drag across or
When attempting to fill numbers in a series, Excel needs to understand what pattern you
are looking for. To count by 5’s, for example, enter the number 5 in one cell and the
number 10 in the next. Highlight both cells, click on the fill handle and drag across or
down the cells to fill.
Merge and Center
1. Type text in Cell A1.
2. With the cursor shape
to merge and center.
highlight all of the cells across the columns that you want
3. On the Home tab in the Alignment group, click the
button.
Insert a Row or Column
Insert a column
1. Click anywhere in the column to the right of where you want the new column.
2. On the Home tab in the Cells group click the
Columns.
button and select Insert Sheet
NOTE: To insert more than one column, when the cell pointer is a white cross click and drag
anywhere in the columns the same number to be inserted. On the Home tab in the Cells group
click the
button and select Insert Sheet Columns.
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Insert a row
1. Click anywhere in the row below where the new row will be.
2. On the Home tab in the Cells group click the
Rows.
button and select Insert Sheet
Perform Simple Mathematical Calculations
Addition
1. Enter numbers to be added in a column or row.
2. Click in the cell within the same column or row where the answer will be.
3. On the Home tab in the Editing group click the
button.
Automatically the range will be selected. (for example, B3:B10). If this range is
not correct; highlight the correct range by clicking and dragging across the
correct cells. This automatically updates the range.
4. Press the [Enter] key to get the result. These results can be in a different
column or row.
NOTE: If a space is within the range, if a number is put in this space at another time the result
will update. The dropdown will show a menu with other options.
Formulas are created by typing an = sign in a cell. Results will display in this cell.
Multiplication
1. Enter numbers to be multiplied in a column or row.
2. Click in the cell within the same column or row where the answer will be and tap
the = key.
3. Click the cell containing the multiplier.
4. Type an asterisk (*).
5. Click the cell containing the multiplicand (it makes no difference if the multiplier or
multiplicand is entered first or second).
6. Press the [Enter] key.
Subtraction
Follow the same steps as above except use the Hyphen (-) as the operator.
Division
Follow the same steps except use the Slash key (/) as the operator.
NOTE: More formulas are discussed in another workshop.
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Printing a Worksheet
When printing a spreadsheet, by default all of the data will be printed. But a ‘print
range’, or only ‘selected data’ can also be printed. This will allow you to focus on the
data that is the most important.
1. Highlight the entire area containing the data to print.
2. Click the Page Layout tab.
3. In the Page Setup group click the button, click the
Print Area.
button and select Set
4. Print as usual. Only the print area selected will print.
NOTE: To clear, select Clear Print Area.
Before you print a spreadsheet, it is always a good idea to go to Print Preview first to
make sure the data is on the sheet and it is what you want.
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Page Setup
On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group click the dialog box launcher arrow.
The Page Setup dialog box will display. There are 4 tabs.
Page Tab
 Change orientation from portrait
to landscape
 Scaling
 Paper size
Margins Tab
Header/Footer Tab
Sheet Tab
 Rows or columns to repeat at the
top of a printed spreadsheet
 Printing options
 Gridlines

Create headers and footers

Take the header and footer off of
the first page.
Go to Print Preview to view it
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
Change the margins

Center on page