| Cell selection and data entry |
| Selecting areas |
| |
- To select a single cell, click on it. You can use the arrow keys to move to an adjacent cell.
- To select a block of cells, click and drag the mouse across the cells you wish to select. You can also hold down the [Ctrl] key while clicking on cells to select multiple cells.
|
| |
 |
| |
- To select an entire row, click on the row number on the left side of the spreadsheet. You can select multiple rows by clicking and dragging across the row numbers.
- To select an entire column, click on the column letter on the top of the spreadsheet. You can select multiple columns by clicking and dragging across the column letters.
- To select the entire spreadsheet, click the blank square at the upper left corner of the spreadsheet.
|
| |
|
| Entering data |
| |
- To enter data into a cell, first select the cell. Type the data, then either click [Enter] or select another cell to complete the data entry.
- To change the data in a cell, select it, then re-enter the data by typing it again. This will clear the cell and replace it with the new data. You may also click inside the Formula Bar at the top of the spreadsheet to activate the cursor and edit the existing data.
|
| |
 |
| |
You may find it useful to first label your columns and rows, then fill in your data. This will help you identify your data, and will also come in handy if you decide to make a chart or graph.
|
| Moving data |
| |
If you have misplaced data, you can move a cell or block of cells. |
| |
- First, select the cell(s) you wish to move. Then mouse over the edge of the selection box, until the cursor changes. Click and drag the box to its new location.
|
| |
 |
| Formatting data |
| |
Excel includes text-formatting features similar to those used in Word and other Microsoft products, including options for font and size, alignment, and color. It also has a few unique features. |
| |
|
| |
- To format a selected cell or group of cells, either click Format > Cells or type [CTRL] + 1. The Format Cells window will pop up.
- The first tab, labeled Number, contains most of the commonly-used formats for numbers in Excel. You can set cells to display numbers as currency, as percentages or fractions, even in scientific notation.
- Selecting Text from the list will allow you to enter numbers into cells as text; i.e., Excel will not automatically re-format your entry to remove extra zeroes or right-align it.
- You may also see many of these options on your formatting toolbar, depending on which version of Excel you are using. You can mouse over buttons to see what their functions are.
|
| |
