Scroll through the list below of key terms and actions you can complete in Microsoft Excel. We’ve also included some additional resources such as videos and links to articles you may find helpful. To open an article click on the blue buttons. Show
Reminder: When writing your formulas, remember the order of operations! After entering the formula, the formula will appear only in the “formula bar.” The solution to the formula will show in the cell itself.
FunctionsWhy Parentheses are Critical:Operations enclosed in parentheses will be performed before other operations. For example, (4+3)*8 is not the same as 4+3*8. A) (4+3)*8=56: Excel performs operations in parentheses ( ) first, so Excel first adds 4+3=7 and then performs the multiplication of 7*8=56. B) 4+3*8=28: Excel looks first for ( )’s, and because it does not find any, the program performs the multiplication first, so 3*8=24, and then Excel performs the addition, so 4+24=28. Insert a FunctionUse the Insert Function dialog box to help you insert the correct formula for your needs. You can access the Insert Function dialog box by clicking the Insert Function button on the Formula Bar. You can also access the Insert Function dialog box by clicking the small arrow at the bottom of the AutoSum button on the Home tab selecting More Functions. Type a brief description of what you want a function to do, and then click Go. A list of functions likely to fit your needs and based on your description will display in the Select a function box. Select Most Recently Used. Functions you have inserted in the recent past will display in the Select a function box. Select a function category. Functions in that category will display in alphabetical order in the Select a function box. Select All. Every function will display in alphabetical order in the Select a function box. AutoSum FunctionHighlight the cell where you want the sum of two or more numbers to appear. From the Home tab click on the Autosum icon in the Editing group. Hit Enter. If you highlight a row of numbers without pre-selecting the cell for your answer, Excel will place it in the first open cell. Most often, this is done at the bottom of a column or at the right of a row of contiguous numbers. FormulasType and “Click” a FormulaRather than typing “A4” into a formula, you can click on A4 and it will appear in the formula. Click in the desired cell and type the equals sign (=) first! When you type the equals sign (=) it is the signal to Excel to prepare to write a formula or function. Then do as follows:
Cut, Copy and Paste a FormulaSelect the cell that contains the formula that you want to move. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Cut or Copy depending on what you want to do. Click the cell where you want to paste the data. Then do one of the following:
Copy a Formula with the Fill HandleWhen Excel copies a formula, it automatically changes the column and row references. The Fill Handle is faster than using the Copy and Paste method. Click on the cell containing the formula to be copied. Position your pointer on the little square or handle in the lower right corner of the active cell. When you see the “thin plus” symbol (shown at left), click-and-drag vertically or horizontally to fill additional cells with a formula. Show All FormulasOn your active worksheet, hold down the Ctrl key and the tilde key (~) on your keyboard. The tilde is the squiggly line found above the tab key, in the upper left corner of your keyboard. Using this key combination will allow all of your formulas to be displayed instead of just the answers. You can print the worksheet while the formulas are displayed. Use Ctrl+ tilde again to toggle back to the normal view. EditingPaste SpecialUse the Paste Special feature to copy complex items from an Excel worksheet and paste them into the same worksheet or another Excel worksheet using only specific attributes of the copied data that you want.
You can also specify which mathematical operation you want to apply to the copied data: Add: Specifies that the copied data will be added to the data in the destination cell or range of cells. Subtract: Specifies that the copied data will be subtracted from the data in the destination cell or range of cells. Multiply: Specifies that the copied data will be multiplied with the data in the destination cell or range of cells. Divide: Specifies that the copied data will be divided by the data in the destination cell or range of cells. Skip blanks: Avoids replacing values in your paste area when blank cells occur in the copy area when you select this check box. None: Specifies that no mathematical operation will be applied to the copied data. Transpose – Move Data Between Rows and Columns
OR Copy the data you want to move. Click in the cell to which you want to move it. Then before you paste the copied data, right-click your first destination cell and then click Paste Special. In the Paste Special dialog box, select Transpose, and then click OK. Delete or Name a WorksheetTo delete or rename a sheet, double click on its tab and type a new name or click on the Delete key on your keyboard. OR Right-click on the tab and click on Delete or Rename. Add, Edit or Delete a Note(“Notes” were referred to as “Comments” in previous versions of Office.) You can add a note to a cell. You can also edit the text and delete notes that you no longer need. Click the cell to which you want to add a note. On the Review tab, in the Notes group, click New Note. In the note text box, type your text. When you finish typing the text, click outside the box. This will close the note box leaving a red indicator in the upper right-hand corner of the cell that contains the note. Scrolling over the cell that contains the note will display its contents, otherwise it will stay hidden. To have the note displayed at all times: To edit a note: To delete a note: Freeze or Lock Rows and ColumnsWhen you freeze panes, you select specific rows or columns that remain visible as you scroll – row/column labels remain visible.
When you freeze panes, the Freeze Panes option changes to Unfreeze Panes so that you can unlock frozen rows or columns. F2 keyEnables you to edit the active cell and positions the insertion point at the end of the cell contents. FormattingCells must be highlighted prior to formatting! Merge and Center Several CellsTo center your title over all the data, type your title, highlight the cells in the row which cover all the columns of data. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, click Merge and Center. The cells will be merged in a row or column, and the cell contents will be centered in the merged cell. To merge cells without centering, click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells. Split Merged Cells ApartSelect the merged cell. When you select a merged cell, the Merge and Center button also appears selected in the Alignment group on the Home tab. To split the merged cell, click Merge and Center, then Unmerge Cells. Format NumbersBy applying different number formats, you can change the appearance of numbers without changing the number. A number format does not affect the actual cell value that Microsoft Office Excel uses to perform calculations. To see all available number formats, click the Dialog Box Launcher next to Number. First highlight the numbers to be formatted. On the Home tab, click the Dialog Box Launcher next to Number. Then click the desired format under Category. Then click OK. Change Row Height or Column WidthTo change the height of a row:
To change the width of a column:
You can also right-click the selected row/column, click Row Height/Column Width, and then type the value that you want. Hide/Unhide Rows or ColumnsSelect the rows or columns that you want to hide. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format. Depending on your task, do one of the following:
You can also right-click a row or column (or a selection of multiple rows or columns), and then click Hide. To display hidden rows or columns, do one of the following:
You can also right-click the selection of visible rows and columns that surround the hidden rows and columns, and then click Unhide. Hide a FormulaHide any formulas that you do not want to be visible:
You still have to protect the worksheet or workbook for this to take effect. Follow the steps below in order to completely protect your worksheet/workbook so that no changes can be made. Protect & Unprotect SheetWhen you protect a worksheet or workbook, it prevents other users from changing or deleting data from the worksheet or workbook. You can protect your worksheet or workbook with or without a password.
The Protect Sheet option changes to Unprotect Sheet when a worksheet is protected. To unprotect sheet: On the Review tab, in the Changes group, click Unprotect Sheet. If you used a password to protect your worksheet you will have to type the password to unprotect the worksheet. PrintingYou can print a worksheet or an entire workbook. When you click File, you will you see the same basic commands available in earlier releases of Microsoft Office to open, save, and print your file. When you click Print, you will see a Preview of the File to the right (there is no longer a separate Print Preview command). You will also have all the print settings and a choice of printer in the Print menu. If you do not change any print settings, Excel will print the worksheet currently open. To print the entire workbook (more than one sheet), click on the Entire Workbook under settings. Print by Selection or Print AreaTo print some, but not all, of a worksheet, highlight the desired data. Click on File then Print. In the Print Menu click the triangle under settings and choose Print Selection. Only the print area selected will print. To Print a NoteYou can print notes as they appear on the sheet or at the end of the sheet. To print the notes in place on the worksheet, display them by doing one of the following:
On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the dialog box launcher next to Page Setup. On the Sheet tab, in the Comments and Notes box, click As displayed on sheet or At end of sheet. Click Print. Print Several WorksheetsSelect the worksheets that you want to print. To select two or more adjacent sheets: Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down SHIFT and click the tab for the last sheet that you select. To select two or more nonadjacent sheets: Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down CTRL while you click the tabs of the other sheets that you want to select To select all sheets in a workbook: Right-click a sheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets on the shortcut menu. Print Row or Column Label on More Than One PageIf you have a worksheet with more than one printed page, you may want to repeat specific rows or columns labels at the top or at the left of every printed page. Here’s how: Select the worksheet that you want to print.
You can also click the Collapse Dialog button at the right end of the Rows to repeat at top and Columns to repeat at left boxes, and then select the title rows or columns that you want to repeat in the worksheet. After you finish selecting the title rows or columns, click the Collapse Dialog button again to return to the dialog box.
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