Microsoft

Excel 2016
The Basics

Instructor: Jason Cooley

Training Specialist
CDFW Office of Training & Development
Spring 2017

Some material adapted from GCFLearnFree.org MS Office tutorials and other sources.
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/topics/office
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Contents
Understanding Cells ................................................................................................................................................... 1
To select a cell ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
To select a cell range.............................................................................................................................................. 3
Cell Content................................................................................................................................................................ 4
To insert content .................................................................................................................................................... 5
To delete cell content ............................................................................................................................................ 6
To delete cells ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
To copy and paste cell content .............................................................................................................................. 8
To access more paste options ................................................................................................................................ 9
To cut and paste cell content ............................................................................................................................... 10
To drag and drop cells .......................................................................................................................................... 11
To use a fill handle ............................................................................................................................................... 12
To continue a series using the fill handle ............................................................................................................ 14
Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells ....................................................................................................................... 15
To modify column width ...................................................................................................................................... 15
To autofit column width ...................................................................................................................................... 16
To modify row height ........................................................................................................................................... 16
To modify all rows or columns ............................................................................................................................. 17
Inserting, Deleting, Moving, and Hiding .................................................................................................................. 18
To insert rows ...................................................................................................................................................... 18
To insert columns ................................................................................................................................................. 19
To delete a row or column ................................................................................................................................... 20
To hide and unhide a row or column ................................................................................................................... 21
Wrapping text and merging cells ............................................................................................................................. 22
To wrap text in cells ............................................................................................................................................. 22
To merge cells using the Merge & Center command .......................................................................................... 23
To access more merge options ............................................................................................................................ 23
To center across selection ................................................................................................................................... 24

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Excel 2016 – The Basics
Whenever you work with Excel, you'll enter information—or content—into cells. Cells are the basic
building blocks of a worksheet. You'll need to learn the basics of cells and cell content to calculate,
analyze, and organize data in Excel.

Understanding Cells
Every worksheet is made up of thousands of rectangles, which are called cells. A cell is the intersection
of a row and a column—in other words, where a row and column meet.

Columns are identified by letters (A, B, C), while rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3). Each cell has its
own name—or cell address—based on its column and row. In the example below, the selected cell
intersects column C and row 5, so the cell address is C5.

Note that the cell address also appears in the Name box in the top-left corner, and that a cell's column
and row headings are highlighted when the cell is selected.

You can also select multiple cells at the same time. A group of cells is known as a cell range. Rather than
a single cell address, you will refer to a cell range using the cell addresses of the first and last cells in the
cell range, separated by a colon. For example, a cell range that included cells A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5
would be written as A1:A5. Take a look at the different cell ranges below:

Cell range A1:A8

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Cell range A1:F1

Cell range A1:F8

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To select a cell
1. Click a cell to select it. In our example, we'll select cell D9.

2. A border will appear around the selected cell, and the column heading and row heading will be
highlighted. The cell will remain selected until you click another cell in the worksheet.

To select a cell range

1. Click and drag the mouse until all of the adjoining cells you want to select are highlighted. In our
example, we'll select the cell range B5:C18.

2. Release the mouse to select the desired cell range. The cells will remain selected until you click
another cell in the worksheet.

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Cell Content
Any information you enter into a spreadsheet will be stored in a cell. Each cell can contain different
types of content, including text, formatting, formulas, and functions.

Text: Cells can contain text, such as letters, numbers, and dates.

Formatting attributes: Cells can contain formatting attributes that change the way letters, numbers, and
dates are displayed. For example, percentages can appear as 0.15 or 15%. You can even change a cell's
text or background color.

Formulas and functions: Cells can contain formulas and functions that calculate cell values. In our
example, SUM(B2:B8) adds the value of each cell in the cell range B2:B8 and displays the total in cell B9.

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To insert content
Click a cell to select it. In our example, we'll select cell F9.

Type something into the selected cell, then press Enter on your keyboard. The content will appear in the
cell and the formula bar. You can also input and edit cell content in the formula bar.

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To delete cell content
1. Select the cell(s) with content you want to delete. In our example, we'll select the cell range
A10:H10.

2. Select the Clear command on the Home tab, then click Clear Contents.

3. The cell contents will be deleted.

You can also use the Delete key on your keyboard to delete content from multiple cells at once. The
Backspace key will only delete content from one cell at a time.

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To delete cells
There is an important difference between deleting the content of a cell and deleting the cell itself. If you
delete the entire cell, the cells below it will shift to fill in the gaps and replace the deleted cells.

1. Select the cell(s) you want to delete. In our example, we'll select A10:H10.

2. Select the Delete command from the Home tab on the Ribbon.

3. The cells below will shift up and fill in the gaps.

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To copy and paste cell content
Excel allows you to copy content that is already entered into your spreadsheet and paste that content to
other cells, which can save you time and effort.

1. Select the cell(s) you want to copy. In our example, we'll select F9.

2. Click the Copy command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+C on your keyboard.

3. Select the cell(s) where you want to paste the content. In our example, we'll select F12:F17. The
copied cell(s) will have a dashed box around them.

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 4. Click the Paste command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+V on your keyboard.

5. The content will be pasted into the selected cells.

To access more paste options

You can also access additional paste options, which are especially convenient when working with cells
that contain formulas or formatting. Just click the drop-down arrow on the Paste command to see these
options. Instead of choosing commands from the Ribbon, you can access commands quickly by right-
clicking. Simply select the cell(s) you want to format, then right-click the mouse. A drop-down menu will
appear, where you'll find several commands that are also located on the Ribbon.

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To cut and paste cell content
Unlike copying and pasting, which duplicates cell content, cutting allows you to move content between
cells.

1. Select the cell(s) you want to cut. In our example, we'll select G5:G6.
2. Right-click the mouse and select the Cut command. Alternatively, you can use the command on
the Home tab, or press Ctrl+X on your keyboard.

3. Select the cells where you want to paste the content. In our example, we'll select F10:F11. The cut
cells will now have a dashed box around them.
4. Right-click the mouse and select the Paste command. Alternatively, you can use the command on
the Home tab, or press Ctrl+V on your keyboard.

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 5. The cut content will be removed from the original cells and pasted into the selected cells.

To drag and drop cells

Instead of cutting, copying, and pasting, you can drag and drop cells to move their contents.

1. Select the cell(s) you want to move. In our example, we'll select H4:H12.
2. Hover the mouse over the border of the selected cell(s) until the mouse changes to a pointer
with four arrows.

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 3. Click and drag the cells to the desired location. In our example, we'll move them to G4:G12.

4. Release the mouse. The cells will be dropped in the selected location.

To use a fill handle

If you're copying cell content to adjacent cells in the same row or column, the fill handle is a good
alternative to the copy and paste commands.

1. Select the cell(s) containing the content you want to use, then hover the mouse over the lower-
right corner of the cell so the fill handle appears.

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2. Click and drag the fill handle until all of the cells you want to fill are selected. In our example,
we'll select G13:G17.

3. Release the mouse to fill the selected cells.

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To continue a series using the fill handle
The fill handle can also be used to continue a series. Whenever the content of a row or column follows a
sequential order, like numbers (1, 2, 3) or days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), the fill handle can guess
what should come next in the series. In most cases, you will need to select multiple cells before using
the fill handle to help Excel determine the series order. Let's take a look at an example:

1. Select the cell range that contains the series you want to continue. In our example, we'll select
E4:G4.
2. Click and drag the fill handle to continue the series.

3. Release the mouse. If Excel understood the series, it will be continued in the selected cells. In our
example, Excel added Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 to H4:J4.

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Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells
By default, every row and column of a new workbook is set to the same height and width. Excel allows
you to modify column width and row height in different ways, including wrapping text and merging cells.

To modify column width

In our example below, column C is too narrow to display all of the content in these cells. We can make
all of this content visible by changing the width of column C.

1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column heading so the cursor becomes a double
arrow.

2. Click and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the column width.

3. Release the mouse. The column width will be changed.

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To autofit column width
1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column heading so the cursor becomes a double
arrow.

2. Double-click the mouse. The column width will be changed automatically to fit the content.

To modify row height

1. Position the cursor over the row line so the cursor becomes a double arrow.

2. Click and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the row height.

3. Release the mouse. The height of the selected row will be changed.

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To modify all rows or columns
Instead of resizing rows and columns individually, you can modify the height and width of every row and
column at the same time. This method allows you to set a uniform size for every row and column in your
worksheet. In our example, we will set a uniform row height.

1. Locate and click the Select All button just below the name box to select every cell in the
worksheet.

2. Position the mouse over a row line so the cursor becomes a double arrow.
3. Click and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the row height, then release the mouse when
you are satisfied. The row height will be changed for the entire worksheet.

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Inserting, Deleting, Moving, and Hiding
After you've been working with a workbook for a while, you may find that you want to insert new
columns or rows, delete certain rows or columns, move them to a different location in the worksheet, or
even hide them.

To insert rows
1. Select the row heading below where you want the new row to appear. In this example, we want
to insert a row between rows 4 and 5, so we'll select row 5.

2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

3. The new row will appear above the selected row.

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To insert columns
1. Select the column heading to the right of where you want the new column to appear. For
example, if you want to insert a column between columns D and E, select column E.

2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

3. The new column will appear to the left of the selected column.

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To delete a row or column
It's easy to delete a row or column that you no longer need. In our example, we'll delete a row, but you
can delete a column the same way.

1. Select the row you want to delete. In our example, we'll select row 9.

2. Click the Delete command on the Home tab.

3. The selected row will be deleted, and those around it will shift. In our example, row 10 has
moved up, so it's now row 9.

It's important to understand the difference between deleting a row or column and simply clearing
its contents. If you want to remove the content from a row or column without causing others to
shift, right-click a heading, then select Clear Contents from the drop-down menu.

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To hide and unhide a row or column
1. Select the columns you want to hide, right-click the mouse, then select Hide from the formatting
menu. In our example, we'll hide columns C, D, and E.

2. The columns will be hidden. The green column line indicates the location of the hidden columns.

3. To unhide the columns, select the columns on both sides of the hidden columns. In our example,
we'll select columns B and F. Then right-click the mouse and select Unhide from the formatting
menu.

4. The hidden columns will reappear.

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Wrapping text and merging cells
Whenever you have too much cell content to be displayed in a single cell, you may decide to wrap the
text or merge the cell rather than resize a column. Wrapping the text will automatically modify a cell's
row height, allowing cell contents to be displayed on multiple lines. Merging allows you to combine a
cell with adjacent empty cells to create one large cell.

To wrap text in cells

1. Select the cells you want to wrap. In this example, we'll select the cells in column C.
2. Click the Wrap Text command on the Home tab.

3. The text in the selected cells will be wrapped.

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To merge cells using the Merge & Center command
1. Select the cell range you want to merge. In our example, we'll select A1:F1
2. Click the Merge & Center command on the Home tab. In our example, we'll select the cell range
A1:F1.

3. The selected cells will be merged, and the text will be centered.

To access more merge options

If you click the drop-down arrow next to the Merge & Center command on the Home tab, the Merge
drop-down menu will appear.

Merge & Center: merges the selected cells into one cell and centers the text

Merge Across: merges the selected cells into larger cells while keeping each row separate

Merge Cells: merges the selected cells into one cell but does not center the text

Unmerge Cells: unmerges selected cells

You'll want to be careful when using this feature. If you merge multiple cells that all contain data, Excel
will keep only the contents of the upper-left cell and discard everything else.

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To center across selection
Merging can be useful for organizing your data, but it can also create problems later on. For example, it
can be difficult to move, copy, and paste content from merged cells. A good alternative to merging is
Center Across Selection, which creates a similar effect without actually combining cells.

1. Select the desired cell range. In our example, we'll select A1:F1. Note: If you already merged
these cells, you should unmerge them before continuing to step 2.
2. Click the small arrow in the lower-right corner of the Alignment group on the Home tab.

3. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the Horizontal drop-down menu, select Center Across
Selection, then click OK.

4. The content will be centered across the selected cell range. As you can see, this creates the
same visual result as merging and centering, but it preserves each cell within A1:F1.

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