Microsoft Office

Excel 2016 for Windows

Ranges & Tables

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 University Information Technology Services

Microsoft Office: Excel 2016

Ranges & Tables

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Learning Objectives..................................................................................................................................... 4
Using Ranges ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Selecting a Range .................................................................................................................................... 5
Naming a Range ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Copy and Paste a Range .......................................................................................................................... 7
Sorting ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Sorting with the Sort & Filter Button ...................................................................................................... 8
Sorting with the Data Sort Menu ............................................................................................................ 9
Formatting ................................................................................................................................................ 11
Formatting as a Table ........................................................................................................................... 11
Conditional Formatting ......................................................................................................................... 12
Removing Conditional Formatting ........................................................................................................ 15
Additional Help ......................................................................................................................................... 15
Introduction
The Excel 2016: Ranges & Tables document, is a continuation of the fundamentals learned in the
previous Excel workshops and builds on this foundation to provide the user with the necessary skills to
create more detailed and extensive spreadsheets, and enhance their impact while building your skill
with the program.

Learning Objectives
After completing the instructions in this booklet, you will be able to:
 Edit and format large areas of a spreadsheet.
 Effectively sort and arrange data.
 Create and format tables to better organize data.
 Use conditional formatting to highlight trends within data.

Revised: 6/29/2016 Page 4 of 15

Using Ranges
Working with a range allows you to perform operations such as moving, copying, or formatting much
faster than working with one cell at a time. The following figure contains terms and definitions
encountered when using ranges.

Figure 1 - Definitions

Selecting a Range
The following explains how to select a range.
1. Click the first cell that you want to select.
2. Highlight the cells that you want to include in the range.

Figure 2 - Sample Range Selection

Naming a Range
A range can also be defined by giving a name to a group of cells. For example, we could name the
selection of cells above (see Figure 2), Eastern Region by following the steps listed below.
1. Highlight cells B4 through E4.
2. Click the Name Box.

Figure 3 - Name Box Drop-Down

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3. Type the name Eastern_Region in the Name Box and press Enter.

Figure 4 – Eastern Region

Note: The name may not contain spaces, or start with a number; however, you may use an
underscore or dash to separate terms for the name.

4. The name Eastern_Region appears in the Name Box for the range selected.

Figure 5 – Named Range

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Copy and Paste a Range
The following explains how to copy and paste a range of data.
1. Highlight the cell range that you wish to copy.

Figure 6 - Select a Range to Copy

2. On the Home tab of the ribbon, click the Copy button.

Figure 7 – Copy Button

3. Left-click in the beginning cell where you want the range to be copied.

Figure 8 - Copy Destination

4. On the Home tab of the ribbon, click the Paste button.

Figure 9 – Paste Button

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 5. The data will be copied into the destination cells.

Figure 10 - Copied Data

Sorting
Sorting with the Sort & Filter Button
Excel gives you the ability to sort a list of items, names, or numbers. You can select which field or fields
you want to use for the sort, and whether to sort in ascending or descending order. The following
explains how to sort the First Names in a table.

1. Click in the cell you want to use for sorting to make it an active cell. In this example, cell B1 has
been selected to sort by Last Name (see Figure 11).

2. On the Home tab, click the Sort & Filter button (see Figure 11).

Figure 11 - Sort & Filter

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 3. Select Sort A to Z. This will sort the list alphabetically by Last Name, since the active cell was in
the Last Name column.

Figure 12 - Sort A to Z

4. The list is now sorted in alphabetical order by Last Name.

Figure 13 - Sorting

Sorting with the Data Sort Menu

Another way to sort in Excel is with the Data Sort menu. The following explains how to sort by Last
Name using Data Sort.
1. Click the heading labeled Last to select the Last Name column.

Figure 14 - Selecting the Last Name Column

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2. From the Data tab, click the Sort button.

Figure 15 - Data Sort

3. The Sort dialog box appears. Select the column heading that you want to sort by from the Sort
by field.

Figure 16 - Sort by field

4. In the Sort On drop-down, make sure Values is selected.

5. In the Order drop-down, select A-Z to sort your data by alphabetical order.

Figure 17 - Order

6. Click OK. The data will be sorted by alphabetical order.

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Formatting
Formatting as a Table
With Excel, you have the ability to format data as a table. With these tables, you may readily organize,
sort, and filter your data while also easily making your cells visually appealing. The following explains
how to format your data as a table.
1. Select the desired cell range that you wish to format as a table.

Figure 18 - Select Range

2. Click the Format as Table button located on the Home tab on the ribbon.

Figure 19 - Format as Table

3. In the drop-down that appears, select your desired Table style.

Figure 20 - Table Style

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 4. In the Format as Table window, the cells you selected in step 1 will appear. Click OK.

Figure 21 - Click Ok

5. The data will be formatted as a table according to your specifications.

Figure 22 - Formatted Tables

Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting is a very useful tool that will allow you to automatically format your data in
order to provide a useful way to visualize information and make your worksheet easier to understand.
With conditional formatting, you will be able to apply formatting such as different colors to one or
more cells based on cell value. The following explains how to apply Conditional Formatting to your
spreadsheet.
1. Select the desired cell range that you wish to apply the conditional formatting rule.

Figure 23 - Select Desired Range

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2. From the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

Figure 24 - Conditional Formatting

3. In the drop-down menu, hover your mouse over Highlight Cell Rules to display conditional
formatting types.

Figure 25 - Highlight Cell Rules

4. In this example, we want to highlight those values greater than $5000. To do so, click the
Greater Than option.

Figure 26 – Conditional Formatting Types: Greater Than

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5. In the Greater Than box that appears, enter the desired value into the field. In this example,
enter 5000.

Figure 27 - Enter your desired value

6. In the formatting style drop-down, select your preferred highlight colors.

Figure 28 - Select your preferred highlight colors

7. The conditional formatting style will be applied to the selected cells.

Figure 29 - Conditional Formatting Applied

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Removing Conditional Formatting
The following explains how to remove conditional formatting from your entire spreadsheet:
1. From the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

Figure 30 - Conditional Formatting

2. A drop-down box appears. Hover your mouse over Clear Rules to view a list of options for
removal of rules.

Figure 31 - Clear Rules

3. To clear rules from the entire sheet, click Clear Rules from Entire Sheet. Your Conditional
Formatting rules will be cleared.

Figure 32 - Clear Rules from the Entire Sheet

Additional Help
For additional support, please contact the KSU Service Desk:

KSU Service Desk for Faculty & Staff

 Phone: 470-578-6999
 Email: [email protected]
 Website: http://uits.kennesaw.edu
KSU Student Helpdesk
 Phone: 470-578-3555
 Email: [email protected]
 Website: http://uits.kennesaw.edu
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