Software

Instructor | JOHN RHINO E. SANTOS

APRIL JOY D. PALAHANG

COMP 21 – SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

WORKING
WITH CELLS
AND SHEETS

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◦◦◦ CELL 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

If the columns in your spreadsheet are labeled with numbers instead of letters, you'll need
to change the default reference style for Excel.

To select a cell:
To input or edit cell content, you'll first need to select the 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.

You can also select cells using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
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To select a cell range:

Sometimes you may want to select a larger group of cells, or 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.

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.

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• 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.

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

2. 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.

To delete (or clear) cell content:

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

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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.

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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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.

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To use the 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.

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.

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3. Release the mouse to fill the selected cells.

To continue a series with 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.

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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.

You can also double-click the fill handle instead of clicking and dragging. This can
be useful with larger spreadsheets, where clicking and dragging may be awkward.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#03.

2. Select cell D6 and type hlee.
3. Clear the contents in row 14.
4. Delete column G.
5. Using either cut and paste or drag and drop, move the contents of row 18 to row 14.
6. Use the fill handle to put an X in cells F9:F17.
7. When you're finished, your workbook should look like this:

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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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With numerical data, the cell will display pound signs (#######) if the column is too
narrow. Simply increase the column width to make the data visible.

To AutoFit column width:

The AutoFit feature will allow you to set a column's width to fit its content automatically.
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.

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You can also AutoFit the width for several columns at the same time. Simply select the
columns you want to AutoFit, then select the AutoFit Column Width command from
the Format drop-down menu on the Home tab. This method can also be used for row
height.

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.

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

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.

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

When inserting new rows, columns, or cells, you will see a paintbrush icon next to the
inserted cells. This button allows you to choose how Excel formats these cells. By
default, Excel formats inserted rows with the same formatting as the cells in the row
above. To access more options, hover your mouse over the icon, then click the drop-
down arrow.

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.

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2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

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

NOTE: When inserting rows and columns, make sure you select the entire row or column
by clicking the heading. If you select only a cell in the row or column, the Insert command
will only insert a new cell.

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.

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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 move a row or column:

Sometimes you may want to move a column or row to rearrange the content of your
worksheet. In our example we'll move a column, but you can move a row in the same way.
1. Select the desired column heading for the column you want to move.

2. Click the Cut command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+X on your keyboard.

3. Select the column heading to the right of where you want to move the column. For
example, if you want to move a column between columns E and F, select column
F.

4. Click the Insert command on the Home tab, then select Insert Cut Cells from the
drop-down menu.

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5. The column will be moved to the selected location, and the columns around it will
shift.

You can also access the Cut and Insert commands by right-clicking the mouse and
selecting the desired commands from the drop-down menu.

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To hide and unhide a row or column:

At times, you may want to compare certain rows or columns without changing the
organization of your worksheet. To do this, Excel allows you to hide rows and columns as
needed. In our example we'll hide a few columns, but you can hide rows in the same way.
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.

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4. The hidden columns will reappear.

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.

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

Click the Wrap Text command again to unwrap the text.

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.

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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.

From here, you can choose to:

• 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

NOTE: 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.

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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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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#04.

2. Autofit Column Width for the entire workbook.
3. Modify the row height for rows 3 to 14 to 22.5 (30 pixels).
4. Delete row 10.
5. Insert a column to the left of column C. Type SECONDARY CONTACT in cell C2.
6. Make sure cell C2 is still selected and choose Wrap Text.
7. Merge and Center cells A1:F1.
8. Hide the Billing Address and Phone columns.
9. When you're finished, your workbook should look something like this:

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◦◦◦ FORMATTING CELLS ◦◦◦

All cell content uses the same formatting by default, which can make it difficult to read a
workbook with a lot of information. Basic formatting can customize the look and feel of your
workbook, allowing you to draw attention to specific sections and making your content easier
to view and understand.

To change the font size:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Size command,
then select the desired font size. In our example, we will choose 24 to make the
text larger.

3. The text will change to the selected font size.

You can also use the Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size commands or
enter a custom font size using your keyboard.

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To change the font:

By default, the font of each new workbook is set to Calibri. However, Excel provides many
other fonts you can use to customize your cell text. In the example below, we'll format
our title cell to help distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font command, then
select the desired font. In our example, we'll choose Century Gothic.

3. The text will change to the selected font.

When creating a workbook in the workplace, you'll want to select a font that is easy to
read. Along with Calibri, standard reading fonts include Cambria, Times New Roman,
and Arial.

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To change the font color:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Color command,
then select the desired font color. In our example, we'll choose Green.

3. The text will change to the selected font color.

Select More Colors at the bottom of the menu to access additional color options.
We've changed the font color to a bright pink.

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To use the Bold, Italic, and Underline commands:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Click the Bold (B), Italic (I), or Underline (U) command on the Home tab. In our
example, we'll make the selected cells bold.

3. The selected style will be applied to the text.

You can also press Ctrl+B on your keyboard to make selected text bold, Ctrl+I to
apply italics, and Ctrl+U to apply an underline.

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CELL BORDERS AND FILL COLORS

Cell borders and fill colors allow you to create clear and defined boundaries for different
sections of your worksheet. Below, we'll add cell borders and fill color to our header cells to
help distinguish them from the rest of the worksheet.

To add a fill color:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Fill Color command,
then select the fill color you want to use. In our example, we'll choose a dark gray.

3. The selected fill color will appear in the selected cells. We've also changed
the font color to white to make it more readable with this dark fill color.

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To add a border:
1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Borders command, then
select the border style you want to use. In our example, we'll choose to display All
Borders.

3. The selected border style will appear.

You can draw borders and change the line style and color of borders with the Draw
Borders tools at the bottom of the Borders drop-down menu.

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CELL STYLES

Instead of formatting cells manually, you can use Excel's predesigned cell styles. Cell
styles are a quick way to include professional formatting for different parts of your workbook,
such as titles and headers.

To apply a cell style:

In our example, we'll apply a new cell style to our existing title and header cells.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Click the Cell Styles command on the Home tab, then choose the desired
style from the drop-down menu.

3. The selected cell style will appear.

Applying a cell style will replace any existing cell formatting except for text alignment.
You may not want to use cell styles if you've already added a lot of formatting to your
workbook.
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TEXT ALIGNMENT

By default, any text entered into your worksheet will be aligned to the bottom-left of a cell,
while any numbers will be aligned to the bottom-right. Changing the alignment of your cell
content allows you to choose how the content is displayed in any cell, which can make your
cell content easier to read.

• Left Align: Aligns content to the left border of the cell

• Center Align: Aligns content an equal distance from the left and right borders of the
cell

• Right Align: Aligns content to the right border of the cell

• Top Align: Aligns content to the top border of the cell

• Middle Align: Aligns content an equal distance from the top and bottom borders of the
cell

• Bottom Align: Aligns content to the bottom border of the cell

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To change horizontal text alignment:

In our example below, we'll modify the alignment of our title cell to create a more polished
look and further distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Select one of the three horizontal alignment commands on the Home tab. In our
example, we'll choose Center Align.

3. The text will realign.

To change vertical text alignment:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Select one of the three vertical alignment commands on the Home tab. In our
example, we'll choose Middle Align.

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3. The text will realign.

You can apply both vertical and horizontal alignment settings to any cell.

FORMAT PAINTER

If you want to copy formatting from one cell to another, you can use the Format
Painter command on the Home tab. When you click the Format Painter, it will copy all of the
formatting from the selected cell. You can then click and drag over any cells you want to
paste the formatting to.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#05.

2. Click the Challenge worksheet tab in the bottom-left of the workbook.
3. Change the cell style in cells A2:H2 to Accent 3.
4. Change the font size of row 1 to 36 and the font size for the rest of the rows to 18.
5. Bold and underline the text in row 2.
6. Change the font of row 1 to a font of your choice.
7. Change the font of the rest of the rows to a different font of your choice.
8. Change the font color of row 1 to a color of your choice.
9. Select all of the text in the worksheet, and change the horizontal alignment to center
align and the vertical alignment to middle align.
10. When you're finished, your worksheet should look something like this:

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◦◦◦ UNDERSTANDING NUMBER FORMATS ◦◦◦

What are Number Formats?

Whenever you're working with a spreadsheet, it's a good idea to use appropriate number
formats for your data. Number formats tell your spreadsheet exactly what type of data you're
using, like percentages (%), currency ($), times, dates, and so on.

Why use Number Formats?

Number formats don't just make your spreadsheet easier to read—they also make it easier
to use. When you apply a number format, you're telling your spreadsheet exactly what types
of values are stored in a cell. For example, the date format tells the spreadsheet that you're
entering specific calendar dates. This allows the spreadsheet to better understand your
data, which can help ensure that your data remains consistent and that your formulas are
calculated correctly.

If you don't need to use a specific number format, the spreadsheet will usually apply
the general number format by default. However, the general format may apply some small
formatting changes to your data.

Applying Number Formats

Just like other types of formatting, such as changing the font color, you'll apply number
formats by selecting cells and choosing the desired formatting option. There are two main
ways to choose a number format:
• Go to the Home tab, click the Number Format drop-down menu in the Number group,
and select the desired format.

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• You can also click one of the quick number-formatting commands below the drop-down
menu.

You can also select the desired cells and press Ctrl+1 on your keyboard to access
more number-formatting options.

In this example, we've applied the Currency number format, which adds currency symbols
($) and displays two decimal places for any numerical values.

If you select any cells with number formatting, you can see the actual value of the cell in the
formula bar. The spreadsheet will use this value for formulas and other calculations.

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USING NUMBER FORMATS CORRECTLY

There's more to number formatting than selecting cells and applying a format. Spreadsheets
can actually apply a lot of number formatting automatically based on the way you enter data.
This means you'll need to enter data in a way the program can understand, and then ensure
that those cells are using the proper number format. For example, the image below shows
how to use number formats correctly for dates, percentages, and times:

Now that you know more about how number formats work, we'll look at a few different number
formats in action.

PERCENTAGE FORMATS

One of the most helpful number formats is the percentage (%) format. It displays values as
percentages, such as 20% or 55%. This is especially helpful when calculating things like the
cost of sales tax or a tip. When you type a percent sign (%) after a number, the percentage
number format will be applied to that cell automatically.

As you may remember from math class, a percentage can also be written as a decimal. So
15% is the same thing as 0.15, 7.5% is 0.075, 20% is 0.20, 55% is 0.55, and so on.

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There are many times when percentage formatting will be useful. For example, in the images
below, notice how the sales tax rate is formatted differently for each spreadsheet (5, 5%,
and 0.05):

As you can see, the calculation in the spreadsheet on the left didn't work correctly. Without
the percentage number format, our spreadsheet thinks we want to multiply $22.50 by 5, not
5%. And while the spreadsheet on the right still works without percentage formatting, the
spreadsheet in the middle is easier to read.

DATE FORMATS

Whenever you're working with dates, you'll want to use a date format to tell the spreadsheet
that you're referring to specific calendar dates, such as July 15, 2014. Date formats also
allow you to work with a powerful set of date functions that use time and date information to
calculate an answer.

Spreadsheets don't understand information the same way a person would. For instance, if
you type October into a cell, the spreadsheet won't know you're entering a date so it will treat
it like any other text. Instead, when you enter a date, you'll need to use a specific
format your spreadsheet understands, such
as month/day/year (or day/month/year depending on which country you're in). In the
example below, we'll type 10/12/2014 for October 12, 2014. Our spreadsheet will then
automatically apply the date number format for the cell.

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Now that we have our date correctly formatted, we can do many different things with this
data. For example, we could use the fill handle to continue the dates through the column, so
a different day appears in each cell:

If the date formatting isn't applied automatically, it means the spreadsheet did not understand
the data you entered. In the example below, we've typed March 15th. The spreadsheet did
not understand that we were referring to a date, so this cell is still using the general number
format.

On the other hand, if we type March 15 (without the "th"), the spreadsheet will recognize it
as a date. Because it doesn't include a year, the spreadsheet will automatically add the
current year so the date will have all of the necessary information. We could also type the
date several other ways, such as 3/15, 3/15/2014, or March 15 2014, and the spreadsheet
would still recognize it as a date.

Try this!

Try entering the dates below into a spreadsheet and see if the date format is applied
automatically:
• 10/12
• October
• October 12
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• October 2016
• 10/12/2016
• October 12, 2016
• 2016
• October 12th

If you want to add the current date to a cell, you can use the Ctrl+; shortcut

Other Date Formatting Options

To access other date formatting options, select the Number Format drop-down menu and
choose More Number Formats. These are options to display the date differently, like
including the day of the week or omitting the year.

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The Format Cells dialog box will appear. From here, you can choose the desired date
formatting option.

As you can see in the formula bar, a custom date format doesn't change the actual date in
our cell—it just changes the way it's displayed.

NUMBER FORMATTING TIPS

Here are a few tips for getting the best results with number formatting:
• Apply number formatting to an entire column: If you're planning to use one column
for a certain type of data, like dates or percentages, you may find it easiest to select
the entire column by clicking the column letter and applying the desired number
formatting. This way, any data you add to this column in the future will already have
the correct number format. Note that the header row usually won't be affected by
number formatting.

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• Double-check your values after applying number formatting: If you apply number
formatting to existing data, you may have unexpected results. For example,
applying percentage (%) formatting to a cell with a value of 5 will give you 500%, not
5%. In this case, you'd need to retype the values correctly in each cell.

• If you reference a cell with number formatting in a formula, the spreadsheet may
automatically apply the same number formatting to the new cell. For example, if you
use a value with currency formatting in a formula, the calculated value will also use the
currency number format.

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• If you want your data to appear exactly as entered, you'll need to use the text number
format. This format is especially good for numbers you don't want to perform
calculations with, such as phone numbers, zip codes, or numbers that begin with 0,
like 02415. For best results, you may want to apply the text number format before
entering data into these cells.

Increase and Decrease Decimal

The Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal commands allow you to control how many
decimal places are displayed in a cell. These commands don't change the value of the cell;
instead, they display the value to a set number of decimal places.

Decreasing the decimal will display the value rounded to that decimal place, but the actual
value in the cell will still be displayed in the formula bar.

NOTE: The Increase/Decrease Decimal commands don't work with some number formats,
like Date and Fraction.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#06.

2. In cell D2, type today's date and press Enter.
3. Click cell D2 and verify that it is using a Date number format. Try changing it to a different
date format (for example, Long Date).
4. In cell D2, use the Format Cells dialog box to choose the 14-Mar-12 date format.
5. Change the sales tax rate in cell D8 to the Percentage format.
6. Apply the Currency format to all of column B.
7. In cell D8, use the Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal command to change the
number of decimal places to one. It should now display 7.5%.
8. When you're finished, your spreadsheet should look like this:

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◦◦◦ WORKING WITH MULTIPLE WORKSHEETS ◦◦◦

Every workbook contains at least one worksheet by default. When working with a large
amount of data, you can create multiple worksheets to help organize your workbook and
make it easier to find content. You can also group worksheets to quickly add information to
multiple worksheets at the same time.

To insert a new worksheet:

1. Locate and select the New sheet button near the bottom-right corner of the Excel
window.

2. A new blank worksheet will appear.

By default, any new workbook you create in Excel will contain one worksheet,
called Sheet1. To change the default number of worksheets, navigate to Backstage
view, click Options, then choose the desired number of worksheets to include in each
new workbook.

To copy a worksheet:
If you need to duplicate the content of one worksheet to another, Excel allows you
to copy an existing worksheet.
1. Right-click the worksheet you want to copy, then select Move or Copy from the
worksheet menu.

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2. The Move or Copy dialog box will appear. Choose where the sheet will appear in
the Before sheet: field. In our example, we'll choose (move to end) to place the
worksheet to the right of the existing worksheet.
3. Check the box next to Create a copy, then click OK.

4. The worksheet will be copied. It will have the same title as the original worksheet,
as well as a version number. In our example, we copied
the November worksheet, so our new worksheet is named November (2). All
content from the November worksheet has also been copied to the new worksheet.

You can also copy a worksheet to an entirely different workbook. You can select any
workbook that is currently open from the To book: drop-down menu.
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To rename a worksheet:
1. Right-click the worksheet you want to rename, then select Rename from the
worksheet menu.

2. Type the desired name for the worksheet.

3. Click anywhere outside the worksheet tab, or press Enter on your keyboard. The
worksheet will be renamed.

To move a worksheet:
1. Click and drag the worksheet you want to move until a small black arrow appears
above the desired location.

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2. Release the mouse. The worksheet will be moved.

To change the worksheet tab color:

1. Right-click the desired worksheet tab, and hover the mouse over Tab Color.
The Color menu will appear.
2. Select the desired color.

3. The worksheet tab color will be changed.

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The worksheet tab color is considerably less noticeable when the worksheet is
selected. Select another worksheet to see how the color will appear when the
worksheet is not selected.

To delete a worksheet:
1. Right-click the worksheet you want to delete, then select Delete from
the worksheet menu.

2. The worksheet will be deleted from your workbook.

If you want to prevent specific worksheets from being edited or deleted, you
can protect them by right-clicking the desired worksheet and selecting Protect
Sheet from the worksheet menu.
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Switching between worksheets

If you want to view a different worksheet, you can simply click the tab to switch to that
worksheet. However, with larger workbooks this can sometimes become tedious, as it may
require scrolling through all of the tabs to find the one you want. Instead, you can
simply right-click the scroll arrows in the lower-left corner, as shown below.

A dialog box will appear with a list of all of the sheets in your workbook. You can then double-
click the sheet you want to jump to.

GROUPING AND UNGROUPING WORKSHEETS

You can work with each worksheet individually, or you can work with multiple worksheets
at the same time. Worksheets can be combined together into a group. Any changes made
to one worksheet in a group will be made to every worksheet in the group.

To group worksheets:
1. Select the first worksheet you want to include in the worksheet group.

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2. Press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard. Select the next worksheet you want
in the group.

3. Continue to select worksheets until all of the worksheets you want to group are
selected, then release the Ctrl key. The worksheets are now grouped.

NOTE: While worksheets are grouped, you can navigate to any worksheet within the group.
Any changes made to one worksheet will appear on every worksheet in the group.
However, if you select a worksheet that is not in the group, all of your worksheets will
become ungrouped.

To ungroup worksheets:
1. Right-click a worksheet in the group, then select Ungroup Sheets from
the worksheet menu.

2. The worksheets will be ungrouped. Alternatively, you can simply click any
worksheet not included in the group to ungroup all worksheets.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#07.

2. Insert a new worksheet, and rename it Q1 Summary.
3. Move the Expenses Summary worksheet to the far right, then move the Q1
Summary worksheet so that it is between March and April.
4. Create a copy of the Expenses Summary worksheet by right-clicking the tab. Do not just
copy and paste the content of the worksheet into a new worksheet.
5. Change the color of the January tab to blue and the color of the February tab to red.
6. Group the worksheets September, October, and November.
7. When you're finished, your workbook should look something like this:

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◦◦◦ USING FIND & REPLACE ◦◦◦

When working with a lot of data in Excel, it can be difficult and time consuming to locate
specific information. You can easily search your workbook using the Find feature, which also
allows you to modify content using the Replace feature.

To find content:
In our example, we'll use the Find command to locate a specific department in this list.
1. From the Home tab, click the Find and Select command, then select Find from
the drop-down menu.

2. The Find and Replace dialog box will appear. Enter the content you want to find.
In our example, we'll type the department's name.
3. Click Find Next. If the content is found, the cell containing that content will
be selected.

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4. Click Find Next to find further instances or Find All to see every instance of the
search term.

5. When you are finished, click Close to exit the Find and Replace dialog box.

You can also access the Find command by pressing Ctrl+F on your keyboard.

Click Options to see advanced search criteria in the Find and Replace dialog box.

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To replace cell content:

At times, you may discover that you've repeatedly made a mistake throughout your
workbook (such as misspelling someone's name) or that you need to exchange a particular
word or phrase for another. You can use Excel's Find and Replace feature to make quick
revisions. In our example, we'll use Find and Replace to correct a list of department names.
1. From the Home tab, click the Find and Select command, then
select Replace from the drop-down menu.

2. The Find and Replace dialog box will appear. Type the text you want to find in
the Find what: field.
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3. Type the text you want to replace it with in the Replace with: field, then click Find
Next.

4. If the content is found, the cell containing that content will be selected.
5. Review the text to make sure you want to replace it.
6. If you want to replace it, select one of the replace options. Choosing Replace will
replace individual instances, while Replace All will replace every instance of the
text throughout the workbook. In our example, we'll choose this option to save time.

7. A dialog box will appear, confirming the number of replacements made. Click OK to
continue.

8. The selected cell content will be replaced.

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9. When you are finished, click Close to exit the Find and Replace dialog box.

NOTE: Generally, it's best to avoid using Replace All because it doesn't give you the
option of skipping anything you don't want to change. You should only use this option if
you're absolutely sure it won't replace anything you didn't intend it to.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#08.

2. Click the Challenge tab in the bottom-left of the workbook.
3. Crystal Lewis was married and changed her last name to Taylor. Use Find and
Replace to change Crystal's last name from Lewis to Taylor. Be careful to only change
Crystal's last name!
4. Find and replace Bio with Biology. Be careful not to change the major Biomedical
Engineering!
5. Use Find and Replace All to replace the Physics major to Physical Science.
6. When you're finished, your worksheet should look like this:

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◦◦◦ CHECKING SPELLING ◦◦◦

Before sharing a workbook, you'll want to make sure it doesn't include any spelling errors.
Fortunately, Excel includes a Spell Check tool you can use to make sure everything in your
workbook is spelled correctly.

If you've used the Spell Check feature in Microsoft Word, just be aware that the Spell Check
tool in Excel, while helpful, is not as powerful. For example, it won't check for grammar issues
or check spelling as you type.

To use Spell Check:

1. From the Review tab, click the Spelling command.

2. The Spelling dialog box will appear. For each spelling error in your worksheet,
Spell Check will try to offer suggestions for the correct spelling. Choose a
suggestion, then click Change to correct the error.

3. A dialog box will appear after reviewing all spelling errors. Click OK to close Spell
Check.

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If there are no appropriate suggestions, you can also enter the correct spelling
manually.

Ignoring spelling "errors"

Spell Check isn't always correct. It will sometimes mark certain words as incorrect even if
they're spelled correctly. This often happens with names, which may not be in the dictionary.
You can choose not to change a spelling "error" using one of the following three options:
• Ignore Once: This will skip the word without changing it.
• Ignore All: This will skip the word without changing it and also skip all other instances
of the word in your worksheet.
• Add: This adds the word to the dictionary so it will never appear as an error again.
Make sure the word is spelled correctly before choosing this option.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#09.

2. Click the Challenge worksheet tab in the bottom-left of the workbook.
3. Run the Spell Check to correct any spelling errors in the workbook.
4. Correct the words coffe and medum using the suggested spelling.
5. Ignore the spelling suggestion for the word Amanecer.
6. When you're finished, your worksheet should look like this:

7. Bonus Step! There is one error Spell Check didn't catch. Can you spot it? Hint: It's in
one of the item descriptions.

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◦◦◦ PAGE LAYOUT AND PRINTING ◦◦◦

There may be times when you want to print a workbook to view and share your data offline.
Once you've chosen your page layout settings, it's easy to preview and print a workbook
from Excel using the Print pane.

To access the Print pane:

1. Select the File tab. Backstage view will appear.

2. Select Print. The Print pane will appear.

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To print a workbook:
1. Navigate to the Print pane, then select the desired printer.

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2. Enter the number of copies you want to print.

3. Select any additional settings if needed (see above interactive).

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4. Click Print.

CHOOSING A PRINT AREA

Before you print an Excel workbook, it's important to decide exactly what information you
want to print. For example, if you have multiple worksheets in your workbook, you will need
to decide if you want to print the entire workbook or only active worksheets. There may
also be times when you want to print only a selection of content from your workbook.

To print active sheets:

Worksheets are considered active when selected.
1. Select the worksheet you want to print. To print multiple worksheets, click the
first worksheet, hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard, then click any other worksheets
you want to select.

2. Navigate to the Print pane.

3. Select Print Active Sheets from the Print Range drop-down menu.

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4. Click the Print button.

To print the entire workbook:

1. Navigate to the Print pane.
2. Select Print Entire Workbook from the Print Range drop-down menu.

3. Click the Print button.

To print a selection:
In our example, we'll print the records for the top 40 salespeople on the Central worksheet.
1. Select the cells you want to print.

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2. Navigate to the Print pane.

3. Select Print Selection from the Print Range drop-down menu.

4. A preview of your selection will appear in the Preview pane.

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5. Click the Print button to print the selection.

If you prefer, you can also set the print area in advance so you'll be able to visualize
which cells will be printed as you work in Excel. Simply select the cells you want to
print, click the Page Layout tab, select the Print Area command, then choose Set
Print Area. Keep in mind that if you ever need to print the entire workbook, you'll need
to clear the print area.

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ADJUSTING CONTENT

On occasion, you may need to make small adjustments from the Print pane to fit your
workbook content neatly onto a printed page. The Print pane includes several tools to help
fit and scale your content, such as scaling and page margins.

To change page orientation:

Excel offers two page orientation options: landscape and portrait. Landscape orients
the page horizontally, while portrait orients the page vertically. In our example, we'll set
the page orientation to landscape.
1. Navigate to the Print pane.
2. Select the desired orientation from the Page Orientation drop-down menu. In our
example, we'll select Landscape Orientation.

3. The new page orientation will be displayed in the Preview pane.

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To fit content before printing:

If some of your content is being cut off by the printer, you can use scaling to fit your
workbook to the page automatically.
1. Navigate to the Print pane. In our example, we can see in the Preview pane that
our content will be cut off when printed.

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2. Select the desired option from the Scaling drop-down menu. In our example, we'll
select Fit All Columns on One Page.

3. The worksheet will be condensed to fit onto a single page.

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Keep in mind that worksheets will become more difficult to read as they are scaled down,
so you may not want to use this option when printing a worksheet with a lot of information.
In our example, we'll change the scaling setting back to No Scaling.

To include Print Titles:

If your worksheet uses title headings, it's important to include these headings on each
page of your printed worksheet. It would be difficult to read a printed workbook if the title
headings appeared only on the first page. The Print Titles command allows you to select
specific rows and columns to appear on each page.
1. Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon, then select the Print Titles command.

2. The Page Setup dialog box will appear. From here, you can
choose rows or columns to repeat on each page. In our example, we'll repeat a
row first.
3. Click the Collapse Dialog button next to the Rows to repeat at top: field.

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4. The cursor will become a small selection arrow, and the Page Setup dialog box
will be collapsed. Select the row(s) you want to repeat at the top of each printed
page. In our example, we'll select row 1.

5. Row 1 will be added to the Rows to repeat at top: field. Click the Collapse
Dialog button again.

6. The Page Setup dialog box will expand. To repeat a column as well, use the same
process shown in steps 4 and 5. In our example, we've selected to repeat row 1
and column A.
7. When you're satisfied with your selections, click OK.

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8. In our example, row 1 appears at the top of every page, and column A appears at
the left of every page.

To adjust page breaks:

1. Click the Page Break Preview command to change to Page Break view.

2. Vertical and horizontal blue dotted lines denote the page breaks. Click and drag
one of these lines to adjust that page break.

3. In our example, we've set the horizontal page break between rows 21 and 22.

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4. In our example, all the pages now show the same number of rows due to the change
in the page break.

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To modify margins in the Preview pane:

A margin is the space between your content and the edge of the page. Sometimes you
may need to adjust the margins to make your data fit more comfortably. You can modify
page margins from the Print pane.
1. Navigate to the Print pane.
2. Select the desired margin size from the Page Margins drop-down menu. In our
example, we'll select Narrow Margins.

3. The new page margins will be displayed in the Preview pane.

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You can adjust the margins manually by clicking the Show Margins button in the
lower-right corner, then dragging the margin markers in the Preview pane.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#10.

2. Click the East Coast tab at the bottom of the workbook.
3. In the Page Layout tab, use the Print Titles feature to repeat row 1 at the top
and column A at the left.
4. Using the Page Break Preview command, move the break between rows 47 and 48 up
so it's between rows 40 and 41.
5. In Backstage view, open the Print Pane.
6. In the Print pane, change the orientation to Landscape.
7. Change the margins to Narrow.
8. Change the scaling to Fit All Columns on One Page.
9. When you are finished, your print preview should look like this:

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