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, it's
where a row and column meet.
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.
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.
Insert Row or Column
Delete Row or Column
Wrapping text and merging cells
Relative references
By default, all cell references are relative
references. When copied across multiple
cells, they change based on the relative
position of rows and columns. For example,
if you copy the formula =A1+B1 from row 1
to row 2, the formula will become =A2+B2.
Relative references are especially
convenient whenever you need to repeat
the same calculation across multiple rows
or columns.
Absolute references
There may be a time when you don't want a cell reference to change when copied to other cells.
Unlike relative references, absolute references do not change when copied or filled. You can use an
absolute reference to keep a row and/or column constant.
An absolute reference is designated in a formula by the addition of a dollar sign ($). It can precede
the column reference, the row reference, or both.
Function
A function is a predefined formula that performs calculations using specific values in a particular
order. Excel includes many common functions that can be used to quickly find the sum, average,
count, maximum value, and minimum value for a range of cells.
Basic Arithmetic and Operations
SUM(range) - Adds values in a range.
AVERAGE(range) - Calculates the average of a range of numbers.
COUNT(range) - Counts the number of numeric values in a range.
COUNTA(range) - Counts all non-empty cells.
IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false) - Returns one value for a TRUE result
and another for FALSE.
ROUND(number, num_digits) - Rounds a number to the specified number of
digits.
ROUNDUP(number, num_digits) - Rounds a number up.
ROUNDDOWN(number, num_digits) - Rounds a number down.
Text Functions
CONCATENATE(text1, text2, ...) or CONCAT(text1, text2, ...) - Combines text from
multiple cells.
TEXT(value, format_text) - Formats numbers as text (e.g., dates, currency).
LEFT(text, num_chars) - Extracts the leftmost characters from a string.
RIGHT(text, num_chars) - Extracts the rightmost characters from a string.
MID(text, start_num, num_chars) - Extracts characters from the middle of a string.
TRIM(text) - Removes all extra spaces from text except for single spaces between
words.
LEN(text) - Counts the number of characters in a text string.
Lookup and Reference
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]) - Looks up
a value in a vertical range.
HLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, [range_lookup]) - Looks
up a value in a horizontal range.
Date and Time
TODAY() - Returns the current date.
NOW() - Returns the current date and time.
DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit) - Calculates the difference between two
dates in days, months, or years.
YEAR(date) - Extracts the year from a date.
MONTH(date) - Extracts the month from a date.
DAY(date) - Extracts the day from a date.
Function
Sorting Data
Filter Data
Subtotal
