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Basics
Basic tasks in Excel
Applies To
Excel is an incredibly powerful
tool for getting meaning out of
vast amounts of data. But it also
works really well for simple
calculations and tracking almost
any kind of information. The key
for unlocking all that potential is
the grid of cells. Cells can
contain numbers, text, or
formulas. You put data in your
cells and group them in rows and
columns. That
 allows you to add up your data,
sort and filter it, put it in tables,
and build great-looking charts.
Let’s go through the basic steps
to get you started.
Create a new
workbook
Excel documents are called
workbooks. Each workbook has
sheets, typically called
spreadsheets. You can add as
many sheets as you want to a
workbook, or you can create new
workbooks to keep your data
separate.
1. Click File, and then click New.
2. Under New, click the Blank
workbook.
 Enter your data
3. Click an empty cell.
For example, cell A1 on a new
sheet. Cells are referenced by
their location in the row and
column on the sheet, so cell A1
is in the first row of column A.
4. Type text or a number in the cell.
5. Press Enter or Tab to move to
the next cell.
Apply cell borders
Select the cell or range of cells
6.

that you want to add a border to.

On the Home tab, in the Font
7.

group, click the arrow next to

Borders, and then click the
border style that you want.
8.
For more information, see Apply
or remove
 cell borders on a worksheet .
Apply cell shading
9. Select the cell or range of cells
that you want to apply cell
shading to.
10. On the Home tab, in
the Font group, choose the
arrow next to Fill Color
 , and then under Theme
Colors or Standard Colors,
select the color that you want.
For more information about how
to apply formatting to a
worksheet, see Format a
worksheet.
Use AutoSum to add
your data
When you’ve entered numbers in
your sheet, you might want to
add them up. A fast way to do
that is by using AutoSum.
11. Select the cell to the right or
below the numbers you want to
add.
12. Click the Home tab, and then
click AutoSum in
the Editing group.
AutoSum adds up the numbers
and shows the result in the cell
you selected.
For more information, see Use
AutoSum to sum numbers
Create a simple
formula
Adding numbers is just one of
 the things you can do, but Excel
can do other math as well. Try
some simple formulas to add,
subtract, multiply, or divide your
numbers.
13. Pick a cell, and then type an
equal sign (=).
 That tells Excel that this cell will
contain a formula.
14. Type a combination of numbers
and calculation operators, like
the plus sign (+) for addition, the
minus sign (-) for subtraction, the
asterisk (*) for multiplication, or
the forward slash (/) for division.
For example, enter =2+4, =4-
2, =2*4, or =4/2.
15. Press Enter.
This runs the calculation.
You can also press Ctrl+Enter if
you want the cursor to stay on
the active cell.
For more information, see Create
a simple formula.
Apply a number
format
To distinguish between different
types of numbers, add a format,
like currency, percentages, or
dates.
16. Select the cells that have
numbers you want to format.
17. Click the Home tab, and then
click the arrow in
the General box.

18.

19. Pick a number format.

 If you don’t see the number
format you’re looking for,
click More Number Formats.
For more information,
see Available number formats.
Put your data in a
table
A simple way to access Excel’s
power is to put your data in a
table. That lets you quickly filter
or sort your data.
20. Select your data by clicking the
first cell and dragging to the last
cell in your data.
To use the keyboard, hold down
Shift while you press the arrow
keys to select your data.
21. Click the Quick Analysis button
 in the bottom-right corner of the
selection.
22. Click Tables, move your cursor
to the Table button to preview
your data, and then click
the Table button.
23. Click the arrow
 in the table header of a column.
24. To filter the data, clear the Select
All check box, and then select
the data you want to show in
your table.
25. To sort the data, click Sort A to
Z or Sort Z to A.
26. Click OK.
For more information, see Create
or delete an Excel table
Show totals for your
numbers using Quick
Analysis
The Quick Analysis tool (Excel
2016) let you total your numbers
quickly. Whether it’s a sum,
average, or count you want,
Excel shows the calculation
results right below or next to your
numbers.
27. Select the cells that contain
numbers you want to add or
count.
28. Click the Quick Analysis button
 in the bottom-right corner of the
selection.
29. Click Totals, move your cursor
across the buttons to see the
calculation results for your data,
and then click the button to apply
the totals.
Add meaning to your
data using Quick
Analysis
Conditional formatting or
sparklines can highlight your
most important data or show
data trends. Use the Quick
Analysis tool (Excel 2016) for a
Live Preview to try it out.
30. Select the data you want to
examine more closely.
31. Click the Quick Analysis button
 in the bottom-right corner of the
selection.
32. Explore the options on
the Formatting and Sparklines t
abs to see how they affect your
data.
 For example, pick a color scale
in the Formatting gallery to
differentiate high, medium, and
low temperatures.

33.
34. When you like what you see,
click that option.
Learn more about how
to analyze trends in
 data using sparklines.
Show your data in a
chart using Quick
Analysis
The Quick Analysis tool (Excel
2016) recommends the right
chart for your data and gives you
a visual presentation in just a few
clicks.
35. Select the cells that contain the
data you want to show in a chart.
36. Click the Quick Analysis button
 in the bottom-right corner of the
selection.
37. Click the Charts tab, move
across the recommended charts
to see which one looks best for
your data, and then click the one
that you want.
 Note: Excel shows different
charts in this gallery, depending
on what’s recommended for your
data.
Learn about other ways to create
a chart.
Sort your data
To quickly sort your data
38. Select a range of data, such as
A1:L5 (multiple rows and
 columns) or C1:C80 (a single
column). The range can include
titles that you created to identify
columns or rows.
39. Select a single cell in the column
on which you want to sort.
40. Click

to perform an ascending sort (A

to Z or smallest number to
 largest).
41. Click
 to perform a descending sort (Z
to A or largest number to
smallest).
 To sort by specific criteria
42. Select a single cell anywhere in
the range that you want to sort.
43. On the Data tab, in the Sort &
 Filter group, choose Sort.
44. The Sort dialog box appears.
45. In the Sort by list, select the first
column on which you want to
sort.
46. In the Sort On list, select
either Values, Cell Color, Font
Color, or Cell Icon.
47. In the Order list, select the order
that you want to apply to the sort
operation — alphabetically or
numerically ascending or
descending (that is, A to Z or Z to
A for text or lower to higher or
higher to lower for numbers).
For more information about how
to sort data, see Sort data in a
range or table .
Filter your data
48. Select the data that you want to
filter.
49. On the Data tab, in the Sort &
Filter group, click Filter.
50.

51. Click the arrow

 in the column header to display
a list in which you can make filter
 choices.
52. To select by values, in the list,
clear the (Select All) check box.
This removes the check marks
from all the check boxes. Then,
select only the
 values you want to see, and
click OK to see the results.
For more information about how
to filter data, see Filter data in a
range or table.
Save your work
53. Click the Save button on
the Quick Access Toolbar, or

press Ctrl+S.
54.

If you’ve saved your work before,

 you’re done.
55. If this is the first time you've save
this file:
56. Under Save As, pick where to
save your workbook, and then
browse to a folder.
57. In the File name box, enter a
name for