Introduction to

Microsoft Excel 2013

I. Introduction
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a powerful
electronic spreadsheet program
you can use to automate
accounting work, organize data,
and perform a wide variety of
tasks. Excel is designed to
perform calculations, analyze
information, and visualize data
in a spreadsheet. Also this
application includes database
and charting features.
A. Launch Excel
To launch Excel for the first time:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. 2. Click on All Programs.
3. 3. Select Microsoft Office from the menu
options, and then click on Microsoft Excel
2013.
B. Windows Features
The purpose of the window features is to
enable the user to perform routine tasks
related to the Microsoft applications. All the
Office applications share a common
appearance and similar features. The
window features provide a quick means to
execute commands. Here are some
pertinent Excel features:
C. Spreadsheet terms
Additional Spreadsheet terms
Expand Formula Bar Button - This button allows you to expand the
formula bar. This is helpful when you have either a long formula or
large piece of text in a cell.
Worksheet Navigation Tabs - By default, every workbook starts
with 1 sheet. Normal View - This is the “normal view” for working
on a spreadsheet in Excel.
Page Layout View - View the document as it will appear on the
printed page.
Page Break Preview - View a preview of where pages will break
when the document is printed.
Zoom Level - Allows you to quickly zoom in or zoom out of the
worksheet.
Horizontal/Vertical Scroll - Allows you to scroll
vertically/horizontally in the worksheet.
Navigating in the Excel Environment
Key Description
ARROW Move one cell up, down, left, or right in a worksheet. SHIFT+ARROW KEY
KEYS extends the selection of cells by one cell.
BACKSPACE Deletes one character to the left in the Formula Bar. Also clears the
content of the active cell.
In cell editing mode, it deletes the character to the left of the insertion
point.
DELETE Removes the cell contents (data and formulas) from selected cells without
affecting cell formats or comments.
In cell editing mode, it deletes the character to the right of the insertion
point.
END Moves to the cell in the lower-right corner of the window when SCROLL
LOCK is turned on.
Also selects the last command on the menu when a menu or submenu is
visible.
CTRL+END moves to the last cell on a worksheet, in the lowest used row of
the rightmost used column. If the cursor is in the formula bar,
CTRL+END moves the cursor to the end of the text.
CTRL+SHIFT+END extends the selection of cells to the last used cell on the
worksheet (lower-right corner). If the cursor is in the formula bar,
CTRL+SHIFT+END selects all text in the formula bar from the cursor position
to the end—this does not affect the height of the formula bar.
Navigating in the Excel Environment
ENTER Completes a cell entry from the cell or the Formula Bar,
and selects the cell below (by default).
ESC Cancels an entry in the cell or Formula Bar. Closes an
open menu or submenu, dialog box, or message window.
HOME Moves to the beginning of a row in a worksheet.
CTRL+HOME moves to the beginning of a worksheet.
PAGE Moves one screen down in a worksheet.
DOWN
PAGE UP Moves one screen up in a worksheet.
SPACEBAR In a dialog box, performs the action for the selected
button, or selects or clears a check box.
CTRL+SPACEBAR selects an entire column in a worksheet.
SHIFT+SPACEBAR selects an entire row in a worksheet.
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR selects the entire worksheet.
TAB Moves one cell to the right in a worksheet.
D. Mouse Pointer Styles
The Excel mouse pointer takes on many different appearances as
you move around the spreadsheet. The following table summarizes
the most common mouse pointer appearances:
E. Spreadsheet Navigation
The following table provides various methods to navigation around a
spreadsheet.
Method Description
mouse pointer Use the mouse pointer to select a cell.
scroll bars Use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to move around the
spreadsheet to view columns and rows not currently visible. Click
the mouse pointer once the desired cell is visible.
arrow keys Use the left ¬, right ®, up ­, and down ¯ arrows to move
accordingly among cells.
Enter Press the Enter key to move down one cell at a time.
Tab Press the Tab key to move one cell to the right.
Ctrl+Home Moves the cursor to cell A1.
Ctrl+End Moves the cursor to the last cell of used space on the worksheet,
which is the cell at the intersection of the right-most used
column and the bottom-most used row (in the lower-right
corner).
End + arrow Moves the cursor to the next or last cell in the current column or
key row which contains information.
F. Basic Steps For Creating a Spreadsheet
1.Made a draft of your spreadsheet idea on
paper.
2.Enter the data from your draft onto the
actual spreadsheet.
3.Format your data after entering onto the
spreadsheet.
4.Calculate data by using mathematical
formulas.
5.Save the document.
6.Preview and Print the spreadsheet.
II. Enter and Format Data
A. Entering Text
Any items that are not to be used in calculations are
considered, in Excel’s terminology, labels. This includes
numerical information, such as phone numbers and zip codes.
Labels usually include the title, column and row headings.
To Enter Text/Labels:
1) Click in a cell
2) 2) Type text
3) 3) Press Enter

NOTE: By default, pressing the Enter key will move you to

the cell below the active cell.
Auto Fill
Frequently, it is necessary to enter lists of
information. For example, column headings are often
the months of the year or the days of the week. To
simplify entering repetitive or sequential lists of
information, Excel has a tool called Autofill.

This tool allows preprogrammed lists, as well as

custom lists, to be easily added to a spreadsheet.
Some examples of the automatic auto fill lists are
months, days, etc.
Entering Values
Numerical pieces of information that
will be used for calculations are called
values. They are entered the same way
as labels. It is important NOT to type
values with characters such as “,” or “$”.
To Enter Values:
Navigate to a cell
2) Type a value
3) Press Enter
B. Adjust Column Width
Initially all columns have the same width in a spreadsheet. Often
you will need to make columns wider or narrower.
meth Description
od
dragging method Move the cursor up to the column heading area and point
  to the vertical line to the right of the column that you want
  to change. When the cursor becomes a "plus sign" with
  horizontal arrows, press the mouse button and drag in
  either direction to resize the column. Release the mouse
button to accept the new size.
double click to Move the cursor up to the column heading area and point
auto fit to the vertical line to the right of the column that you want
to change. When the cursor becomes a "plus sign" with
horizontal arrows, double click to AutoFit this one column.
AutoFit a range Use the mouse to select the range of cells that needs to be
adjusted and on the Home ribbon in the Cells group,
choose Format, and the select the AutoFit Column Width
option.
Type Text and Numbers
Use the plus sign mouse pointer to select a cell then
begin typing in that cell to enter data. If there is
existing text/data in a cell, the new text will replace the
existing text. Press the Enter or Tab key after typing
text in a cell.

1. Type the following text and numbers in rows 10 and 11:

D. Undo and Redo
Use the Undo button to undo (reverse) previous
actions in reverse sequence.
Choose this option immediately after performing an
unwanted action. Note that Undo is not available for all
commands. The Redo button will restore the
process that was just undone.

1. Click on the Undo button. The last item that you typed
is removed from the spreadsheet

2. Click on the Redo button. The text that you removed

with Undo should be replaced
Basic Formulas
Basic Formulas
Microsoft Excel is an electronic
spreadsheet that automates manual
calculations involved in accounting and
bookkeeping. After you have typed the
basic text and number entries in a
spreadsheet cell, Excel can perform the
math calculations for you. You will learn
how to create formulas and functions to
perform calculations in a spreadsheet.
Example formulas are:
=D15+D18+D21
=B4-B12
=A10/B15
=(B16+C16)*1.07

Do not use any spaces in formulas. Also,

when creating formulas you may choose
to either type the cell address or use the
mouse to select the cell address.
A. Create a Formula
You can create any type of math calculation on your
own using the following mathematical operators

Symbol Meaning

= equals - used to begin a calculation

+ addition
- subtraction
* multiplication
/ division
^ exponentiation
( open parenthesis - used to begin a grouping
) close parenthesis - used to close a grouping