Microsoft Excel

is a computer application for

computation, organization,
analysis and storage of data

About Excel in tabular form.

Microsoft Excel is one of

the most powerful and
widely used spreadsheet
applications available
today. Excel’s functionality
and popularity have made
it an essential component
on computers in countless
organizations, businesses,
and other institutions
throughout the world.
 1

Starting Excel
There are a number of ways to start the Excel
program:

1. Using the Shortcut on the Desktop

• Look for the Excel 2019 icon on your desktop.
• Double click the icon to launch Excel or you may
just click the icon and press ENTER key.
2. Using the Taskbar
• Look for the Excel icon on the Taskbar
• Click it once to launch Excel
2
 3

Starting Excel
There are a number of ways to start the Excel
program:
3. Using the Start Menu
• Click on the [Start] button, located at the lower
left corner of the desktop. The Start menu will
appear.
• Click on the menu item called All Programs to
display a second menu.
• Scroll down through the list to find the Microsoft
Office 2019 folder menu item. Click the folder to 4
expand it’s contents.
• When you see Excel, click it to launch the
application.
4. Using the Search
• Click the [Start] button or tap the [Start] key.
• Type Excel and tap the [Enter] key. Excel will open
Interface Elements
Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) – The toolbar is
located at the very top of the Excel window and,
by default, contains three buttons, [Save], [Undo]
and [Redo]. However this can be personalized by
the user.
User Account Information - The User Account
Information is a new feature in Excel 2019 and is
located at the very top, upper right corner of the
window. This is where you can sign in to your
account, switch accounts, or change account
settings.
Ribbon – Located above the spreadsheet, the
Ribbon is a navigation panel with tabs of grouped
command buttons which can be used to control,
format and edit the data in the worksheet.
Formula Bar – The Formula Bar is located below
the Ribbon and displays the true contents of the
selected cell. It can also be used to enter or edit
the contents of cells.
Interface Elements
Name Box – Located on the left side of the Formula
Bar, the Name Box shows the address of the active
cell. This box also allows you to type in cell locations
to go to specific cells.
Scroll Bars – The Scroll Bars along the right side and
bottom of the window let you see what is beyond the
screen view. You can scroll up, down, left or right by:
clicking on the corresponding arrow, clicking in the
grey area of the scroll bar, or dragging the scroll box.
Sheet Tabs – Located just below the worksheet and to
the left of the bottom scroll bar, the Sheet Tabs can
display the different worksheets in the workbook.
These can be renamed to describe the data on each
sheet.
Status Bar – Located at the very bottom of the Excel
window, the Status Bar displays information about the
range of selected cells. It also displays the description
of the current command or activity in progress.
Zoom Slider – The Zoom Slider is located at the very
bottom right of the Excel window. This allows you to
zoom in and out as well as change the screen view.
The Ribbon
The Ribbon Tabs
By default, the Ribbon contains ten tabs. This can
be modified by the user. Each tab is divided up
into groups of related command buttons. Below is
a description of the default tabs:
File Tab — takes you to the “Backstage View” of
Excel. Listed features along the left side include
basic features (New, Open, Save, Save As, Print,
and Close) as well as some new features such as
Account and Feedback. The larger area on the
right displays associated command options for the
selected feature. To exit the “Backstage View”,
click the Back arrow button in the upper left
corner of the window or tap the [Esc] key.
The Ribbon
Home Tab — contains the most frequently used
buttons to format and edit the worksheet.
Insert Tab — contains buttons used for inserting a
variety of different objects into your spreadsheet
such as graphs, pictures, and tables.
Page Layout Tab — contains buttons that allow
you to change the theme of your Excel document,
arrange the layout of objects in your document
and prepare your document for printing.
Formulas Tab — contains the tools needed to
create formulas and perform calculations on your
data.
Data Tab — contains buttons to allow you to
import data from external sources, manage your
data connections, and merge and organize data
The Ribbon
Data Tab — contains buttons to allow you to
import data from external sources, manage your
data connections, and merge and organize data.
Review Tab — contains the tools you need to
proof and review your spreadsheet such as the
spell checker, thesaurus and research tool.
View Tab — contains the tools that allow you to
control the way your worksheet is displayed.
Help — offers assistance options from Microsoft.
Power Pivot — contains tools associated with
working in Power PivotTables or relational
database connections
Dialog Launcher Dialog Launcher
Some Groups of buttons in the Ribbon Tab will
have a Dialog Launcher located in the lower right
corner of the group. This opens a dialog which
provides a more extensive and detailed list of
available options

Mini Toolbar and Mini Toolbar and

Shortcut Menu Shortcut Menu
Mini Toolbar and Shortcut Menu
• In the worksheet, select a cell or range of cells.
• Right click the mouse button.
• A Mini Toolbar with a Shortcut Menu will be
displayed. Select an option as desired
Cursor Movement
There are three methods of moving around on
the worksheet: using keyboard commands,
arrow keys or the mouse
Selecting Cells
Before you can enter, edit, or format data, you
must select a cell or cells.

Selecting a Single Cell

• Using the mouse, place the cursor on the
cell
• Click once. The heavy border around the cell
indicates that the cell is now active. The cell
address (column letter and row number)
appears in the Name Box.
Selecting a Cell
Range
A cell range is a series or block of 2 or more
adjacent cells and can be useful to make
changes to multiple cells at one time. A range is
designated by two cell addresses – the first and
last cell in the range – separated by the range
operator (:). For example, A1:D5 describes the
rectangular area consisting of all cells between
columns A and D and between rows 1 and 5.
When selecting a range that is larger than the
screen, the window will scroll when the pointer
touches the edge of the screen. When typing in
a range, the cursor is confined within that range
as long as you use the [Tab] or [Enter] keys.
• Use the mouse to click on the first cell.
• Hold down the mouse button and drag the
mouse pointer to the last cell in the range.
The range is shown as shaded while the first
cell remains white indicating it is still active.
Auto Fill
There are many types of series that can automatically
be entered into the worksheet. A sequence series is
created when the information can be repeated in a
predictable pattern such days of the week and
months. If the information can’t be created in as a
sequence, the cell contents will be copied through the
selected range of the series.
Creating a Series
• Type the first value in the first cell where you want
a numeric series to begin. A Fill Handle will appear
in the lower right corner of any active cell or range
of cells
• Move the cursor over the Autofill Handle in the
lower right corner until you see the cursor change
to a thin black “plus” sign (+)
• Click and drag to where the series should end.
When you release the mouse button, the value is
copied and the [Autofill Options] tag is displayed.
• Click the [Autofill Options] tag. A menu appears
with f ill options to change how Excel completes
the series.
Auto Fill
There are many types of series that can automatically
be entered into the worksheet. A sequence series is
created when the information can be repeated in a
predictable pattern such days of the week and
months. If the information can’t be created in as a
sequence, the cell contents will be copied through the
selected range of the series.
Creating a Series
• Type the first value in the first cell where you want
a numeric series to begin. A Fill Handle will appear
in the lower right corner of any active cell or range
of cells
• Move the cursor over the Autofill Handle in the
lower right corner until you see the cursor change
to a thin black “plus” sign (+)
• Click and drag to where the series should end.
When you release the mouse button, the value is
copied and the [Autofill Options] tag is displayed.
• Click the [Autofill Options] tag. A menu appears
with f ill options to change how Excel completes
the series.
Creating a Formula
Formulas are mathematical expressions that
operate on cell contents. When cells contain
numerical data, you can add, subtract, multiply
and divide the contents as required. The results
of these operations will be shown in the cell
that contains the formula. Formulas can be
simple, like adding two cell values, or quite
complex involving multiple mathematical
operations.
All formulas begin with an equal sign (=)
followed by one or more of the following:
operands (quantity), arguments, operators,
functions, and parentheses needed to obtain
the desired result. Formulas can contain
number values (i.e. 23), cell addresses (i.e. A1),
or even functions (i.e. Sum(B2:B9)).
Creating a Formula
There are a couple methods to creating
formulas. The simplest methods would be to
use the keyboard to manually enter the data or
to use the mouse to click on the cell addresses
containing the data to be entered. Using a cell
address in a formula, is a way of simplifying the
data by using the cell contents as number
values. If the cell contents change, the formula
will recalculate and update the answer.
Creating a Function
Formula
Functions are pre-written formulas and provide
a quick way to calculate the value of a cell.
Instead of entering very lengthy formulas, you
can use a function using the [Insert Function]
button command, the Function Library Group,
and the [AutoSum] button