Introduction To Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool essential for managing and presenting data in today's working environment.

• Introduction To Excel 2016
• Introduction To Excel Youtube

According to Wikipedia, Microsoft Excel first came to the Macintosh in 1985 and Windows in 1987. Since then, it has become the go-to spreadsheet program for many people (and companies). So many people are exposed to Excel spreadsheets and have a need to create or edit them. But, what if you don't have any experience using a spreadsheet program like Excel? Well, we're here to help. In this introduction to Excel we'll explain how Excel workbooks are structured, what a worksheet is, what cells are and what's contained in each cell.

• Introduction to Excel Chapter Exam Instructions. Choose your answers to the questions and click 'Next' to see the next set of questions. You can skip questions if you would like and come back to.
• Excel is a massive application with 1000s of features and 100s of ribbon (menu) commands. It is very easy to get lost once you open Excel. So one of the basic survival skills is to understand how to navigate Excel and access the features you are looking for. When you open Excel, this is how it looks.

Note: This introduction to Excel and images were created with Excel 2016 but also applies to other versions of Excel.

Excel 101: Workbook

A workbook is the file that you create in Excel and can save. In Word it's called a document, in Excel it's a workbook. When you see the file listed in your windows explorer it will usually have an .xls or .xlsx extension. That means, the file name will look something like this: 'filename.xls' or 'filename.xlsx'.

An Introduction to Excel Sheets

Each Excel file, or workbook, can contain several sheets. Think of the sheets like pages in the workbook. These sheets are shown as tabs toward the bottom of your screen and are initially called 'Sheet 1', 'Sheet 2', etc. You can rename each sheet by right-clicking on the tab with the name of in and selecting 'Rename'.

When you open a new workbook in Excel there are three sheets. Excel may be set to open three sheets as a default. You can change this default if you want so it opens a different number of sheets. To change the number of sheets in each new file click on the File menu, then click Options. When the options window opens, go to the General section and then the section that says 'When creating new workbooks'. Find where it says 'Include this many sheets' and change the number to change the number of sheets that will be in a new workbook when you open one.

You can change the number of sheets in your workbook by deleting and adding them. You need at least one sheet in a workbook. According to Microsoft the number of sheets included is limited by your computer's memory. I have created workbooks with dozens of sheets in them and never encountered a problem.

See Also: How to use Microsoft Excel as a Password Keeper (with a free template)

Excel 101: Worksheet Structure

Each worksheet in Excel is composed of many cells. Each cell can be identified by the row and cell it is in. The gray row of letters across the top are the column headers. They identify the letter associated with all the cells in that column. The gray column of cells down the left side of the sheet are the row headers. They identify the number associated with all cells in that row. So, in the example below the green box is in column 'C' and row '11' so it is cell 'C11'.

Excel 101: Selecting Sections of your Worksheet

At times you'll need to select different portions of the worksheet to edit, print or more. You can select one cell, multiple cells, columns, rows, sheets and more. It's easiest to use your mouse to select different sections of your worksheet. Here are some ways for highlighting different areas of your file using your mouse.

• To select a cell you can click on it or use your arrow keys on the keyboard to move to the cells left, right, up and down.
• To select an entire column, click on the gray box that contains the letter above that column. The entire column will be highlighted, indicating it has been selected.
• To select an entire row, click on the gray box that contains the number to the left of that row. The entire row will be highlighted, indicating it has been selected.
• To select the entire worksheet, click on the gray square in the upper left corner, to the left of the A, above the 1. The entire worksheet will be highlighted, indicating it is selected.
• To select multiple worksheets at the same time click on the first then, while holding the Control (Ctrl) key down, click on the other sheets you'd like to select. (This can be handy if you want to make the same change to several sheets or want to print several sheets at once.)

Note: You may also be interested in learning how to convert excel sheets to pdf files.

Excel 101: Cell Contents and Data Types

Each cell in a worksheet can contain data. Some examples of different types of data that can be entered into cells are:

• Text – words, letters and sentences are all examples of text
• Number
• Currency – similar to a number but can include a currency symbol
• Percent – similar to a number but is a calculated percent with a percent sign
• Date – date, time or both
• Formula – You can create a formula in an excel cell to have excel perform a calculation, analyze information or more. These can be from a simple calculation (ie: =1+1) or extremely complex.

The contents of a cell may be different from what is displayed in the cell on the screen. An example of this is a cell that contains a formula. Let's say we type a simple formula, =1+1, in a cell. (NOTE: Typing an equal sign before the 1+1 tells Excel that we're typing a formula and would like Excel to calculate it.) Excel will calculate the formula and display '2' in the cell on the screen. But, the cell really contains '=1+1'. How do we know this? Well, when you select the cell the actual contents will be displayed in the formula bar above the spreadsheet.

Read Next: Introduction to Excel Number Format

Conclusion

Now that you've got a brief introduction to Excel workbooks, worksheets and their cells, it's time to get creating worksheets. Subscribe so you don't miss out on future tutorials on Excel (and more!).

If you have questions on this tutorial or need Excel help in general, leave us a comment below or reach out to us on the contact us page. We'd be happy to help!

Introduction

Microsoft Excel XP is a spreadsheet application in the Microsoft Office suite. A spreadsheet is an accounting program for the computer. Spreadsheets are primarily used to work with numbers and text. Instalar emulador android. Spreadsheets can help organize information, such as alphabetizing a list of names or ordering records, and calculate and analyze information using mathematical formulas.

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify the parts of the Excel window
• Understand the differences between a workbook and a worksheet
• Understand a cell and its importance to Excel
• Move around a workbook

The Excel window

Many items you see on the Excel XP screen are standard in most other Microsoft software programs like Word, PowerPoint, and previous versions of Excel, while some elements are specific to Excel XP.

Workbook

Also called a spreadsheet, the workbook is a unique file created by Excel XP.

Title bar

The title bar displays both the name of the application and the name of the spreadsheet.

Menu bar

The menu bar displays all of the menus available for use in Excel XP. The contents of any menu can be displayed by left-clicking the menu name.

Toolbar

Some commands in the menus have pictures or icons associated with them. These pictures may also appear as shortcuts in the toolbar.

Column headings

Each Excel spreadsheet contains 256 columns. Each column is named by a letter or combination of letters.

Row headings

Each spreadsheet contains 65,536 rows. Each row is named by a number.

Name box

This shows the address of the current selection or active cell.

Formula bar

The formula bar isplays information entered—or being entered as you type—in the current or active cell. The contents of a cell can also be edited in the formula bar.

Cell

A cell is an intersection of a column and row. Each cell has a unique cell address. In the picture above, the cell address of the selected cell is B3. The heavy border around the selected cell is called the cell pointer.

Navigation buttons and sheet tabs

Navigation buttons allow you to move to another worksheet in an Excel workbook. They are used to display the first, previous, next, and last worksheets in the workbook.

Sheet tabs separate a workbook into specific worksheets. A workbook defaults to three worksheets. A workbook must contain at least one worksheet.

Workbooks and worksheets

A workbook automatically shows in the workspace when you open Microsoft Excel XP. Each workbook contains three worksheets. A worksheet is a grid of cells consisting of 65,536 rows by 256 columns. Spreadsheet information—text, numbers, or mathematical formulas—is entered into different cells. Excel spreadsheet file.

Column headings are referenced by alphabetic characters in the gray boxes that run across the Excel screen, beginning with column A and ending with column IV. Where to find your print screens.

Rows are referenced by numbers that appear on the left and then run down the Excel screen. The first row is named row 1, while the last row is named 65536.

Important terms

• A workbook is made up of three worksheets.
• The worksheets are labeled Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3.
• Each Excel worksheet is made up of columns and rows.
• In order to access a worksheet, click the tab that says Sheet#.

The cell

A cell is an intersection of a column and row. Each cell has a unique cell address. In the picture above, the cell address of the selected cell is B3. The heavy border around the selected cell is called the cell pointer.

Navigation buttons and sheet tabs

Navigation buttons allow you to move to another worksheet in an Excel workbook. They are used to display the first, previous, next, and last worksheets in the workbook.

Sheet tabs separate a workbook into specific worksheets. A workbook defaults to three worksheets. A workbook must contain at least one worksheet.

Workbooks and worksheets

A workbook automatically shows in the workspace when you open Microsoft Excel XP. Each workbook contains three worksheets. A worksheet is a grid of cells consisting of 65,536 rows by 256 columns. Spreadsheet information—text, numbers, or mathematical formulas—is entered into different cells. Excel spreadsheet file.

Column headings are referenced by alphabetic characters in the gray boxes that run across the Excel screen, beginning with column A and ending with column IV. Where to find your print screens.

Rows are referenced by numbers that appear on the left and then run down the Excel screen. The first row is named row 1, while the last row is named 65536.

Important terms

• A workbook is made up of three worksheets.
• The worksheets are labeled Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3.
• Each Excel worksheet is made up of columns and rows.
• In order to access a worksheet, click the tab that says Sheet#.

The cell

An Excel worksheet is made up of columns and rows. Where these columns and rows intersect, they form little boxes called cells. The active cell—or the cell that can be acted upon—reveals a dark border. All other cells reveal a light gray border. Each cell has a name. Its name is comprised of two parts: the column letter and the row number.

In the following picture, the cell C3—formed by the intersection of column C and row 3—contains the dark border. It is the active cell.

Important terms

• Each cell has a unique cell address composed of a cell's column and row.
• The active cell is the cell that receives the data or command you give it.
• A darkened border, called the cell pointer, identifies it.

Moving around the worksheet

You can move around the spreadsheet in several ways.

To move the cell pointer:

Introduction To Excel 2016

• To activate any cell, point to a cell with the mouse and click.
• To move the pointer one cell to the left, right, up, or down, use the keyboard arrow keys.

To scroll through the worksheet:

The vertical scroll bar located along the right edge of the screen is used to move up or down the spreadsheet. The horizontal scroll bar located at the bottom of the screen is used to move left or right across the spreadsheet.

The PageUp and PageDown keys on the keyboard are used to move the cursor up or down one screen at a time. Other keys that move the active cell are Home, which moves to the first column on the current row, and Ctrl+Home, which moves the cursor to the top-left corner of the spreadsheet, or cell A1.

To move between worksheets:

As mentioned, each workbook defaults to three worksheets. These worksheets are represented by tabs—named Sheet1, Sheet2 and Sheet3—that appear at the bottom of the Excel window.

To move from one worksheet to another:

• Click the sheet tab—Sheet1, Sheet2 or Sheet 3—you want to display.
  

Challenge!

• Display the contents of every menu in the menu bar, and note the icons associated with specific menu choices. Try to find the pictures or shortcuts on the Standard toolbar.
• Click each of the three worksheet tabs—Sheet1, Sheet2 and Sheet3—to become familiar moving from sheet to sheet in the workbook.
• Use the Page Up (PgUp) and Page Down (PgDn) keys to get used to scrolling in a worksheet.
• Use the horizontal and vertical scrollbars to practice scrolling up, down, left, and right in the worksheet.

Introduction To Excel Youtube

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