Lesson 5: Cell Basics Show /en/excel2016/saving-and-sharing-workbooks/content/ IntroductionWhenever you work with Excel, you'll enter information—or content—into cells. Cells are the basic building blocks of a worksheet. You'll need to learn the basics of cells and cell content to calculate, analyze, and organize data in Excel. Optional: Download our practice workbook. Watch the video below to learn more about the basics of working with cells.
Understanding cellsEvery 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, where a row and column meet. Columns are identified by letters (A, B, C), while rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3).Each cell has its own name—or
cell address—based on its column and row. In the example below, the selected cell intersects column C and row 5, so the cell address is C5. Note that the cell address also appears in the Name box in the top-left corner, and that a cell's column and row headings are highlighted when the cell is selected. You can also select multiple cells at the same time. A group of cells is known as a cell range. Rather than a single cell address, you will refer to a cell range using the cell addresses of the first and last cells in the cell range, separated by a colon. For example, a cell range that included cells A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 would be written as A1:A5. Take a look at the different cell ranges below:
If the columns in your spreadsheet are labeled with numbers instead of letters, you'll need to
change the default reference style for Excel. Review our Extra on What are Reference Styles? to learn how. To select a cell:To input or edit cell content, you'll first need to select the cell.
You can also select cells using the arrow keys on your keyboard. To select a cell range:Sometimes you may want to select a larger group of cells, or a cell range.
Cell contentAny information you enter into a spreadsheet will be stored in a cell. Each cell can contain different types of content, including text, formatting, formulas, and functions.
To insert content:
To delete (or clear) cell content:
You can also use the Delete key on your keyboard to delete content from multiple cells at once. The Backspace key will only delete content from one cell at a time. To delete cells:There is an important difference between deleting the content of a cell and deleting the cell itself. If you delete the entire cell, the cells below it will shift to fill in the gaps and replace the deleted cells.
To copy and paste cell content:Excel allows you to copy content that is already entered into your spreadsheet and paste that content to other cells, which can save you time and effort.
To access more paste options:You can also access additional paste options, which are especially convenient when working with cells that contain formulas or formatting. Just click the drop-down arrow on the Paste command to see these options. Instead of choosing commands from the Ribbon, you can access commands quickly by right-clicking. Simply select the cell(s) you want to format, then right-click the mouse. A drop-down menu will appear, where you'll find several commands that are also located on the Ribbon. To cut and paste cell content:Unlike copying and pasting, which duplicates cell content, cutting allows you to move content between cells.
To drag and drop cells:Instead of cutting, copying, and pasting, you can drag and drop cells to move their contents.
To use the fill handle:If you're copying cell content to adjacent cells in the same row or column, the fill handle is a good alternative to the copy and paste commands.
To continue a series with the fill handle:The fill handle can also be used to continue a series. Whenever the content of a row or column follows a sequential order, like numbers (1, 2, 3) or days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), the fill handle can guess what should come next in the series. In most cases, you will need to select multiple cells before using the fill handle to help Excel determine the series order. Let's take a look at an example:
You can also double-click the fill handle instead of clicking and dragging. This can be useful with larger spreadsheets, where
clicking and dragging may be awkward. Watch the video below to see an example of double-clicking the fill handle. Challenge!
/en/excel2016/modifying-columns-rows-and-cells/content/ How do I label rows and columns in Excel?You can't customize the numbers and letters in row and column headings. If your goal is to label columns or rows in your worksheet, just click a cell, type the text that you want to use, and then press TAB to move to the next cell.
How do I label a row in Excel?Select the range you want to name, including the row or column labels. Select Formulas > Create from Selection. In the Create Names from Selection dialog box, designate the location that contains the labels by selecting the Top row,Left column, Bottom row, or Right column check box. Select OK.
How are columns and rows labeled?How are columns and rows labeled? In all spreadsheet programs including Microsoft Excel, rows are labeled using numbers (e.g., 1 to 1,048,576). All columns are labeled with letters starting with the letter A and then incrementing by a letter after the final letter Z.
How are rows and columns identified in an Excel worksheet?Each row is identified by row number, which runs vertically at the left side of the sheet. Each column is identified by column header, which runs horizontally at the top of the sheet.
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