Introduction to Excel

• Excel provides tools to easily organize, analyze, manage, and share information.
• Work is performed in cells, rows, and columns within a worksheet.
• The ribbon at the top has command tabs.
• Tabs are divided into command groups with commands and options (icons) related to the group name.

Starting Excel

• Excel opens a blank workbook or a previous file, and can select from templates

• A Workbook has Worksheets.

• The filename and program name appear in the title bar.

• A new workbook contains one worksheet Sheet1 by default.

• Sheet tabs above the Status bar, are identified as Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3.

• Worksheets can be renamed and added with the New sheet (+) button.

• A worksheet is a grid of rows, columns, and cells.

• Columns start at the top and go to the bottom, identified by a letter.

• Rows start at the left edge and go to the right, identified by a number.

• Each cell is identified by the intersection of a column and a row, such as A1.

• Information is entered into the active cell, which has a bold rectangle outline.

Using the Tools

• The Quick Access Toolbar provides quick access to tools that you use often during an Excel session.
• The Quick Access Toolbar is on the title bar's left side, above the ribbon.
• You can move the toolbar below the ribbon.
• You can customize it to contain only commands used most often.

Changing Workbook and Window Views

• The View tab on the ribbon controls the appearance of the displayed workbook.
• New windows can be opened and arranged.
• Windows can be split for side-by-side views.

Changing Workbook and Window Views Step by Step

• Open Excel and start a new workbook
• Click the Home tab
• Select cell A1, type 456 and press Tab
• In the Font group's lower-right corner, click the Dialog Box Launcher arrow to open the Format Cells dialog box.
• The default font is Calibri, 11 point, without bold or italic
• In the Font tab, scroll down and click Cambria, then click OK.
• Cell B1 becomes the active cell.
• In B1 type 456 and press Tab.
• Click the View tab.
• Click Page Layout in the Workbook Views group to view margins and add headers or footers.

Splitting the Window

• When a worksheet contains a lot of data, only a portion of the worksheet is visible in Normal and Page Layout views.
• The Split command enables viewing in two panes or four quadrants.
• Scroll bars display different worksheet sections.