Contents
The Excel 2007 Interface
Keyboard Shortcuts in Excel 2007
How to Create New Spreadsheets and Open Existing Spreadsheets
How to Save and Close an Excel Spreadsheet
How to Navigate an Excel 2007 Spreadsheet
Basic Cell Operations in Excel
Excel Formulas and Functions
How to Use Excel’s Fill Feature
How to Sort Data in Excel
How to Format Cells in Excel
How to Format Excel Spreadsheets
How to Add Charts or Graphics to Excel Spreadsheets
How to Print Excel Spreadsheets
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Basic Cell Operations in Excel
A cell is the intersection of a particular row and column on an Excel spreadsheet. Each cell has a unique cell address, composed of the column letter and row number. At least one cell in the spreadsheet is always selected, or active; this cell is indicated by a thick border called the cell pointer. For instance, in the image below, the active cell is B3.
A group of selected cells is called a range. To refer to a range in Excel, you need to use a particular syntax: write the first cell in the range, then a colon, then the last cell in the range. A range can cover just one column or row or multiple columns or rows. For instance, the range A10:A15 includes cells A10, A11, A12, A13, A14, and A15, whereas the range A10:B12 includes the cells A10, A11, A12, B10, B11, and B12.
How to Select Cells and Ranges
There are several ways to select a cell or group of cells in a spreadsheet:
- To select a cell: Click the cell or use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cell pointer to the cell.
- To select a range of cells: Click and hold on the first cell in the range, then drag over the cells you’d like to select in the range.
- To select noncontiguous cells or ranges: Select the first cell or range, then hold Ctrl while selecting others.
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To select all the cells in a column or row: Click the heading button. The heading button is the letter label for the column or number label for the row reside.
- To select multiple rows or columns: Click and drag across the headings of the columns or rows you’d like to select.
- To select noncontiguous columns or rows: Select the first column or row, then hold Ctrl while selecting other columns or rows.
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To select the entire workbook: Click the spreadsheet selector button
(located just above the row 1 heading button) or hit Ctrl+A.
How to Enter and Edit Data in a Cell
To enter data in a cell, select the cell and type in the data you wish to display. To move to another cell after entering data, press Enter, Tab, or an arrow key or select another cell with your mouse.
How to Edit Data in a Cell
To edit data that’s already been entered in a cell, select the cell and then either double-click the cell or click in the formula bar (see The Excel 2007 Interface).
AutoComplete
Whenever the text you enter in a cell matches text previously typed into another cell in the same column, an Excel feature called AutoComplete pops up a tiny window containing the text that Excel thinks you may want to enter in the cell:
- If the AutoComplete text is what you want to enter in the cell, hit Enter.
- If the text you want to enter does not match the suggested text, just keep typing. The AutoComplete suggestion will disappear.
How to Delete Cell Contents
To delete the contents of a cell, select the cell (or range of cells) and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
How to Cut, Copy, and Paste Data
To cut or copy data from one cell and paste it into
another, select the cell you’d like to cut or paste, then use the appropriate keyboard shortcuts or Ribbon icons.
Command |
Icon |
Location |
Shortcut |
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Cut |
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Home > Clipboard |
Ctrl+X |
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Copy |
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Home > Clipboard |
Ctrl+C |
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Paste |
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Home > Clipboard |
Ctrl+V |
You can cut or copy multiple cells at once by selecting a range and then hitting the icon or keyboard shortcut. To paste a range, either highlight the number of cells in the range or select the cell you’d like to be the top left corner of the range after you paste it. Then paste.
How to Cut or Copy Some of the Text in a Cell
If you want to cut or copy only some of the contents of a cell, double-click the cell or click in the formula bar, and highlight the text by clicking and dragging with the mouse or by holding Shift+Arrow Key. Then use the keyboard shortcuts or Ribbon icons to cut or copy.
The Clipboard
The clipboard allows you to cut or copy multiple items and then select which items to paste. To open the clipboard, click on the launcher at Home > Clipboard. Once opened, every time you cut or copy content, that content will appear in the clipboard. Click on the content in the clipboard to paste it into the active cell.
If you like using the clipboard, you can use the Options menu at the bottom of the clipboard window to set it so it opens automatically when you start Excel.
How to Use Undo, Redo, and Repeat
The Undo command allows you to reverse the last action you took in your workbook, while Redo will restore the
action you just undid.
Command |
Icon |
Location |
Shortcut |
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Undo |
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Quick Access Toolbar |
Ctrl+Z |
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Redo |
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Quick Access Toolbar |
Ctrl+Y |
Excel keeps a history of your most recent actions, allowing you to undo a series of changes. To access this history, click the down arrow next to the Undo icon, then select the
actions you want to undo. You can redo a series of actions in the same way. Note that when you undo or redo an
action using the down arrow, you also undo or redo all of the actions taken after that action.
Repeat
If you haven’t undone any actions, a Repeat icon 
takes the place of the Redo icon. Clicking the icon or hitting Ctrl+Y repeats the last action you performed.
takes the place of the Redo icon. Clicking the icon or hitting Ctrl+Y repeats the last action you performed.How to Find and Replace in Excel
Excel 2007 lets you search for text or specific formatting within your workbook and to replace it with other text or formatting using the Find and Replace dialog box. To open the dialog box, click the Find and Select icon 
at Home > Editing or hit Ctrl+F. To search for a term, just enter the term in the Find What field and click Find Next or Find All. The former will highlight the next cell that contains the term, while the latter will generate a list of all instances of the term.
at Home > Editing or hit Ctrl+F. To search for a term, just enter the term in the Find What field and click Find Next or Find All. The former will highlight the next cell that contains the term, while the latter will generate a list of all instances of the term. You can refine your search further by clicking on the More Options button, which will give you access to commands that allow you to specify a format or case to search for, look only for cells whose entire contents match your search term, or choose to search a single spreadsheet or an entire workbook.
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
