Basic Microsoft Excel 2011 Table of Contents Starting Excel... 2 Creating a New Workbook... 3 Saving a Workbook... 3 Creating New Worksheets... 3 Renaming a Worksheet... 3 Deleting a Worksheet... 3 Selecting Cells... 4 Working with Data... 4 Entering Data... 4 Editing and Deleting Data... 5 Cutting & Copying Data... 5 Cutting Data... 5 Copying Data... 5 Basic Formatting... 6 AutoFitting... 7 Basic Sorting... 7 Basic Mathematical Operations... 8 The AutoSum Feature... 9 Dianne Harrison Ferro Mesarch
Starting Excel 1. Click on the Microsoft Excel icon located on the Dock. 2. The Microsoft Excel application will open. The Apple Menu Bar The Standard Toolbar The Mac Ribbon The Formula Bar The Name Box Column Headings Row Headings The Sheet Tabs 3. The table below lists the different Excel window features and provides a brief description of each one. Attribute The Apple Menu Bar The Standard Toolbar The Mac Ribbon The Name Box The Formula Bar Column Headings Row Headings The Sheet Tabs Description The words listed at the top of the application window, to the right of the Apple icon. You can access most application commands from the Apple menu bar. The icons underneath the Apple menu bar, which provide quick access to commonly used commands. A series of tabs that contain commands and icons organized into groups. The box at the left end of the Formula Bar that identifies the selected cell, chart item or drawing object. Located immediately underneath the Mac Ribbon, it displays the constant value or formula used within an active cell. The lettered gray areas at the top of each column. The numbered gray areas to the left of each row. The tabs at the bottom of a workbook window that display the name of the various worksheets. 2
Creating a New Workbook When you open Microsoft Excel, the application automatically opens a new workbook for you. Workbook 1 will be displayed above the Standard Toolbar to indicate this. To create another new workbook, click on the New Workbook icon, located on the Standard Toolbar. Saving a Workbook Press the and the S keys on your Apple keyboard to save an Excel workbook. Creating New Worksheets By default, each workbook contains one worksheet, which is indicated by the sheet tab that reads Sheet 1. To add a new worksheet, click on the Insert Sheet icon, located to the right of the worksheet tab. The Insert Sheet icon When you add worksheets, they appear to the left of the Insert Sheet icon. The newly added worksheets To change the location of a worksheet, select it and drag the worksheet to its new location. Renaming a Worksheet 1. CTRL+click on the worksheet tab that you want to rename. 2. Choose the option Rename from the submenu that appears. 3. The worksheet tab s current name will be selected. 4. Type the worksheet s new name. (Typing replaces selection.) Deleting a Worksheet 1. CTRL+click on the tab of the worksheet that you want to delete. 2. Choose the option Delete from the submenu that appears. 3. Click on the OK button within the prompt. 4. The worksheet will be deleted. Note: To right-click on a Mac, press the CTRL+click keys on your Apple keyboard. 3
Selecting Cells In order to add data to your worksheet, you need to select cells. Selected cells have a thick line around them. There are many ways to select cells. The table below lists some of them. Action Click on a cell Click on a Column Heading Click on a Row Heading Shift-click +Click Click on the Select All button Selection Selects that cell Selects that entire column Selects that entire row Selects the cells between the original mouse click and where you placed the cursor after holding down the Shift key Selects non-contiguous cells Selects all of the cells within a worksheet Note: To de-select any cell(s), click once on another cell. Working with Data Entering Data 1. Select the cell in which you want to enter data. 2. Start typing the data. 3. Notice that your data appears in the Formula bar as you type. Data within the formula bar 4. When you have finished entering the data, press the Return key, the Tab key, or one of the Arrow keys on your Apple keyboard. 5. The data displayed in the Formula bar will be entered into the selected cell on your worksheet. Note 1: You must press the Enter, Tab or an Arrow key to validate your data entry. Otherwise, Excel will not recognize the data that you are trying to enter in a cell. Note 2: By default, text is always left-aligned and numbers are always right-aligned. Note 3: Normally, Excel automatically adjusts the width of a column to fit its entry. However, you can always readjust a column s width by moving the column s border. For example, if you need to adjust the width of cell B4, place your cursor on top of the borderline that separates column headings B and C. Drag the borderline to the right to make the column wider or to the left the make the column more narrow. 4
Editing and Deleting Data There are two ways to edit data in a cell. 1. Click in the cell that contains the data and start typing. The original data will be deleted and what you are typing will take its place. When making edits to single words and numbers, this is often the easiest method. -or- 2. You can edit from the formula bar. a. Click once in the cell that contains the data you want to edit. b. The cell contents will appear in the formula bar. c. Place your cursor where you want to make the change within the formula bar. d. Make your changes and press the Return key on your Apple keyboard. Cell contents within the formula bar To delete data, simply select the cell that contains the data you want to delete and press the Delete key on your Apple keyboard. Cutting & Copying Data Cutting Data 1. Select the cells that contain the information you want to move. 2. Simultaneously press the and the X keys on your Apple keyboard. 3. Animated lines will surround the cell(s) containing the data. 4. Move the cursor to the desired new location and click once. 5. Simultaneously press the and the V keys on your Apple keyboard. 6. Your data will reappear at the new location. Copying Data 1. Select the cells that contain the information you want to copy. 2. Simultaneously press the and the C keys on your Apple keyboard. 3. Animated lines will surround the cell(s) containing the data. 4. Move the cursor to the desired new location and click once. 5. Simultaneously press the and the V keys on your Apple keyboard. 6. Your data will reappear at the new location. 7. The animated lines will still surround the original cell(s). 8. Press once on the Esc key on your Apple keyboard to make the animated lines disappear. Note: You can continue to paste your copied data until you press the Esc key on your Apple keyboard. Pressing the Esc key will make the animated lines disappear, which means you can no longer paste the data. 5
Basic Formatting After selecting cells, you can format them using the icons available on the Home tab of the Mac Ribbon. Those icons allow you to change the cell s font type, size, color, and add bold, italicized or underlined formatting. You can also determine how you would like your numbers to appear, i.e., with dollar signs, as percents, with commas, or with decimal points. Some of the commonly used formatting icons are listed below. Click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the Fill Color icon to choose a color for the cell s background. Click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the Font Color icon to choose a color for the data within a cell. Click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the Alternate Currency icon to apply different monetary formats. Click on the Percent Style icon to apply a percentage format. Click on the Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal icon to add or remove decimal points. To format cells follow the instructions below. 1. Select the cells you would like to format. 2. The selected cell(s) will appear within a dark frame. 3. Use the appropriate icons on the Home tab of the Mac Ribbon to format the data within the cells. Note: You MUST select your cells before you can format them. Otherwise, the formatting commands will not work. 6
AutoFitting Normally, Excel automatically adjusts the width of a column to fit the column s widest entry. However, when a cell contains a number that is longer than the cell is wide, Excel will display a series of pound signs (####) instead of the number. This indicates that the column is too narrow to display the data within it. You can easily readjust the width of the column to fit the data within it by using the AutoFit function. 1. Move your cursor to the right side of the cell s column heading. For example, if the cell s address is B4, then move your cursor on top of the line separating the column headings B and C. 2. The cursor will become a double-headed arrow. The double-headed arrow 3. With the double-headed arrow between the two column headings, double-click. 4. The column to the left of the double-headed arrow will automatically increase in width to accommodate the longest cell value in that column. Basic Sorting You can sort columns of data alphabetically or numerically, either in ascending or descending order, with two clicks of the mouse. To do so, follow the instructions below. 1. Enter your data in a column. 2. Select the cells containing the data to be sorted. 3. Click on the on the dropdown arrow to the right of the Arrange Data in Ascending or Descending Order icon, located on the Standard toolbar. The Arrange Data in Ascending or Descending Order icon 4. Click on the Ascending option for sorting in ascending alphabetical or numerical order. 5. Click on the Descending option for sorting in descending alphabetical or numerical order. 6. The data will be sorted accordingly. 7
Basic Mathematical Operations There will be times when you want to perform basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. To do so, you need to use the = sign and one of the arithmetic operators displayed in the table below. Arithmetic Operator Meaning Example + (Plus sign) Addition =3+3 (Minus sign) Subtraction =3 1 * (Asterisk) Multiplication =3*3 / (Forward slash) Division =3/3 1. Open a spreadsheet. 2. Select the cell in which you want to see your mathematical result. 3. Type the = sign. 4. Type the arithmetic operation. 5. Click on the green Enter icon (it looks like a checkmark) to the left of the Formula bar. 6. The result of your formula will be displayed in the worksheet cell, but you can view and edit your mathematical operation from within the Formula Bar. View and edit your formula from within the Formula Bar. 8
The AutoSum Feature The AutoSum feature lets you add numbers automatically. It will suggest a range of cells whose contents are to be added. If the suggested range is incorrect, you can select a different range of cells. 1. Open a spreadsheet. 2. Type your data into a range of cells. 3. Select the cell in which you want to see the outcome of the auto sum formula. (The cell that contains the formula CANNOT be in the range of cells that you want to add.) 4. Click on the AutoSum icon in the Standard Toolbar. 5. Animated lines will surround a suggested range of cells. Animated lines surrounding a suggested range of cells The selected cell in which I want to see the outcome of the auto sum formula 6. If the range is correct, click on the green Enter icon (it looks like a checkmark) to the left of the Formula bar. 7. The outcome of the auto sum formula will appear in the selected cell. 8. If the range is not correct, as long as you can see the animated lines, you can select a new range of cells. Then press the green Enter icon to the left of the Formula bar. 9. The formula outcome will appear in the originally selected cell. The outcome of the auto sum formula Note: The cell that you choose to contain the outcome of a formula CANNOT be included in the formula itself. If it is, you will receive a Circular Reference error that will prevent Excel from properly calculating your formula. The best way to deal with this error is to delete the offending formula and start afresh. 9