This document provides an overview of essential Excel skills, including identifying the parts of the Excel screen such as worksheets, cells, rows, and columns. It describes how to navigate worksheets, enter and modify data, and use functions like AutoFill. The summary emphasizes learning how to view and enter data, modify worksheet structure by inserting or deleting rows and columns, and use editing features to copy, clear, and rearrange data.

1. Lesson 17
Getting Started
with
Excel Essentials
1

2. Objectives
 Identify the parts of the Excel screen.
 Navigate through a worksheet and a workbook.
 Change views and magnification in the worksheet
window.
Lesson 17
 Enter data.
 Insert and delete rows and change column width
and row height.
 Copy, clear, move, and delete data.
2

3. Objectives (continued)
 Use the Undo and Redo features.
 Use the AutoFill feature to copy and enter data
into a range of cells.
Lesson 17
3

4. Vocabulary
 active cell  spreadsheet
 AutoFill  value
 cell  workbook
 cell reference  worksheet
Lesson 17
 column heading
 range
 row heading
4

5. Introduction
 A spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns
into which you enter text data (e.g., surnames,
cities, states) and numerical data (e.g., dates,
currency, percentages).
Lesson 17
 Excel is an electronic application designed to
replace the paper spreadsheet.
5

6. Identifying the Parts of the Excel
Screen
 Excel refers to a spreadsheet as a worksheet.
 The worksheet is always stored in a workbook.
Lesson 17
6

7. Identifying the Parts of the Excel
Screen (continued)
 Columns appear vertically and are identified by
letters at the top of the worksheet.
 Rows appear horizontally and are identified by
numbers on the left side of the worksheet.
Lesson 17
 The intersection of a single row and a single
column is called a cell.
 The cell reference is the column letter followed by
the row number (for example, A1 or B4).
7

8. Navigating a Worksheet
 Before you can enter data into a cell, you must first
select the cell.
 When the cell is selected, a dark border appears
around the cell, and the column and row headings
Lesson 17
for the selected cell are highlighted.
 You can select a cell using either the mouse or the
keyboard.
 A selected cell is called the active cell.
8

9. Navigating a Worksheet
(continued)
 Moving through a Workbook:
 To move around in a worksheet, you can use the scroll
bars or keyboard shortcuts.
Lesson 17
9

10. Changing the Workbook View and
Magnification
 You can change the view by selecting options
from the Workbook Views group on the View
tab or by clicking the window.
Lesson 17
10

11. Changing the Workbook View and
Magnification (continued)
 You can also change the zoom settings to
adjust the view on the screen.
Page Break
Preview
Page Layout
button
Lesson 17
view button
Normal view
button Zoom Controls
11

12. Entering Data
 You add data to the cells by entering text or
numbers in the active cell. The text and
numbers are often referred to as a value.
Lesson 17
12

13. Entering Data (continued)
 Inserting Data:
 As you enter text, you see the insertion point indicating
where the next character will appear.
Lesson 17
13

14. Entering Data (continued)
 Using the AutoCorrect and AutoComplete
Features:
 The AutoCorrect feature corrects common mistakes as
you enter data.
 With the AutoComplete feature, Excel compares the
Lesson 17
first few characters you enter in a cell with existing
entries in the same column. If the characters match an
existing entry, Excel proposes the existing entry. Press
enter to accept or continue entering text.
14

15. Modifying the Worksheet Structure
 Selecting Multiple Cells in the Worksheet:
 To select an entire row in a worksheet, click the
row heading, which is the number at the left of the
row.
Lesson 17
 To select an entire column, click the column
heading, which is the letter at the top of the
column.
 When you select a group of cells, the group is
called a range.
15

16. Modifying the Worksheet Structure
(continued)
 Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns:
 When you insert or delete a row or a column in
Excel, all existing data is shifted in some direction.
 To add or delete rows and columns, use the
Lesson 17
buttons in the Cells group on the Home tab.
16

17. Modifying the Worksheet Structure
(continued)
 Changing Column Width and Row Height:
 To accommodate data, you can widen the column
and change the height of a row.
Lesson 17
17

18. Editing the Worksheet Data
 Clearing, Replacing, and Copying Existing Data:
 To replace cell contents, you can select the cell and
enter new data.
 You can use the Delete or Backspace keys to delete
data.
Lesson 17
 Moving data is similar to copying data, except that you
cut the data from one location and paste it in the
destination location.
 When you past data to a cell that already contains data,
the existing data in the cell is replaced.
18

19. Editing the Worksheet Data
(continued)
 Using AutoFill to Copy Data:
 AutoFill enables you to repeat the same data in a column or
row.
Fill Handle
Lesson 17
Mouse Pointer
Screen Tip shows
the contents that
will be pasted
19

20. Editing the Worksheet Data
(continued)
 Using AutoFill to Fill in a Series:
 You can use AutoFill to quickly fill in a series of numbers and
dates.
 To fill in a series, a pattern must be established in the initial
selection of cells. When you drag the fill handle, the pattern
Lesson 17
is continued.
AutoFill
Options
Button
20

21. Summary
In this lesson, you learned:
 Excel uses the Microsoft Office Fluent user
interface, and the Excel application window shows
the Quick Access Toolbar, status bar, task bar,
Lesson 17
and other similar features. The Excel document
window shows the worksheet.
 To navigate the workbook, you can use keyboard
shortcuts and the scroll bars.
21

22. Summary (continued)
 You can choose from several options to view the
worksheet, and you can change the zoom settings to
specify the level of magnification.
 To enter data in a cell, the cell must be active.
 As you enter data, the AutoCorrect feature
Lesson 17
automatically corrects some of your keyboarding errors.
If the data you are entering matches characters of
existing entries in the column, the AutoComplete
feature proposes the existing entry to save you time.
22

23. Summary (continued)
 When you insert or delete cells, rows, and
columns, all existing data is shifted up, down, left,
or right.
 To reorganize a worksheet, you can add and delete
Lesson 17
columns and rows; and you can delete, clear, copy,
or move the data.
 There are several options for changing the column
width. You can drag a column boundary, use the
AutoFit feature, or specify an exact measurement.
23

24. Summary (continued)
 Copying and pasting data in Excel is similar to
copying and pasting text in Word.
 The AutoFill feature enables you to copy data
from one cell to another, and it can save you
Lesson 17
time by quickly filling in a series of data.
24

25. All Images created by:
J. Cornelius
 Using screen grabs of Microsoft Excel and
editing the screen grabs in Microsoft Word
Lesson 17
25