MICROSOFT EXCEL  These are sometimes referred to as
Excel is a tool that allows you to enter
quantitative data into an electronic spreadsheet to
apply one or many mathematical computations. These
computations ultimately convert that quantitative data
into information. The information produced in Excel
can be used to make decisions in both professional
and personal contexts.
USES AND BENEFITS OF MS EXCEL
 Layout your data
Designed to provide an in depth insight into all your
data, Microsoft Office Excel allows you to layout your
text data in spreadsheet or workbook format. Excel
spreadsheets and workbooks can be used to bring
information and data from various files and locations
to a single destination, for them to be crunched and
analyzed on a single file.
 Easy to reformat and rearrange data
Format your spreadsheets easily using different color
shades, bold, italics to bring the most important data
to the fore.
 Process data and analyze with graphs and
charts
Given the right input of data, MS Excel will number
crunch and analyze your data for you and
summarize them for a better presentation with
preview options, giving you the opportunity to select
the best method to present your story.
 Identify and analyze trends and patterns in
large amounts of data
MS Excel makes it easy to identify and analyze
patterns in your data spreading up to one million
rows and 16,000 columns.
 Conditional Formatting
The conditional formatting options in MS Excel helps
to change the formatting of a cell, based on the
information contained. As an example you can have
numbers below thousand in red color and numbers
over thousand in blue.
 Sharing and Connectivity
MS Excel allows you to share and collaborate with
other members of your project or friends group
through Share Point or One Drive. It is as easy as
sending every one the link to the same file. Once
your MS Excel file is saved on to One Drive you and
other members can work together on it in real time.
MS EXCEL INTERFACE
Excel is a computerized spreadsheet that allows you
to:
 organize data.
 complete calculations.
 make decisions.
 graph data.
 develop professional-looking reports.
 convert Excel files for use on the Web.
 It is an important business and educational
tool that helps analyze and evaluate
information.
 It is used for recording and figuring grades and
attendance, cash flow analysis, budgeting,
 decision-making, cost estimating, inventory
management, and financial reporting.
THREE MAJOR PARTS OF EXCEL
Worksheets
 Worksheets allow you to enter, calculate,
manipulate, and analyze data such as
numbers and text.
spreadsheets instead of worksheets.
Charts
 Charts are a pictorial representation of data.
 This feature can be used to draw a variety of
two-dimensional and three-dimensional
charts.
 Excel makes it easy to create charts in several
different varieties, such as bar charts, line
charts, or column charts.
Databases
 Databases are used to manage data.
 With this feature, you can sort data entered
into a worksheet.
 It is also possible to search for specific data
using a database.
 When using the database feature in Excel, it is
possible to filter information to select data that
meets specific criteria.
 The database function is also used to add
subtotals to cells that meet specified criteria.
HOW TO OPEN MS EXCEL?
(example: MS EXCEL 2016)
1. Click the Search box next to the Start button.
2. Input Excel 2016.
3. Click the link at the top of the Start Menu.
or
1. Click Start on the Task Bar. This is the button
that appears in the bottom left corner of the
computer window.
2. Scroll down to locate and select the link for
Excel 2016.
Tabs/Ribbons
 The Tabs and Ribbons are used to access
commands in the Excel program.
 Under each tab, there are ribbons that contain
groups of buttons that are needed to perform
the operations for working with the
workbooks.
Formula Bar
 This bar is used to display the contents of the
active cell.
 Cells can contain content such as Text,
Numbers, Formulas, and Functions.
 The data entered into a worksheet cell is
displayed in the Formula Bar before it is
displayed in the cell.
Name Box
 This box appears at the left of the Formula
Bar.
 It is used to display the cell reference for the
active cell, for example A1.
 If Range Names have been created within the
workbook, they can be accessed by clicking
the list arrow at the end of this box.
Status Bar
 This bar displays at the bottom of the screen.
 It is used to display:
 A brief description of the command selected.
 The current activity mode that is in progress.
 What mode you are operating in such as
Ready mode or Edit mode.
 The views for the document. These are
from left to right; Normal, Page Layout, and
Page Break Preview.
 The Zoom Bar. This bar is used to enlarge
or red
Pointer
 This is the indicator that moves on the screen
when the mouse is moved.
 It changes shape to reflect the type of task
being performed.
Sheet Tabs
These tabs are used to identify the name of the
worksheet.
 They are displayed at the bottom left side of
the workbook window.
 To select a tab, click on the desired sheet
name, such as Sheet 1.
 These tabs can be renamed to reflect what is
contained in the worksheet.
1. Right-click the tab and select Rename.
2. Double-click the Tab and then input a new
name
 The color of the tab can also be changed.
1. Right-click the tab.
2. Move the mouse pointer over the Tab Color
option.
3. Select a color from the gallery of colors.
 New sheet tabs may be added to a workbook.
1. Click the New Sheet button at the bottom
of the window.
or
2. Click the Home Tab.
3. In the Cells Group, click the Insert arrow.
4. Click Insert Sheet.
Sheet Tab Scroll Buttons
 These buttons are used to scroll through the
sheet tabs.
 They are located on the bottom-left side of the
window.
 Right-click – This option is used to open the
Activate window. This window displays a list of
the sheets in the workbook window. Click a
sheet and then click OK. The selected sheet
will be displayed.
Workbook
 The workbook is organized like a notebook.
 Inside each workbook are sheets called
worksheets.
 Each name for the worksheet appears on a
sheet tab.
Worksheet
 A worksheet is organized into a rectangular
grid.
 Each worksheet contains 1048576 rows and
16384 columns and serves as a giant table
that allows you to organize information.
 Letters identify the columns. There are more
than 16,000 columns.
 Numbers identify the rows. There are more
than one million rows.
Cell
 This is the intersection of each column and
row.
 It is the area where the data is entered.
Cell Reference
 This is the unique address of a cell.
 The column letter is specified first.
 The row number is specified second
 Examples of cell references are A1 and B1.
Active Cell
 This is the cell where the data may be entered.
 A black border appears around the Active Cell
EXCEL ENVIRONMENT
The Excel environment is designed to more
closely reflect the way people generally work with the
Excel program. The elements in Excel are listed in the
table below. The goal of the Excel interface is to make
working with a workbook more intuitive. The Live
Preview feature shows the formatting changes in the
window. Just move the mouse pointer over the
command and the format will display in the window.
Window Description
Element
Dialog Box When this button is clicked, a dialog
Launcher box containing more commands for
that particular group will display.
File Tab This tab is located in the upper left
corner of the window. Contained
within this tab are commands for
managing Excel workbooks as a
whole. For instance, this is the area
where the Print, Save, Save As,
Open, and Close options are located.
It also contains the link to the Excel
Options area, where global changes
to the Excel program can be made.
Formula Bar The formula bar is used to display
the data that is being input into a
worksheet cell before it is entered
into the worksheet.
Tell Me This Option is used to obtain help
regarding a particular command. To
get help, just start typing to bring
information about features to your
fingertips.
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Name Box This is the box where the cell names
are located. When named ranges are
created, they can be accessed by
clicking the arrow at the end of
the name box.
New Sheet An Excel workbook is made up of
different sheets. This button is used
to add a new sheet to a workbook.
The new sheet will be named Sheet
2, Sheet 3, and so forth depending
on how many sheets are added.
Quick The default buttons for this toolbar
Access are the Save, Undo, and Redo
Toolbar buttons. The toolbar can be
customized to contain any of the
commands that you use frequently
such as Open and Close
Ribbon This ribbon contains the groups and
buttons that make it possible to
use the different commands in the
Excel program. The ribbon consists
of tabs which contain groups to
which buttons to perform the
different
commands are located.
Sheet Scroll These buttons are used to move from
Buttons one worksheet to another one in the
workbook
Sheet Tabs Excel is a workbook with sheets
similar to a book. These tabs are
used
to insert worksheets or charts into a
workbook. A name can be applied to
each tab indicating what type of data
or object is located within that
sheet.
Status Bar This bar is located at the bottom of
each workbook. It is used to show
the status of work within the
worksheet. This is the area where the
Shortcuts for viewing workbooks and
the Zoom features are located.
Title Bar This bar displays the name of the
program that is open, along with the
workbook name. The help, ribbon
display options, minimize,
maximize/restore, and close buttons
are located at the right end of this
bar.
View These shortcuts are used to display a
Shortcuts worksheet in different formats. The
views are Normal, Page Layout, and
Page Break Preview.
Workspace This is the area where data is
entered into a worksheet. Formulas
and Functions can also be inserted
into this area of a worksheet, as well
as
charts, WordArt, Shapes, and other
objects.
Zoom This area is used to magnify or
Controls shrink the content of a file that is
displayed in the workspace. The
buttons on each end of the Zoom bar
can be clicked to either magnify or
shrink the view. The default size is
100 percent.
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 MOVE AROUND THE WORKSHEET

There are several different key strokes that can

be used to move the insertion point around in a
worksheet. It is also possible to use the mouse and the
scroll bars to move from one area of the worksheet to
another area. In addition to these options, it is possible
to move around in a worksheet by freezing or splitting
the panes.

KEYBOARD KEYS
 Left Arrow Key –Use this key to move the insertion
point to the left one cell at a time. When in the
Formula Bar, this key can be used to move one
letter to the left.
 Right Arrow Key – Use this key to move the SCROLL THROUGH A WORKSHEET
insertion point to the right one cell at a time. When The Scroll Bars can be used to view a
working in the Formula, this key can be used to different area of a worksheet other than where the
move one letter to the right. insertion point is located. The table below describes
 Up Arrow Key – This key is used to move the how to scroll through a worksheet using the Scroll Bar.
insertion point up one row in the worksheet.
 Down Arrow Key – Use this key to move the
insertion point down one row in the worksheet. To Scroll Do This
 Page Up Key – This key is used to move the One Row Up Click the Up Scroll Arrow
insertion point one full screen up in the worksheet. on the Vertical Scroll Bar.
 Page Down Key – Use this key to move the One Row Down Click the Down Scroll
insertion point one full screen down in the Arrow on the Vertical
worksheet. Scroll Bar
 Home Key – Press this key to move the insertion One Column Left Click the Left Scroll Arrow
point to Column A of the Active Row. on the Horizontal Scroll
 Ctrl + Home Key – This key combination is used to Bar.
move the insertion point to the first cell in the This scroll bar will only
worksheet (Cell A1). appear when the
 Ctrl + End Key – Use this key combination to move worksheet is wider
the insertion point to the last cell of the worksheet. than the program
 Tab Key – This key can be used to move from one window.
cell to another in the worksheet. Usually this key is One Column Right Click the Right Scroll
set to move the insertion point to the right in a row. Arrow on the Horizontal
 Shift + Tab Keys - This key combination is used to Scroll Bar.
move the insertion point back one cell at a time. This scroll bar will only
 Enter Key – To move the insertion point down one appear when the
row or cell at a time, press this key. The direction worksheet is wider
that the insertion moves when pressing the Enter than the program
Key can be changed in the Options window. window.
 F5 Key or Ctrl Key + the letter G One Window Up Click above the Scroll Box
 Either one of these options is used to open the on the Vertical Scroll Bar.
Go to dialog box.
 Once in the dialog box, key the cell reference
into the text box to move the insertion point to One Window Down Click below the Scroll Box
the desired cell. on the Vertical Scroll Bar.
 Ctrl Key + PageUp Key – This key combination is
used to move to the right through the sheet tabs.
 Ctrl Key + Page Down Key – Use this key One Window Left Click to the left of the
combination to move to the left through the sheet Scroll Box on the
tabs. Horizontal Scroll
Bar. This scroll bar will
only appear when the
worksheet is
wider than the program
window.
One Window Right Click to the right of the
Scroll Box on the
Horizontal Scroll
Bar. This scroll bar will
only appear when the
worksheet is
wider than the program
window.
A Large Distance Hold down the Shift key

4|Page
 while dragging the Scroll
Box
FREEZE PANES
This option is used to keep names of columns
and/or rows in sight. It locks the row or column that
contains the names depending on the cells selected. As
you scroll through the worksheet, the column and row
names will always display. To freeze columns or rows,
do not select the names themselves. Panes can be
frozen anywhere, not just below the first row or to the
right of the first column.
 In the Window Group, click the Freeze Panes
button.
 A list of Freeze Panes options will appear.
These options are listed in the illustration
below.
EXCEL FILE TAB
The File Tab is used to perform such tasks as
opening and closing a workbook, printing a workbook,
or saving a workbook. In Office the File Tab opens
Backstage View.
common commands such as bold, underline, copy, and
paste. It is also used to apply formats to cells in a
worksheet. The table below describes the commands in
each of the groups in the Home Tab.
Feature Description
Info This tab displays different commands,
properties, and metadata depending on
the state of the workbook and where it
is stored. Commands on the Info tab
may include Protect Document, Inspect
Workbook, Versions, or
Browser View Options.
New This feature is used to create a new
blank workbook or to create a
workbook using a template. When the
link for this feature is clicked a gallery
of templates will appear.
Open Click this link to open a previously
created workbook. The Open window
will display. From this window a list of
recent workbooks and folders will
display. Click a folder to locate a
workbook or click one of the
workbooks in the Recent Documents
area.
Save To save a workbook, click this button.
The Save As window will appear the
first time the workbook is saved. After
the workbook has been saved the
first time, clicking this button will
override the old copy without asking.
Save As Once a workbook has been saved, click
this link to rename the workbook or to
save the workbook in a different
format, or to save the workbook to a
different folder. To save the workbook
in a different format,
Print Click this link to open the Print &
Preview window. Several different print
options will appear in the middle
column of the window. A preview of the
workbook will appear on the right side
of the window.
Share Select this feature to send a workbook
in an email message. Workbooks can
be send as an attachment, as a link, as
a PDF file, or as an XPS link.
Export This feature is used to save a workbook
as a PDF or XPS document. It is also
possible to change the file type for the
workbook under this area
Close Click this feature to close the currently
open workbook. This is the
workbook where the insertion point is
located. The Excel program, along
with all other workbooks, will remain
open.
Account To locate information about the Excel
Program, select this option. This area
can also be used to change the Office
Background or Office Theme.
Options Click this button to open the Excel
Options window. This window is used
to make changes to the overall format
of the Excel program.
EXCEL HOME TAB
The Excel Home Tab is used to perform
5|Page

Groups/Button Description
s Italics
Clipboard Group
Paste To insert data that has been
placed on the clipboard into a
worksheet cell, click this button.
Cut This button is used to remove
data from a worksheet cell and
place it on the clipboard. Once
the data has been placed on the
clipboard, it can be inserted into
another cell in the same
worksheet or into a different
worksheet.
Copy To copy data from a cell in a
worksheet so that it can be
placed into another area of the
worksheet, click this button. The
data that is copied is placed on
the clipboard.
Format Painter Click this button to apply
formatting from one cell in a
worksheet to another cell or
range of cells in the same
worksheet. Clicking the
button once will apply the
formatting to only one other cell
or range. Double-clicking makes
it possible to apply the
formatting to more than one cell
or range of cells.
Clipboard Task This button is used to open the
Pane Launcher Clipboard Task Pane. It is
located
in the bottom right corner of the
Clipboard Group. The task pane
shows the items that have been
added to the Clipboard. Items
can then be pasted into the
worksheet.
Font Group
Font Type This button is used to change
the style of the font within a cell
or a range of cells in a
worksheet. A list of different font
styles will appear. Move the
mouse pointer over the style to
see a Live Preview.
Font size To change the size of the font in
a cell or range of cells in a
worksheet, click this button.
Move the mouse pointer over
each of the sizes to see a Live
Preview. A list of different font
sizes will appear. Click the
desired size to select it.
Increase Font This button is used to increase
Size the font size within a cell or
range of
cells. Each time the button is
clicked, the size of the font
increases
by one or two points
Decrease Font Click this button to decrease the
Size size of the font by one or two
point increments. Each time the
button is clicked, the size of the
font will decrease one or two
points.
Bold To apply bold formatting to a cell
or range of cells, click this
button
To change the style of the font to
italics, click this button.
Underline Click this button to underline
the text in a cell or range of cells.
Border This button is used to apply a
border around a cell or a range
of cells.
Fill Color To fill in the background color
for a cell or range of cells, click
this button.
Font Color Click this button to change the
font for the text in a cell or a
range of cells.
Font Settings To open the Format Cells dialog
Dialog Box box with the Font Tab selected,
Launcher click this button. The button is
located in the bottom right
corner of the Font Group.
Alignment Group
Top Align To vertically align the text in a
cell at the top of the cell or range
of cells, click this button.
Middle Align This button is used to vertically
align the text in the middle of a
cell
Bottom Align Click this button to vertically
align the text at the bottom of
the cell
Orientation To change the way text is
displayed in a cell, click this
button. The text will rotate in a
different direction each time the
button is clicked.
Wrap Text When working with text in a cell,
clicking this button will allow
long text entries to wrap within
the cell. When a word won’t fit
within the width of the cell, it
will move to the next line. The
height of the cell will expand to
accommodate the text.
Align Left To place text or numbers at the
left margin of a cell, click this
button. This is the default for all
text items that are placed in a
cell.
Center Click this button to center text
or numbers within a cell.
Align Right This button is used to align text
or number entries at the right
margin of a cell. This is the
default for all numbers that are
placed in a cell.
Decrease Indent An indent creates a temporary
left margin within a cell. To
decrease this temporary margin,
click this button.
Increase Indent To center text across a range of
cells, click this button. The
purpose of this feature is to
allow for the placement of a
heading across a range of
columns in a worksheet.
Merge and To center text across a range of
Center cells, click this button. The
purpose of this feature is to
allow for the placement of a
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 heading across a range of
columns in a worksheet.
Alignment This button is used to open the
Settings Format Cells dialog box with
Dialog Box the Alignment Tab selected. In
Launcher this dialog box, it is possible to
make changes to the horizontal
and vertical cell alignment, as
well as other alignment options.
The button is located in the
bottom right corner of the
Alignment Group.
Number Group
Number Format Click the list arrow for this
option to display a list of number
formats. Click the format that is
to be applied to the number
Accounting This format will display with a
Number dollar sign and two decimal
Format places. To select a different
number format, such as the
Euro symbol, click this button.
Percent Style To display the value in the cell or
range of cells as a percentage,
click this button.
Comma Style When this button is clicked, the
values in the cell will display
with
a comma separator and two
decimal places.
Increase Decimal Click this button to decrease the
number of decimal places that
are
displayed for a value.
Decrease Click this button to decrease the
Decimal number of decimal places that
are
displayed for a value.
Number Format This button is used to open the
Dialog Box Format Cells dialog box with
Launcher the
Numbers Tab selected. It can be
found in the lower right corner of
the Number Group. This dialog
box is used to make changes to
the
format of the numbers in the
selected cells in the worksheet.
Styles Group
Conditional This button is used to select
Formatting different formatting for cells
based on particular criteria. It is
possible to highlight interesting
cells, emphasize unusual values,
and visualize data using Data
Bars, Color Scales, and Icon sets
Format as Table Click this button to quickly
format a selected range of cells
as a table using a gallery of table
styles.
Cell Styles This button is used to apply
predefined formatting to a single
cell. A gallery of styles will
appear. Move the mouse pointer
over the
style to see a Live Preview of the
style.
Cells Group
Insert To insert cells, sheet rows, or
sheet columns, click this button.
A list
of possible options will appear.
Click the option that is to be
applied to the worksheet.
Delete This button is used to delete
cells, sheet rows, or sheet
columns from a worksheet. If the
arrow is clicked, a list of
available options will appear.
Format Click this button to change the
row or column height and width,
to organize worksheets in the
workbook, to protect the
document, or to hide a sheet in
the workbook. A list of available
options will appear when the
arrow is clicked.
Editing Group
Auto Sum To display the sum of selected
cells directly to the right or
below the selection, click this
button. Where the sum is
displayed will depend on
whether the selection range is a
column or row.
Fill Click this button to continue a
pattern of values in a selected
range of cells.
Clear This button is used to clear the
contents from the cells in the
selected range. It can also be
used to clear the formatting or
comments associated with the
cell selection.
Sort and Filter To sort the data in a selected
range of cells, click this button.
It is also possible to filter out
specific data in the selected cells
Find and Select Click this button to locate
specific data in a worksheet or a
range of
cells. It is also possible to
replace data within the
worksheet or range of cells.
EXCEL INSERT TAB
The Insert Tab is used to insert objects such
as charts, pictures, hyperlinks, headers and footers,
and text boxes. The table below provides a list of the
different groups and buttons that appear on this
ribbon
Groups/Button Description
s
Tables Group
Pivot Table Pivot tables are used to
summarize and organize
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 complicated data.
Recommended Click this button to display a
Pivot customized list of PivotTables
Tables that will best suit the data in an
Excel table.
Table This button is used to insert a
table into the worksheet. Tables
make it easy to analyze and sort
data.
Illustrations Group
Picture To insert a picture that has been
stored on the computer, click
this
button. When the button is
clicked, the Insert Picture dialog
box will appear. This dialog box
is used to locate the picture that
is to be inserted into the
worksheet.
Online Pictures To insert an image into the
worksheet, click this button.
Clip art images include movies,
pictures, and sounds.
Shapes Shapes are objects, such as
rectangles, circles, lines, and
arrows. To insert a shape into
the worksheet, click this button.
Smart Art To insert objects such as
organization charts, click this
button
Screenshot This feature can be used to
insert a picture of any program
that is not minimized to the
taskbar. Click the Screen
Clipping link to insert a picture
of any part of the screen.
Apps Group
Store Select this option to find apps in
the Office Store
My Add-Ins This option is used to insert an
add-in and to use the Web to
enhance your work.
Bing Maps App This app for Office helps to
locate data from a given column
and plot it on a Bing Map. Basic
data visualization using your
location data is also provided.
Transform Date To show your data in a vivid
to Picture way, select this app. The chart
will contain much more
information making it easy to tell
a story based on the Excel data.
Charts Group
Recommended Select the data in a worksheet
Charts and then click this button to see
a list of customized charts that
Excel recommends for the
selected data.
Column or Bar Use this chart type to visually
compare values across a few
categories.
Hierarchy This chart is used to compare
parts to a whole or when several
columns of categories form a
hierarchy.
Waterfall or They are generally useful for
Stock visualizing data over time to see
the starting points versus the
current point and how those
points were reached.
Line or Area These charts are used to show
trends for categories or over a
period of time such as days,
months, or years.
Statistic To show statistical analysis of
data, use this type of chart
Combo This chart type is used to
highlight different types of
information. It can be used when
range of data in the chart varies
widely or when a wide range of
mixed data is used.
Pie or Doughnut This button is used to insert a
pie or doughnut chart into the
worksheet. These chart types are
used to display the contribution
of
each item to the total.
Scatter or These chart types are used to
Bubble compare pairs of values.
Surface or Radar This type of chart is useful when
optimum combinations between
two sets of data need to be
found.
Create Chart The purpose of this dialog box is
Dialog Box to provide additional chart types
Launcher that can be used in Excel.
Tours Group
3-D Map Use this feature to see
geographic data on a 3D map,
visualized over time.
Sparklines Group
Line This option is used to insert a
line chart within a single cell.
Column Use this option to insert a
column chart within a single
cell.
Win/Loss To insert a win/loss chart into a
single cell, select this option.
Filter Group
Slicer A slicer is used to filter data
interactively. This makes it
faster and easier to filter Pivot
Tables, Pivot Charts, and cube
functions.
Timeline This feature is used to filter
dates interactively.
Links Group
Hyperlink
Text Group
Text Box This button is used to insert a
textbox into the worksheet. Text
boxes can be used to highlight
an item in a chart or within the
worksheet.
Header and The header or footer area of the
Footer worksheet will display when this
button is clicked.
Word Art Click this button to insert a
Word Art object into the
worksheet or chart.
Signature Line The signature line specifies the
individual who is to sign the file
in order to access it.
Object To insert an embedded object,
such as documents from other
programs, click this button.
Symbols Group
Equation This button is used to insert a
mathematical equation into a
document. The equation tools
ribbon will appear when the
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 button is clicked.
Symbol This button is used to insert a
symbol, such as a copyright
symbol, into the worksheet.
EXCEL PAGE LAYOUT TAB
This ribbon is used to change the way a page
is displayed and printed in an Excel worksheet.
Changes to the orientation of the page, the margins for
the page, the paper size, plus other page layout options
are available on this ribbon. The table below describes
the buttons within each of the groups in this ribbon.
Groups/Button Description
s printed on.
Themes Group
Themes Click this button to display a
group of themes that can be
applied to the worksheet.
Themes are used to change the
overall view of the whole
worksheet including colors,
fonts, and effects.
Colors This button is used to change
the colors for the currently
selected theme.
Fonts To change the font design for the
whole theme, click this button.
Effects Use this button to change the
effect for the entire theme.
Page Setup Group
Margins To change the page margins for
a worksheet, click this button.
The four parts of margins are
left, right, top, bottom.
Orientation Click this button to change the
orientation for the page of the
worksheet. The two options are
landscape and portrait.
Size This button is used to specify
the size of paper that is to be
used to print the worksheet.
Print Area To specify what area of the
worksheet is to be printed, click
this button. To specify the area,
the cells that are to be printed
must be selected.
Breaks Use this button to specify where
a new page break is to be
inserted into the worksheet.
Page breaks are inserted above
and to the left of the area where
the insertion point is located.
Background Click this button to apply a
background picture to the
worksheet. The picture is tiled
when it is inserted, which means
the picture will appear several
times throughout the entire
worksheet.
Print Titles This option is used to print all
the column and row headings
when a worksheet is printed. If
the worksheet is more than one
page, the column and row
headings will appear on each
page of the document. Row
headings are the numbers to
the right of the sheet. Column
headings are the letters that
appear at the top of the sheet.
Page Setup It is located in the bottom right
Dialog Box corner of the Page Setup Group.
Launcher This dialog box can be used to
make additional changes to the
page.
Scale to Fit Group
Width Click this button to shrink the
width to fit the maximum
number of pages that the
worksheet should be printed on.
Height Use this button to shrink the
height of the worksheet to
specify the maximum number of
pages the document should be
Scale To shrink or stretch the printed
output to a specified percentage
of the actual size, click this
button. The Width and Height
must be set to Automatic for this
to work.
Page Setup It is located in the bottom right
Dialog corner of the Page Setup Group.
Box Launcher This dialog box can be used to
make additional changes to the
page.
Sheet Options Group
Gridlines View A check mark in the check box
for this item indicates that the
gridlines are to display in the
window of the worksheet.
Gridlines Print When a check mark appears in
this box, the gridlines displayed
in the worksheet will print when
the document is sent to the
printer.
Headings View To display the headings (Row
and Column) in the worksheet,
click this button. The Row
headings are indicated by the
numbers on the left side of the
worksheet window. The Column
headings are indicated by the
letters at the top of the
worksheet window.
Headings Print To have the headings print when
the worksheet is printed, place a
check mark in the box for this
option.
Sheet Page It can be found in the bottom
Setup Dialog right corner of the Sheet Options
Box Launcher Group. The dialog box is used to
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 make changes to the way the
worksheet is printed.
Arrange Group
Bring Forward This feature is used when
pictures, clip art images,
WordArt, or other objects are
placed in a worksheet. There are
two options available, Bring
Forward and Bring to Front.
Send Backward When a selected image needs to
be sent to the back of other
images,
click this button. This button is
only available when working
with pictures, clip art images,
WordArt and other objects. The
options for this feature are Send
Backward and Send to Back.
Selection Pane To show the selection pane
where objects can be easily
accessed and rearranged, click
this button.
Align To align several images to the
top, bottom, right, or left, click
this button. Objects can also be
centered or aligned evenly across
the page.
Group This button is used to group
several objects together so that
they can be treated as a single
object.
Rotate Click this button to rotate or flip
the orientation of the object. The
object can be rotated in 90
degree increments.
FORMULAS TAB
This ribbon is used to work with formulas and
functions within an Excel worksheet or workbook.
There is a gallery of several different categories of
formulas and functions that may be applied to a cell or
range of cells within the worksheet. Also, on this
ribbon it is possible to define names for ranges of cells
or for a single cell. How the items are displayed on the
ribbon is determined by the size of the computer
monitor. The table below describes the buttons that
are available in each group on this ribbon.
Groups/Button Description
s Create from
Function Library Group
Insert Function This button is used to insert a
function into a cell in the
worksheet.
AutoSum To automatically sum a range of
cells, such as a row or a column,
click this button. All the cells
above the cell where the function
is being inserted will be summed
up to where a blank cell is
encountered. To sum a whole
row or column, even if blank
cells
are encountered, highlight the
area before clicking the Auto
Sum
button. It is also possible to use
other functions such as Average,
Maximum, or Minimum by
clicking the arrow at the bottom
of the
button.
Recently Used Click this button to display a list
of functions that were recently
used in the worksheet.
Financial When clicked, this button will
display a list of financial
functions, such as the Payment
function.
Logical To display a list of logical
functions such as And, If, or Or,
click this button.
Text Click this button to display a list
of functions that work with cells
that contain text.
Date and Time This button is used to work with
date and time functions such as
Now, Day, Year, or Today.
Lookup and To display a list of functions that
Reference can be used to look up
information meeting specific
criteria, click this button. Some
of these functions are Lookup,
HLookup, and VLookup.
Math and Trig Functions such as Sum and
Round, along with several other
mathematical and trigonometry
functions can be found when
this
button is clicked.
More Functions To see a list of statistical,
information, cube, and
engineering functions, click this
button.
Defined Names Group
Name Manager Names can be used in formulas
and functions in place of cell
references. This button is used
to list all the names that have
been
used in the workbook.
Define Name To create a name for a cell or
range of cells, click this button.
The New Name dialog box will
display. This box is used to
create the name for the range of
cells as well as specify the range.
Use in Formula This button is used to insert a
name from the current workbook
into a function or formula.
To automatically create a named
Selection range from a selected range of
cells, click this button. When
this option is used, the column
header or row header must be
selected.
Formula Auditing Group
Trace Precedents This button is used to indicate
what cells affect the value in the
currently selected cell.
Trace To show arrows that indicate
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 Dependents what cells are affected by the
value in the currently selected
cell, click this button.
Remove Arrows Click this button to remove the
arrows generated by the Trace
Precedents and Trace
Dependents operations.
Show Formulas To display the formulas in the
worksheet, click this button. The
formulas will be displayed in the
cells instead of the values. This
is a toggle button that when
clicked the first time displays the
formulas. When the button is
clicked the second time, the
formulas will not display.
Error Checking Use this button to check for
common errors that might
appear in formulas or functions
Evaluate Click this button to launch the
Formula Evaluate Formula dialog box.
This box is used to debug a
formula by walking through the
formula step-by-step.
Watch Window This window is used to monitor
the values in selected cells
within
a worksheet. The values are
displayed in a separate window
that remains visible wherever
the insertion point is within the
worksheet.
Calculation Group
Calculation To specify how formulas are to
Options be calculated, click this button.
By
default, formulas are calculated
as soon as a new value is
entered
into a cell that is referenced in
the selected cell. The other two
options are Automatic Except for
Data Tables and Manual.
Calculate Now Click this button to calculate the
workbook. This is only necessary
if the Manual option was
selected from the Calculation
Options.
Calculate Sheet To calculate the formulas or
functions in a worksheet, click
this button. This is only
necessary if the Manual option
was selected from the
Calculation Options.
EXCEL DATA TAB
This tab is used when working with databases
in Excel. There are options for getting data from
external sources, such as the Web, an Access
database, a text document, as well as other data
sources. In addition, options are available for sorting
the data, filtering the data, and to apply subtotals to a
range of cells that meet specified criteria. The table
below explains the buttons
within the groups on the Data Tab ribbon.
Groups/Button Description
s
Get External Data Group
From Access This option is used to import
data from an Access database.
When
importing data from an Access
database, it is possible to choose
whether the data will be stored
in an existing worksheet or to
create
a new worksheet.
From Web Click this button to import data
from the Web.
From Text To import data from a file saved
in text (.txt) format, click this
button.
From Other This button can be used to
Sources import data from other database
sources
such as SQL Server, Analysis
Servers, XML Data Import, Data
Connections, and Microsoft
Query.
Existing To connect to an External Data
Connections Source by selecting from a
common list of sources, click
this button.
Connections Group
Refresh All This button is used to refresh all
the information in the workbook
that is coming from an external
data source.
Connections Click this button to view all the
connections for the workbook.
Data connections are links to
sources outside the workbook
which can be updated if the
source data changes.
Properties To specify how cells connected to
a data source will update, what
contents from the source will be
displayed, and how changes in
the number of rows in the data
source will be handled in the
workbook, click this button.
Edit Links Use this tab to view all the links
connected to the workbook so
that they can be updated or
removed.
Sort and Filter Group
Sort A to Z Click this button to sort the data
in the database from the lowest
value to the highest value.
Sort Z to A This button is used to sort the
data in the database from
highest to lowest.
Sort To open the Sort dialog box,
click this button. This dialog box
is
used to specify multiple levels of
criteria for sorting the database.
Filter Click this button to enable the
filtering option. Once the filter is
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 turned on, click the arrows next
to the headings to specify the
filtering options.
Clear Use this button to clear the filter
and sort state for the database.
Reapply To reapply the filter and sort
options in the database, click
this
button. New or modified data
won’t be filtered or sorted until
this button is clicked.
Advanced This button is used to specify
complex criteria for limiting
which records are included in
the results of the query.
Data Tools Group
Text to Columns Click this button to separate the
contents of one cell in a
database to two separate
columns. For instance, when a
cell contains the last name and
first name, this option is used to
separate the data into a first
name field and a last name field.
Flash Fill To automatically fill in values,
select this option. To use this
feature, enter a couple of
examples of the output you
would like to see, keep the active
cell in the column that is to be
filled in, and click this button.
Remove This button is used to remove
Duplicates duplicate rows from a working
worksheet. It is possible to
specify which columns should be
checked for
duplicate information.
Data Validation To prevent invalid information
from being entered into a cell,
click this button. It is also
possible to force input from a
drop-down menu. The drop-
down menu must have the data
specified before this option will
work.
Consolidate Use this button to open the
Consolidate dialog box. This
dialog box is used to combine
values from multiple ranges into
one new range.
Relationships Use this button to create and
edit relationships between tables
to
show the related data from
different tables on the same
report.
Manage Data This option is used to prepare
Model data or to continue working on
data already in the workbook.
Forecast
What-If-Analysis This button is used to try
different scenarios for the values
in a worksheet. Scenario
Manager is used to create and
save different groups of values,
or scenarios, and switch back
and forth between them. Goal
Seek is used to find the right
input when the final value
is specified.
Forecast Sheet Use this feature to create a new
worksheet to predict data trends.
This feature can also be used to
preview different forecast options
before generating a visual
forecast worksheet.
Outline Group
Group To tie a range of cells together so
they can be collapsed or
expanded, click this button.
Ungroup Click this button to ungroup a
range of cells that were
previously
grouped.
Subtotal This button is used to subtotal a
group of values that meet
specified criteria. Subtotals and
totals are automatically inserted
into the specified range.
Show Detail To expand a collapsed group of
cells, click this button. A group
of
cells can also be expanded by
clicking the plus (+) signs at the
left of each of the groups.
Hide Detail Click this button to collapse a
group of cells. A group of cells
can
also be collapsed by clicking the
minus (-) sign at the left of each
of the groups.
Outline Dialog To open the Outline dialog box
Box Launcher where additional options for
with subtotals is
located, click this button. This
button is
located in the bottom right
corner of the Outline group.
REVIEW TAB
The review tab is used to insert comments into
cells in a worksheet. It is also possible to protect the
document using this tab, as well as checking the
spelling, and track changes. The table below provides a
list and description of the buttons for each of the
groups under this tab.
Groups/Button Description
s
Proofing Group
Spelling To check the spelling of text in
the workbook or worksheet, click
this tab.
Thesaurus To search for words which are
similar to the selected one, click
this button.
Insights Group
Smart Lookup Use this button to learn more
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 about selected text by seeing Workbook password at the same time.
definitions, images, and other Protecting the workbook with a
results from various online password will prevent others
sources. from turning off the tracking
Language Group feature.
Translate This option is used to translate Allow Users to This button is used to specify a
selected text within a work-sheet Edit range of cells that can be edited
into a different language. Ranges by specified people. In order for
Comments Group this feature to work, the
New/Edit Click this button to add a new computer must be joined to a
Comment comment to a cell in the Microsoft Windows domain.
worksheet. When a comment is Track Changes To track all changes made to a
added to a cell in the worksheet, workbook, click this button.
a red triangle will appear in the When this feature is activated, it
cell indicating that a comment is possible to track changes to
has been added. Once a insertions of data, deletions of
comment has been added, data, and formatting changes.
clicking on the comment will
change the button to the Edit
Comment button.
Delete To delete a selected comment in
the worksheet, click this button.
Previous This button is used to move from
the currently selected comment
to the previous comment in the
worksheet.
Next Click this button to move from
the currently selected comment
to the next comment in the
worksheet.
Show/Hide Once a comment has been added
Comment to a cell, clicking this button will
either show or hide the comment
from view. In order for this button
to be activated, the insertion
point must be in the cell that
contains the comment. EXCEL VIEW TAB
Show All This button is used to show all This tab provides different options for viewing
Comments the comments in a worksheet. the sheets in an Excel workbook. It also provides
This is a toggle button. When the options for creating Custom Views, viewing different
button is clicked the first time, all windows in Excel, for enlarging or reducing the size of
the comments will be displayed. the worksheet while it is being viewed, and what
When it is clicked the second elements in the Excel window should be displayed. The
time, all the comments will be table below provides a list and description of the
hidden. buttons that are located in the different groups on this
Show Ink Click this button to show or hide tab.
any ink annotations on the
worksheet.
Changes Group
Protect Sheet In order to prevent changes to
data in a worksheet, click this
button.
Protect This button is used to restrict
Workbook access to the workbook by
preventing new sheets from
being added or from data being
changed in the workbook. With
this feature, it is possible to
Groups/Buttons Description
restrict accessibility to the
workbook to specific people. Workbook Views Group
Share Workbook To allow multiple people to work Normal This is the default view when an
on the workbook at the same Excel workbook is created or
time, click this button. When opened. This view does not show
this feature is used, the any headers and footers. It also
workbook needs to be saved to a does not show when a worksheet
common network folder. If tables page begins or ends.
have been inserted into the Page Break To display where the page
workbook, the workbook cannot Preview breaks appear in the worksheet
be shared. page, click this button. While in
Protect and Click this button to share the this view, it is possible to change
Share workbook and protect it with a the page breaks by clicking the

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 page break indicator which is a
dotted line.
Page Layout When this view is selected, it is
possible to view the worksheet
page as it will appear when
printed. The page breaks will
display along with the headers
and footers that have been
created for the worksheet page.
Custom Views Click this button to save a set of
display and print settings as a
custom view. Once the view is
saved, it will be listed in the
custom views list.
Show/Hide Group
Ruler Click the check box for this
option to display a ruler at the
top of the worksheet when in
Page Layout view. This function
is not available in any other view
except Page Layout.
Gridlines To have the gridlines display in
the Excel window, place a check
mark into the check box for this
option.
Formula Bar Place a check mark in the check
box for this option to display the
formula bar in the Excel
workbook window. The Formula
Bar is the area where the
formulas, functions, labels, and
so forth are displayed while they
are being entered into a cell in
the worksheet.
Headings To display the row and column
headings in the workbook
window, place a check mark in
the check box for this option.
The row headings are indicated
by the number down the left side
of the window. The column
headings are indicated by the
letters across the top of the
workbook window.
Zoom Group
Zoom Click this button to open the
Zoom dialog box to specify the
zoom level for the workbook
sheet. The zoom controls appear
on the status bar in the lower
right corner of the worksheet
window. They can also be used
to zoom the worksheet in and
out.
100% To zoom the worksheet to 100%
of the worksheets normal size,
click this button.
Zoom to When this button is clicked, the
Selection currently selected range of cells
will fill the entire workbook
window.
Windows Group
New Window To open up a new window within
the workbook, click this button.
With this option more than one
window can be open at a time.
Arrange All Click this button to display open
Excel windows as specified in
the dialog box that appears. The
options are Tiled, Horizontal,
Vertical, or Cascade. You can
also select whether to Arrange all
the windows in the active
workbook or to arrange open
workbooks.
Freeze Panes This button is used to keep a
portion of the Excel window
visible while scrolling through
the rest of the worksheet. This is
a good feature to use when the
headings of the worksheet need
to remain visible while scrolling
through the data.
Split When this button is clicked, the
Excel window is split into
multiple panes containing views
of the worksheet. This is a good
feature to use when working
with different sections of a
worksheet.
Hide To hide the current window
(where the insertion point is
located) so that it cannot be
seen, click this button.
Unhide To unhide the hidden window,
click this button.
View Side by This feature is used to view two
Side worksheets side-by-side so the
contents of the worksheets can
be compared.
Synchronous Click this button to synchronize
Scrolling the scrolling of two worksheets
or workbooks so that they scroll
together. In order to enable this
feature, View Side-by-Side must
be turned on.
Reset Window To reset the window position of
Position the workbooks to be compared
side-by-side so that they share
the screen equally, click this
button. In order to enable this
feature, View Side-by-Side must
be turned on.
Switch Windows To switch back-and-forth
between open windows, click
this button. When the button is
clicked, a list of currently open
windows will display.
Macro Group
Macros Click this button to record a new
macro or to work with other
macro features. A macro is a
program where steps performed
in a program can be recorded
and stored for future use. An
example of a macro is the print
macro, where all that is
necessary to print a document is
to hold down the CTRL key and
then press the letter P.
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