Excel Introduction Training Course

Entering Data and Autofill 

If you start typing, it will enter data into the active cell. Make sure that your data is ordered in columns, as each column should only have one type of data in it. If your text is longer than the cell, it will start spilling into the next cell. Use the ‘Format’ menu on your home ribbon to ensure that every cell is the correct size for the cell.  

To move to the next cell on the right, press the ‘Tab’ key on your keyboard. To move down one row, press the ‘Enter’ key. Pressing ‘Enter’ will perform a ‘carriage return’. If you've moved to a different column using ‘Tab,’ pressing ‘Enter’ will take you back to the original column. 

If you're entering the same value multiple times in a column, simply press the first letter the second time, and the rest of the entry will autofill. For entries with similar spellings, continue typing additional letters until only the correct option appears. 

Working with Options Boxes 

When you AutoFill, Copy & Paste or Insert; an options box will appear to let you change the appearance of what you have just done.  

Autofill options allows you to choose between simply copying the content of the cell, or filling a series if it is something like months or numbers. With dates, you have even more options, as you can choose to only fill weekdays, or make a series out of the months & years instead.  

Paste options give you a lot of different choice. You can paste as normal, paste just the values or just the formatting, and even transpose your paste to turn landscape data into portrait or vice versa.  

Insert options allow you to choose how you format the new cells you have inserted. You can choose to copy the formatting from the cells next to your insert in any direction, or to remove all formatting completely. 

Mastering Formatting Tools 

Formatting is everything about how the cell looks. You can change the formatting without changing the data that is in the cell using the settings in your home ribbon.  

Changing the font styles or colours in a cell can have many benefits. It can help your data to be more readable, make different sections stand out more, or make the table look more professional and elegant.  

Some selections, like borders and fill colours, have a dropdown box that allows you to choose more specific options.  

By default, text is aligned to the left of a cell, and numbers are aligned to the right. You can manually change this in the alignment options. 

Using Formulas and Functions 

The = sign means that you are doing a calculation. For simple maths formulas, you can type any sum that you want after the =, and when you press enter or tab it will calculate the answer.  

When using multiple types of calculation in the same sum, always be aware of BODMAS. This is the order in which your sum will perform the calculation.  

You can also use Cell References in your calculations just as easily as numbers. You can even use combinations of numbers and cell references.  

There are over 500 named functions in excel, and each one performs a specific calculation. Each one can be entered by either typing an = and then the function name in a cell, or using the FX button.