Getting started with Excel

Getting started with Excel

You can learn here some basics about Excel which helps you with your first steps.

You have already known what the Excel is. Now it is a high time to start work with Excel. To run find Excel icon and double click it.

Let’s take a look what to do next.You’ve just opened a new workbook in Excel. Microsoft Excel first worksheet

Workbook

Workbook is a whole place, where you will work in Excel. Workbook consist of with one or more worksheets. You can check how many worksheets your workbook contains. Take a look on the bottom of your workbook. Default workbook in Excel contains with 3 worksheets.

Microsoft Excel worksheets

Rows, columns and cells

Worksheets contains with rows (1, 2, 3…) and columns (A, B, C…). At the intersection of a row and a column there is a cell. Cell is the place where you will enter information’s. Every cell has their unique address. Cell’s address is described by a row and a column format. For example address of cell from a second row and a second column is B2 (as you see on the picture).

Microsoft Excel adress cell

The cell’s address you can also find in the name box.

Excel name box

Navigation in Excel

You can move in Excel using your keyboard or mouse.

The easiest for you is to move by keyboard arrows. Each arrow will move you by one cell. If you can move faster push Page Up or Page Down. They will move you one window up or down.

You can also move using your mouse. To navigate worksheet in Excel by mouse use scroll bars. It is quite fast way to scroll. The same effect you will get by using mouse scroll.

Excel scroll bars

Ribbon

On the top of screen you can see a ribbon. Ribbon is a kind of menu in Excel.

Ribbon has got 10 tabs (7 defaulted) which are divided by groups:

Home
Insert
Page Layout
Formulas
Data
Review
View
Developer – defaulted hidden
Add – Ins – appear when you will install some add – ins
Background Removal

If you don’t like the ribbon you can hide it. To minimize the ribbon use a keyboard shortcut CTRL + F1 or click a small arrow close to ribbon.

Excel minimize ribbon

Excel with minimized ribbon looks like that:

Excel ribbon minimized

Do you like Excel without the ribbon? Choice is up to you. I like ribbon and prefer to work with it.

Quick Access Toolbar

On the left top corner you can find the Quick Access Toolbar.

It helps you to work faster with Excel. You can customize Quick Access Toolbar clicking right on it.

Excel Quick Access Toolbar

It is a good idea to add there some commands which you use the most often. Thanks to this work with Excel will be faster and more comfortable.