Microsoft Excel: Basic

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Cochise College
Center for Lifelong Learning

George Self
Fall, 2024
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Microsoft Excel: Basic Fall, 2024

Microsoft Excel: Basic

Introduction
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft and is part of the Office suite of
software. It features calculations, formulas, graphing tools, and pivot tables. Excel is used widely
for many financially related activities, from simple quarterly forecasts to complete corporate
annual reports. Excel is also used for standard information organization like contact lists and
inventory tracking. It is one of the most widely used programs in the Office suite.

Microsoft Office is not part of Windows; each must be purchased separately. Home computer users
are sometimes dismayed to learn that they must purchase the Office Suite after buying a new
computer to get access to Excel.

The Environment
Create a Blank Document
Follow these steps to start Excel and create a new blank document.

A C T I V I T Y 1 : C R E AT E A B L A N K D O C U M E N T
1. Enter excel in the Windows search box in the lower-left corner of the screen.
2. Click the EXCEL APP icon to start the program.
3. When Excel starts, click BLANK WORKBOOK to open a new, blank workbook.

The Workspace
The Excel screen is divided into two main parts. On top is The Ribbon, which contains several tabs
that open buttons and links related to that tab. For example, the “Insert” tab has buttons to insert
illustrations, charts, comments, and many other objects. To use the Ribbon, click on the tab and
then click one of the buttons.

On the bottom is a large, white grid where the worksheet is created and edited.

Save A Document
Before starting the new workbook, save it so your work won’t be lost if the power goes out.

A C T I V I T Y 2 : S AV E A D O C U M E N T
1. Click FILE on the top menu.
2. Click SAVE AS on the left-side menu.
3. Click BROWSE and navigate to the desired folder.
4. Enter this file name: 10-GMW.
5. Click SAVE.

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Enter Data
The most straightforward data entry technique is to type information into each cell. Start this
worksheet by entering column headings.

A C T I V I T Y 3 : E N T E R D ATA
1. Click cell location A2 on the worksheet.
2. Type the word Month.
3. Tap TAB to enter the word into cell A2 and activate the next cell to the right.
4. Type Unit Sales and tap TAB .
5. Repeat the above step for the words Average Price and then again for Sales
Dollars.

Continue the data entry with numeric values for the columns.

A C T I V I T Y 4 : C O M P L E T E T H E D ATA E N T R Y
1. Click cell location B3.
2. Type 2670 and tap ENTER . After tapping enter, cell B4 will be activated. Using enter is
an efficient way to enter data vertically down a column.
3. Enter the following numbers in cells B4 through B14: 2160, 515, 590, 1030, 2875,
2700, 900, 775, 1180, 1800, and 3560.
4. Click cell location C3.
5. Type the number 9.99 and tap ENTER .
6. Enter the following numbers in cells C4 through C14: 12.49, 14.99, 17.49, 14.99,
12.49, 9.99, 19.99, 19.99, 19.99, 17.49, and 14.99.
7. Click cell location D3.
8. Type the number 26685 and tap ENTER .
9. Enter the following numbers in cells D4 through D14: 26937, 7701, 10269, 15405,
35916, 26937, 17958, 15708, 23562, 31416, and 53370.
10. Save the workbook.

Auto Fill
The Auto Fill feature is valuable when manually entering sequential data into a worksheet. The
following steps demonstrate how the Auto Fill Handle can be used to enter the months of the year
in Column A.

A CT IVI TY 5 : USE A U TO F IL L
1. Click cell A3.
2. Type the word January and tap ENTER .
3. Click in cell A3 again.
4. Move the mouse pointer to the lower right corner of cell A3. Notice a small square in this
corner of the cell called the Auto Fill Handle. When the mouse pointer gets close to the
Auto Fill Handle, it will change into a black plus character.

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5. Click and drag the Auto Fill Handle to cell A14. Notice that the Auto Fill Handle tip box
indicates what month will be placed into each cell. Release the left mouse button when
the tip box reads December.

Once the left mouse button is released, all twelve months of the year should appear in the cell
range A3:A14.

Adjust The Column Width

A few entries in the worksheet appear to be cut off. For example, the last letter of the word
September cannot be seen in cell A11 because the column is too narrow. Columns can be adjusted
to accommodate the data being entered into a cell.

A CTIVI TY 6: ADJUST T HE COLUMN W IDTH

1. Bring the mouse pointer between Column A and Column B. Notice the pointer turns into
double arrows.
2. Double-click to auto-adjust the column width.
3. Release the left mouse button.

Format Data
A C T I V I T Y 7 : F O R M AT T H E H E A D E R A N D T O TA L R O W S
1. Select A2:D2.
2. Click HOME → FONT → BOLD.
3. Click HOME → FONT → BORDER → DOWN ARROW. Select BOTTOM BORDER from the list to
place a border on the bottom of Row 2.
4. Click A15.
5. Enter Total.
6. Select A15:D15.
7. Click HOME → FONT → BOLD.
8. Click HOME → FONT → BORDER → DOWN ARROW. Select TOP BORDER to place a border on
the top of Row 15, where totals will eventually be displayed.

A C T I V I T Y 8 : F O R M AT T H E D ATA R O W S
1. Select B3:B14.
2. Click HOME →NUMBER → COMMA STYLE.
3. Click HOME → NUMBER → DECREASE DECIMAL two times.
4. Select C3:C14.
5. Click HOME → NUMBER → ACCOUNTING NUMBER (indicated with a dollar sign).
6. Select D3:D14.
7. Click HOME → NUMBER → ACCOUNTING NUMBER.
8. Click HOME → NUMBER → DECREASE DECIMAL two times.
9. Save the workbook.

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A C T I V I T Y 9 : F O R M AT T H E T I T L E R O W
1. Select A1:D1.
2. Click HOME → FONT → FILL COLOR → DOWN ARROW.
3. Click BLUE, ACCENT 1, DARKER 25% from the palette.
4. Click A1 and enter the worksheet title, General Merchandise World.
5. Click A2 and then click A1 again to select that cell.
6. Click HOME → FONT → FONT COLOR → DOWN ARROW and select WHITE.

A CTIVI TY 10: WRAP TEXT

1. Select the range B2:D2.
2. Click HOME → ALIGNMENT → CENTER.
3. Click HOME → ALIGNMENT → WRAP TEXT.
4. Save the workbook.

A C T I V I T Y 1 1 : C R E AT E T H E W O R K S H E E T T I T L E
1. Select A1:D1.
2. Click HOME → ALIGNMENT → MERGE & CENTER.
3. Click A1. Since the cells were merged, clicking cell A1 will automatically activate the
range A1:D1.
4. Position the mouse to the end of the title, directly after the “d” in the word “World,” and
double-click to get a cursor (flashing I-beam).
5. Hold ALT and press ENTER to start a new line of text in this cell location.
6. Type Retail Sales (in millions) and press ENTER .
7. Click A1.
8. Click HOME → FORMAT → ROW HEIGHT and enter 30, then click OK.
9. Click HOME → FONT → BOLD.
10. Click HOME → FONT → ITALICS.

A C T I V I T Y 1 2 : C R E AT E C E L L B O R D E R S
1. Select A1:D15.
2. Click HOME → FONT → BORDERS → DOWN ARROW → ALL BORDERS.
3. Select A2:D2.
4. Click HOME → FONT → BORDERS → DOWN ARROW → THICK BOTTOM BORDER.
5. Select A14:D14.
6. Click HOME → FONT → BORDERS → DOWN ARROW → THICK BOTTOM BORDER.
7. Select A1:D15.
8. Click HOME → FONT → BORDERS → DOWN ARROW → MORE BORDERS....
9. In the Style section of the Borders tab, click the thickest line style.
10. Click OUTLINE in the Presets section.
11. Click OK.

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Microsoft Excel: Basic Fall, 2024

A CT IVI TY 1 3 : USE A U TOSUM

1. Click B15.
2. Click HOME → EDITING → AUTOSUM → DOWN ARROW.
3. Click SUM.
4. Excel will display a flashing marquee around the range of numbers to sum.
5. Press ENTER .
6. It would not make sense to total the averages in Column C, so C15 will be left blank.
7. Click D15.
8. Click FORMULAS → FUNCTION LIBRARY → AUTOSUM → DOWN ARROW.
9. Click SUM.
10. Excel will display a flashing marquee around the range of numbers to sum.
11. Press ENTER .
12. Save the workbook.

Simple Formulas
A CTIVI TY 14: LOAD A N EW WO RKBOO K
1. Click FILE → OPEN → BROWSE.
2. Navigate to 11-Data and click OPEN.
3. Click FILE → SAVE AS → BROWSE.
4. Navigate to the desired file location and save it as 11-Personal Budget.

A C T I V I T Y 1 5 : C A L C U L AT E T H E M O N T H LY S P E N D
1. Click C3.
2. Type an equal sign: =. When the first character entered in a cell location is an equal sign,
it signals Excel to perform a calculation or produce a logical output.
3. Type D3 to add the value of cell D3 to the formula.
4. Type slash: /, which is the symbol for division in Excel.
5. Type the number 12 to divide the value in cell D3 by 12.
6. Press ENTER .

A CT IVI TY 1 6 : A U TO F IL L A FO RM UL A
1. Click C3.
2. Place the mouse pointer over the Auto Fill Handle.
3. When the mouse pointer turns to a black plus sign, click and drag to cell C11 to paste the
formula into the range C4:C11.
4. Click C6 and observe that the formula was changed to refer to D6.

A CTIVI TY 17: E NTE R A COMPLEX FORM UL A

1. Click F3.
2. Type an equal sign: =.

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Microsoft Excel: Basic Fall, 2024

3. Type an open parenthesis: (.

4. Click D3 to add a cell reference to cell D3 to the formula. When building formulas,
clicking cells rather than typing the reference is more accurate.
5. Type a minus sign: ─.
6. Click E3 to add this cell reference to the formula.
7. Type a closing parenthesis: ).
8. Type slash: / for division.
9. Click E3.
10. Press ENTER . The result is 0.0% since Annual Spend and LY Spend (Last Year’s Spend)
are the same.
11. Click F3.
12. Place the mouse pointer over the Auto Fill Handle.
13. Click and drag down to F11.
14. Save the workbook.

The parentheses in the formula above are essential. If they are removed, the result is 299900%.
Since there is no change between the LY Spend and the budget Annual Spend, the result should be
0%. However, without the parentheses, Excel follows the standard order of operations. So, the
value in cell E3 is divided by E3 first (3000/3000), which is 1. Then, the value of 1 is subtracted from
the value in cell D3 (3000-1), which is 2,999. Since cell F3 is formatted as a percentage, Excel
expresses the output as an increase of 299900%.

A CTIVI TY 18: USE T HE S UM FU NCTION

1. Click cell C12.
2. Type an equal sign: =.
3. Type the function name: sum.
4. Type an open parenthesis: (.
5. Click C3 and drag down to C11 to enter C3:C11 into the function.
6. Type a closing parenthesis: ).
7. Press ENTER and calculate the total of $1,496.

A CTIVI TY 19: COPY THE SUM FORMULA

1. Click C12.
2. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → COPY.
3. Click D12 and drag the mouse to E12.
4. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → PASTE.
5. Tap ESC to stop the “marching ants” highlighting of C12.
6. Click F11.
7. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → COPY.
8. Click F12.
9. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → PASTE to paste the percent change formula.
10. Tap ESC to stop the “marching ants” highlighting of F11.

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A CTIVI TY 20: USE ABSOLUTE RE FE RENCES

1. Click B3.
2. Type an equal sign: =.
3. Click D3.
4. Type a forward slash: /.
5. Enter $D$12. The dollar signs keep this cell reference from changing if the formula is
pasted into another location.
6. Tap ENTER to find Household Utilities represents 16.7% of the Annual Spend.
7. Click B3.
8. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → COPY.
9. Select B4:B11.
10. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → PASTE.
11. Tap ESC to stop the “marching ants” highlighting of B3.
12. Save the workbook.

A C T I V I T Y 2 1 : C O U N T C E L L S C O N TA I N I N G N U M B E R S
1. Click D13.
2. Type an equal sign: =.
3. Type the function name: count.
4. Type an open parenthesis: (.
5. Click D3 and drag down to D11 to enter D3:D11 into the function.
6. Type a closing parenthesis: ).
7. Press ENTER and calculate the count of 9.

A C T I V I T Y 2 2 : C A L C U L AT E A N A V E R A G E
1. Click D14 in the worksheet.
2. Type an equal sign: =.
3. Type the function name: average.
4. Type an open parenthesis: (.
5. Click D3 and drag down to D11 to enter D3:D11 into the function.
6. Type a closing parenthesis: ).
7. Press ENTER and calculate the average of 1994.

A CTIVI TY 23: FI ND THE MIN AND MA X VA LUE S

1. Click D15 in the worksheet.
2. Type an equal sign: =.
3. Type the function name: min.
4. Type an open parenthesis: (.
5. Click D3 and drag down to D11 to enter D3:D11 into the function.
6. Type a closing parenthesis: ).
7. Press ENTER and find the minimum value of 1200.
8. Click D16 in the worksheet.

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9. Type an equal sign: =.

10. Type the function name: max.
11. Type an open parenthesis: (.
12. Click D3 and drag down to D11 to enter D3:D11 into the function.
13. Type a closing parenthesis: ).
14. Press ENTER and find the minimum value of 3500.
15. Save the workbook.

A C T I V I T Y 2 4 : P A S T E F O R M U L A S W I T H O U T F O R M AT T I N G
1. Select D13:D16 in the worksheet.
2. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → COPY.
3. Click E13.
4. Click HOME → CLIPBOARD → PASTE DOWN ARROW.
5. Click the FORMULAS option from the drop-down list.
6. Tap ESC to stop the “marching ants” highlighting of D13:D16.
7. Save the workbook.

A C T I V I T Y 2 5 : S O R T D ATA
1. Select A2:F11.
2. Click DATA → SORT & FILTER → SORT.
3. Click the ↓ (down arrow) next to the Sort by box.
4. Click the PERCENT OF TOTAL option from the drop-down list.
5. Click the ↓ (down arrow) next to the Sort Order box.
6. Click the LARGEST TO SMALLEST option.
7. Click the ADD LEVEL button to allow a second sort level.
8. Click the ↓ (down arrow) next to the Then by box.
9. Select the LY SPEND option. Leave the Sort Order as Smallest to Largest.
10. Click OK.
11. Save the workbook.

Use Multiple Worksheets

A CTIVI TY 26: OPEN A WO RKS HEE T
1. Click FILE → OPEN → BROWSE.
2. Navigate to 12-Data and click OPEN.
3. Click FILE → SAVE AS → BROWSE.
4. Navigate to the desired file location and save it with the name 12-Budget.

A CTIVI TY 27: M OVE A WO RKSHEE T

1. Click through the workbook and notice monthly worksheets with an Expenses Summary
worksheet at the far right. All the monthly worksheets are identical in layout and format.

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Microsoft Excel: Basic Fall, 2024

2. Click and drag the Expenses Summary worksheet to the left, and then drop it in the first
position.
3. Add the following data to the November worksheet.
a. Power: 135
b. Water: 30
c. Groceries: 400
d. Miscellaneous: 100
e. Freelance: 150
4. Save the workbook.

A CTIVI TY 28: COPY A WORKSHEE T

1. Point the mouse at the November worksheet tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Hold down the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON and then press and hold down CONTROL .
3. Drag the mouse to the right and drop the copied worksheet to the right of the November
worksheet.
4. There should now be a November (2) worksheet to the right of the November worksheet.
5. Right-click on the NOVEMBER (2) worksheet tab at the bottom of the screen and choose
RENAME.
6. Enter December.
7. Click on the DECEMBER worksheet tab to activate it.
8. Click B1 and change November to December.
9. Make the following data changes.
a. Miscellaneous: $300
b. Bonus: $250 (holiday bonus)
c. Freelance: delete the amount
10. Save the workbook.

A CTIVI TY 29: GROUP WORKSHEETS

1. Click the EXPENSES SUMMARY worksheet tab to make it active.
2. Hold SHIFT down and click on the DECEMBER worksheet tab to group them.
3. Click H1 and change the year to the current year.
4. Right-click on the EXPENSES SUMMARY worksheet tab and choose UNGROUP SHEETS.
5. Click the JANUARY worksheet tab to make it active.
6. Hold SHIFT down and click on the DECEMBER worksheet tab to group them.
7. Click F11 in the January worksheet and enter the formula =SUM(F5:F8).
8. Click F12 and enter the formula =SUM(C5:C13).
9. Click F13, and enter the formula =F11-F12. In the January worksheet, the balance
should be $690.
10. Click I6. (I6 and I7 are merged, but that does not matter. Note, this is the letter “I”, not the
number “1”.)
11. Enter =F12/F11. In the January worksheet, the result should be 74%.
12. Right-click on the JANUARY worksheet tab and choose UNGROUP SHEETS.
13. Save the workbook.

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Microsoft Excel: Basic Fall, 2024

A C T I V I T Y 3 0 : U P D AT E G Y M M E M B E R S H I P F E E S
1. Click the OCTOBER worksheet to activate it, then group the October, November, and
December worksheets.
2. Click C13 (Gym Membership) and change the amount to $0.
3. Ungroup the worksheets.
4. Save the workbook.

A CTIVI TY 31: COMPLE TE THE SUMMARY WO RKS HEE T

1. Click the EXPENSES SUMMARY worksheet tab to activate it.
2. Click C5 and enter =SUM(. (Make sure to type the open parentheses.)
3. Click the JANUARY worksheet.
4. Hold SHIFT down and click the DECEMBER worksheet.
5. Click C5 again (this will be on the January worksheet) and tap ENTER . Cell C5 on the
Expenses Summary worksheet should display $8,400.
6. Click C6 and enter =SUM(. (Make sure to type the open parentheses.)
7. Click the JANUARY worksheet.
8. Hold SHIFT down and click the DECEMBER worksheet.
9. Click cell C6 again and tap ENTER . Cell C6 on the Expenses Summary worksheet
should now display $1,610.
10. Auto fill C6 to C7:C13.
11. Save the workbook.

Summary
You've grasped the essentials of Excel, from navigating the interface to organizing data and
performing calculations. But don't stop here - take your skills even further! Our Intermediate Excel
course will build on these fundamentals, equipping you with more advanced techniques like graphs
and complex functions. Sign up today to become a true Excel expert. Keep practicing the skills from
this handout and apply your new Excel knowledge to real scenarios. Mastery awaits you - take the
next step on your journey!

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Microsoft Excel: Basic Fall, 2024

Appendix 1: Common Keyboard Shortcuts

Keystroke Meaning
Esc Cancel an operation
Arrow Keys Move one cell
Ctrl+Arrow Keys Move to top/bottom or left/right end of the block
Home Go to first cell in the row
Ctrl+Home Go to beginning of worksheet
Page Up/Down Scroll up/down one screen
Ctrl+S Save the workbook
Ctrl+Z Undo an action
Ctrl+Y Redo an action
Ctrl+B Bold
Ctrl+I Italics
Ctrl+X Cut
Ctrl+C Copy
Ctrl+V Paste
Alt+Enter Insert a hard return in a cell

Appendix 2: Row and Column Operations

Operation Procedure
Insert New Row Method 1: Place the insertion point one row below where the new row
should be inserted. Click H O M E → C E L L S → I N S E R T D O W N A R R O W →
INSERT SHEET ROWS.
Method 2: Right-click on the numbered margin to the right of the row and
select I N S E R T .
Insert New Method 1: Place the insertion point one column to the right where the new
Column column should be inserted. Click H O M E → C E L L S → I N S E R T D O W N
ARROW → INSERT SHEET COLUMNS.
Method 2: Right-click on the lettered margin above the column and select
INSERT.
Delete Row Method 1: Place the insertion point on the row to be deleted. Click H O M E
→ CELLS → DELETE DOWN ARROW → DELETE SHEET ROWS.
Method 2: Right-click on the numbered margin to the right of the row to be
deleted and select D E L E T E .
Delete Column Method 1: Place the insertion point on the column to be deleted. Click
HOME → CELLS → DELETE DOWN ARROW → DELETE SHEET
COLUMNS.
Method 2: Right-click on the lettered margin above the column to be
deleted and select D E L E T E .

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