Tips on Microsoft Excel (Version 97 and Later)

Microsoft Excel Tips - The classes that I teach mostThese dots are used to move the toolbar anywhere
often are Microsoft Excel versions 2003 and 2007. Iyou like on the screen. Move your mouse over these
put together these tips for the Excel beginner. These4 vertical dots and your mouse cursor will change
tips will work for Excel '97 or later.into a four headed arrow. Click with the left mouse
Excel uses a lot of shortcut keys. If you want a listbutton and while holding down the left mouse button
of the most popular shortcut keys, click on the link inmove your mouse. You can move it above the other
the resource box. Many of the keys start withtoolbars, next to one, below it, or anywhere else on
holding down the Ctrl key and pressing a letter. Forthe screen.
example, Ctrl + B will bold letter. Ctrl + I will italicize.To select cells in Excel move your mouse to the first
Ctrl + U will underline. Ctrl + P will bring up the printcell that you want to select. Your mouse cursor
window. Ctrl + S will save the workbook. Ctrl +should be a big white plus sign. Click the left mouse
Home will take you to the top of the worksheet youbutton and drag up, down, left or right. The first cell
have open (Cell A1).that you selected will be white, but it will have a
On any cell that has either words or numbers, youborder on the cell, and the other ones should be
can right-click on the cell and you will have manyshaded with the color blue. Now you can format the
options including: Cut, copy, paste, insert, delete, andnumbers or text.
format cells. All of these menu options are alsoAll formulas start with the equal sign. Say you
located on the toolbars.wanted to add up a column of numbers. The long
In Excel 97-2003, the two most used toolbars areway is to place your cursor in the first empty cell
Standard and Formatting. To select these toolbars gobeneath the numbers and type is the equal sign
to the View menu and select Toolbars. Make surefollowed by the first cell that you want to add. You
Standard and Formatting have check marks to thecan then type in the + sign and type in the 2nd
left of the menu option.number, etc. When you enter the last cell press the
To select an entire row, click on the row number. ToEnter key and the total will be displayed.
select an entire column click on the column letter.The second fastest way is to click on the first
If you have ##### symbols in a cell, then the cell isempty cell and type the equals sign followed by the
too small for the number or date. You can doubleword SUM followed by a left parentheses. Next type
click on the line in the column heading. For example,in the first cell address that you want to add,
say column B has the # signs. Double click on thefollowed by a colon (:). Type in the last cell address,
vertical line between the letters B and C and thefollowed by the right parentheses and press the
column will automatically adjust.Enter key. The total should be displayed.
If you have text that overlaps a cell. The text isThe fastest way is to select the row of numbers
displayed in the following column as well. You can alsoand the blank cell and then click on the Autosum
double click on the vertical line in the column lettersbutton on the toolbar. The autosum button is a
and the column will automatically resize to fit theGreek E Symbol (∑). Press the Enter key and
text.the total will be displayed.
Each toolbar in Excel 97-2003 has 4 vertical dots.