Introduction

A worksheet (or page) in a workbook contains 16,384 columns that are labelled using letters of the
alphabet. The first column in a worksheet is labelled column A, while the last is labelled XFD

A worksheet (or page) in a workbook contains 1,048,576 rows that are labelled using numbers from 1 to
1,048,576

Where a column and row intersect we get what is known as a cell. You enter your data into these cells.
Each cell in a worksheet can hold up to 32,767 characters – although it would be unrealistic to ever push
it this far. Cells are referred to by their column and row labels. For example, in the screen above the cell
we are pointing to is C11 – this reference is known as the cell address and is most important as it is
frequently used in commands and formulas

When you start typing something, you want it to appear somewhere in the worksheet. As a consequence
when the Status Bar shows Ready mode, at least one cell in the worksheet will be highlighted – this is
known as the active cell. In the screen above, the active cell is cell A1 – notice that the column label and
the row label also appears coloured to indicate the active cell. You can have more than one active cell –
when this occurs you have what is known as a range

A workbook (as you would expect) is made up of pages known as worksheets. You can have as many
sheets in a workbook as your computer resources can accommodate. As a default, a new blank workbook
normally has 3 worksheets labelled Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. Of course these labels are pretty boring
and meaningless and can be changed to something more relevant

Formulas and Functions in Excel

A formula is just a mathematical expression, which calculates the value present of a cell. Functions are
predefined formulas that Excel has already compiled for your use.

Perform the following steps to apply a formula:

 Select any cell, say B4.

 Enter some value in B4.
 Do the same with another cell, B5.
 Suppose you want add these two. In cell B6, first type the ‘= ‘ sign. This sign tells Excel that it
should get ready to display the result of a calculation you’re going to perform.
 Now you can either type “=B4+B5 ” or just select the first cell, add the mathematical sign, and
select the second cell.
 Hit enter, and watch the sum of the 2 numbers get displayed in the cell B6.

Formulas are so simple to use, and also extremely powerful. You can edit a formula whenever and
however you want. Simply click the cell where the formula was typed, then change the details on the
Formula bar above. The changes will be reflected immediately.

Unfortunately, formulas have to be typed out. This means that when you want to add or subtract about
15 to 20 different cells, you’re going to have to add the + sign every single time. This is where Functions
come in. They are predefined, they are easy to use, and they are designed for quick operations. For
better understanding on using a function to your advantage, do the following example:

 Select a cell, say A8.

 Click on the FX button near the Formula bar. This is the Insert Function button. In the Insert
Function dialog box, the functions are grouped into categories so that you can choose the
required function with ease.
 Select the function you want and click OK.
 In the Range box, select the range of cells you want to perform the function on.
 Finally, select OK.

The function you’ve entered will be performed and the results will be displayed. Try experimenting with
different functions to see what each one does, so that you familiarize yourself with them.

Sum and Sumif

The most popular function, the sum function simply adds the range of cells you have given and displays
the results. Of course, any changes made to these cells will reflect on the sum. The general syntax of the
Sum function is given by:

=SUM(x:y)

Here, x and y are cells, and all the cells between x and y will be selected, and the contents added. You
can simply type out these cell references, or just select them with your mouse. An example for adding 2
numbers using formula was given above. Try the same with the function to get the feel of how the Sum
function works.

The sumif function works the same way, but it needs a condition. It’s a condition that must be satisfied
by the contents of the cell for them to be added. The syntax for sumif is:

=SUMIF(x:y,”condition1”, “condition2”)

Just replace “condition” by whatever you need. There doesn’t necessarily have to be two conditions.
There can be any number of conditions as required. It is sort of like a C program’s if statement. For
example:

 Type values in C1 to C5.

 In C6, use the sumif function, and select the range C1:C5.
 In the condition, give >5 .
 You will now observe that in cell C6, only those numbers that are greater than 5 in C1:C5 have
been added.

The sumif function is the ideal choice when you’re doing a statistics report and you need to add up
values that go beyond a certain range.

Count and Countif

Used when you need to know the number of cells in a particular column or row. An extension to this is
the countif, where a condition is specified for the numbers. Only if the condition is satisfied will the cell
be counted. The syntax of count and countif is given by:
 =COUNT(x:y)

=COUNTIF(x:y,” condition1”, “condition2”)

Replace the condition by whatever condition you need. Let us take an example for better understanding:

 Type in values from A1 to A5.

 In A6, add the Count function and select the range A1:A5.
 You will notice the number 5. This means that there are 5 cells in the range you have selected.
 Do the same, but add a condition that the number should be greater than 5.
 Do this by giving >5 within the quotes.

This will display a certain value, which is the number of cells that contain a number greater than 5. This
function is extremely useful when you need to quickly find out how many entries have been made that is
greater than or less than a particular value.

Cell References
There are 3 types of cell references in Excel. They can get quite confusing, so there are some examples
illustrated to point out the differences between each of the references clearly. The three reference types
are:

 Relative
 Absolute
 Mixed

Before jumping straight into the 3 references, let’s discuss a bit about what reference actually means.
References are the names of cells, put simply. Each cell is addressed by its reference, and not by
anything. This has a major advantage! Consider a cell having a mathematical formula that relates cell B2
and B3. If the contents of B2 and B3 are changes, so does the cell containing the formula. The changes
made will be reflected. With that short introduction, let us take a look at each of the references along
with examples:

Relative Reference
Excel uses this reference type by default. When you click on a cell that contains a formula which looks
something like “=A1*B1”, then it is called a relative reference. It’s called relative because, if the cell
containing the formula is dragged somewhere, then the cell references automatically adjust themselves.
That is, they don’t stay as A1 and B1 anymore, but now they become A2 and B2. Let us try to understand
what relative reference means with a clear example:

 Enter some data in the range A1:A5.

 Do the same in the range B1:B5.
 In cell C1, type a formula that relates A1 and B1. It can be anything, but for simplicity, let us
assume addition being carried out, that is, =A1+B1.
 Now select cell C1, and drag the cell (by clicking and holding the bottom right corner of the cell)
up to cell C5.
 Now it is time to observe. Note that here; the cell C1 references the two cells to its left.
What you typed in was only A1+B1. But since it is in relative reference, when the same formula is applied
in cell C2, it changes to A2+B2. Similarly in cells C3, C4, and C5, it becomes A3+B3, A4+B4, A5+B5
respectively. Notice how Excel adjusts the references the two cells to the left by itself? Naturally, this also
means that any changes made in any of the specified cells will be reflected accordingly. There are no
exceptions to this in relative reference. This comes in handy when you’re dealing with a large amount of
data that needs to apply in a mathematical equation, and each set of data should have the same
equation. Simply create the equation in one particular cell. Drag it down or to the right, and watch the
intelligent Excel do your work for you!

Absolute Reference
If you need to have a certain set of data applied in a mathematical equation along with a constant value,
then absolute reference is the way to go. For example, consider the conversion dollars to pounds. A
logical way of conversion would be to enter the amounts of dollars in a particular column, and use a
formula “=A1*x” where x would be the conversion factor. Though logical, it has a certain flaw. You will
have to click on the cell, and make the conversion changes yourself every time the dollar to pound
conversion factor changes. The easiest way to do it would be by giving an absolute reference.

Unlike in relative reference, where the relative cells vary as the formula is dragged down, an absolute
reference to a cell means that that particular cell will be used throughout the cells in which the formula
has been applied. The general syntax to create an absolute reference to a cell is:

$column$row (for example, $B$3)

The $ sign indicates the particular column or row to be constant. If you want the row to be constant,
leave out the first $ sign. Similarly, if the column is desired to be constant, leave out the second $ sign.

Let us take an example:

 Type in some dollar values in the cell range A1:A5

 In cell E1, type in the conversion factor to convert dollars to pounds (let’s consider this as ‘x’
here for simplicity).
 Now in cell B1, type in “=A1*$E$1” .
 Click on B1, and drag it down using the drag option in the bottom right corner of the cell.
 Now observe each cell and its formula.

You can now see that all the cells take a relative reference to the cells in column A, but a fixed reference
to the cell E1. Any change made in E1 will reflect in the cells of column B.

Mixed Reference
Mixed Reference is a combination of the Relative and Absolute References. You usually will not be using
mixed reference, unless your spreadsheet has formulas that connect different rows and columns at the
same time. This is quite difficult to explain if you don’t try it out yourself, so the entire concept has been
illustrated with the help of an example. Make sure you try out the example as you read along in order to
understand it better. The easiest example would be a multiplication table.

 Enter numbers 1 through 10 in in the cell range A2:A11.

 Enter numbers 1 through 10 in the cell range B1:K1.
  Now out-goal is to create a multiplication table. Let us try using Relative and absolute references
first.
 Enter the formula =A2*B1 in the cell B2. Now drag it throughout the entire cell range.

You will notice that the numbers become quite huge. Now observe each of the cells and its formula. You
will notice that since relative reference is used, the cells start multiplying the numbers directly above
them and directly to the left of them. Thus, the extremely huge values.

Now enter the formula =$A$2 * $B$1 in cell B2. Now drag the formula throughout the entire cell range.
You will notice that the entire range displays 1. This is because the reference, being absolute, ends up
multiplying only cells A2 and B1 in all the cells.

This is where you may face problems. If you can’t use relative and absolute references, then what can
you use? That’s where mixed reference comes in. You basically want the row to be constant in one
multiplication term, and the column to be constant in the other. Therefore, what this is means is that the
first term has a relative reference to the column, and the second term has a relative reference to the
row. Let us try this out now in our multiplication table.

 Enter the same data as before.

 Now in cell B2, type the following formula: =B$1*$A2 .
 Drag this formula throughout, and you will notice the right values appearing in your table!

Let us analyze what we have done here. In the first term B$1, we have created an absolute reference to
the row, but a relative reference to the column. In the second term, the opposite is done. Now in cell B3,
observe the formula. It should say B$1*$A3. Notice how only the row of column A has changed?
Similarly, each of the cells in the range will have the right cells in the formula because of the mixed
reference. Your multiplication table is now complete, along with your understanding of mixed reference!

Special Tasks that could be performed in Excel

With Excel, a user will be able to carry out compartmentalized tasks that will make the manipulation of
data easier than ever. In addition to data manipulation, gathering results will also be more streamlined.
Some of the examples of data manipulation and results gathering include transposition, hiding and data

composition.

Steps on How to Transpose Data via Excel

Transposing data is one way you can manipulate your data set. This can be accomplished through a
keyboard shortcut and we are going to walk through the steps below:

 First, you have to highlight the area that you want to transpose.
 Once the area is highlighted, right-click and select copy.
 Then, place the cursor into any blank cell or column where you want the data to transfer.
 Afterward, you can highlight the empty cell and go to Home-Paste and Transpose.

Always remember that the command will not be executed unless you can copy the necessary data first.
Otherwise, you would have to repeat the whole process again.

Use the Format Painter

Use Format Painter to quickly apply the same formatting, such as color, font style and size, or border
style, to multiple pieces of text or graphics. With format painter, you can copy all of the formatting from
one object and apply it to another one—think of it as copying and pasting for formatting.

1. Select the text or graphic that has the formatting that you want to copy.

2. On the Home tab, select Format Painter in the Clipboard group.

3. The cursor changes to a paintbrush icon.

4. Use the brush to paint over a selection of text or graphics to apply the formatting. This only
works once. To change the format of multiple selections in your document, you must first
double-click Format Painter.

Tip: Use Alt+Ctrl+C to copy a format, and Alt+Ctrl+Vto paste a format. While the cursor does not change
to a paintbrush, you can repeatedly select text and paste formatting to multiple areas without re-
copying.

5. To stop formatting, press ESC.

How to sort in Excel?

Select the data to sort

Select a range of tabular data, such as A1:L5 (multiple rows and columns) or C1:C80 (a single column).

The range can include the first row of headings that identify each column.

Sort quickly and easily

1. Select a single cell in the column you want to sort.

2. On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click to perform an ascending sort (from A to Z, or
 smallest number to largest).

3. Click to perform a descending sort (from Z to A, or largest number to smallest).

Sort by specifying criteria

Use this technique to choose the column you want to sort, together with other criteria such as font or cell
colors.

1. Select a single cell anywhere in the range that you want to sort.

2. On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Sort to display the Sort popup window.

3. In the Sort by dropdown list, select the first column on which you want to sort.

4. In the Sort On list, choose Values, Cell Color, Font Color, or Cell Icon.

5. In the Order list, choose the order that you want to apply to the sort operation—alphabetically or
numerically, ascending or descending (that is, from A to Z (or Z to A) for text, or lower to higher, or
higher to lower for numbers).

Filter a range of data

1. Select any cell within the range.

2. Select Data > Filter.

 3. Select the column header arrow .

4. Select Text Filters or Number Filters, and then select a comparison, like Between.

5. Enter the filter criteria and select OK.

Filter data in a table

When you Create and format tables, filter controls are automatically added to the table headers.
 1. Select the column header arrow for the column you want to filter.

2. Uncheck (Select All) and select the boxes you want to show.

3. Click OK.

The column header arrow changes to a Filter icon. Select this icon to change or clear the filter.

Highlight patterns and trends with conditional formatting

Conditional formatting makes it easy to highlight certain values or make particular cells easy to identify.
This changes the appearance of a cell range based on a condition (or criteria). You can use conditional
formatting to highlight cells that contain values which meet a certain condition. Or you can format a
whole cell range and vary the exact format as the value of each cell varies.

Temperature information with conditional formatting applied that shows top 10% and bottom 10%
values

Temperature information with 3-color scale conditional formatting applied

 Apply conditional formatting

1. Select the range of cells, the table, or the whole sheet that you want to apply conditional
formatting to.

2. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Do one of the following:

To highlight Do this

Values in specific cells. Examples are dates after this week, or numbers Point to Highlight Cells
between 50 and 100, or the bottom 10% of scores. Rules or Top/Bottom Rules, and
then click the appropriate option.

The relationship of values in a cell range. Extends a band of color across the Point to Data Bars, and then click
cell. Examples are comparisons of prices or populations in the largest cities. the fill that you want.

The relationship of values in a cell range. Applies a color scale where the Point to Color Scales, and then
intensity of the cell's color reflects the value's placement toward the top or click the scale that you want.
bottom of the range. An example is sales distributions across regions.

A cell range that contains three to five groups of values, where each group Point to Icon Sets, and then click a
has its own threshold. For example, you might assign a set of three icons to set.
highlight cells that reflect sales below $80,000, below $60,000, and below
$40,000. Or you might assign a 5-point rating system for automobiles and
apply a set of five icons.

The Ribbon
The Microsoft Office Excel ribbon is your personal Excel tour guide. Anything you want to accomplish
with Excel, you can do it with the ribbon’s multitude of options. The only problem, however, is that it is
extremely difficult to try and remember a specific where a particular function, format, or option is,
considering the fact that there are 8 tabs! This is especially true if you are just a beginner. With that said,
the ribbon was actually implemented to make things easier. That’s right! Prior to 2007, all the MS Office
software had just toolbars. No easily accessible tabs and no images on the different functions. Can you
imagine working on a worksheet like that? Especially when you’re just starting out and have no clue
where anything is? This is where the ribbon came to the rescue. Images were added to different
functions so that the user interface was as friendly as possible.

When you do get used to the ribbon, you will find it extremely easy to perform different functions and
create unique formats. When you don’t remember a particular function or the shortcut for a particular
task, then the ribbon will be your savior. Backtracking to the structure of the ribbon, it has three main
parts (which makes or breaks your spreadsheet):

 Tabs
 Groups
 Commands

Tabs: At the very top of the spreadsheet, you will be able to see 8 tabs, with the File tab always selected
by default. These tabs contain groups of commands that are related to each other. For example, under
Insert you will be having options to insert a graph, insert a chart, and so on and so forth.

Groups: When groups were mentioned before, what was meant was an actual component of the ribbon
called a group? Each group has related commands, and the name of each group appears at the bottom
of the group, below the tab. For example, in the group Alignment under the Home tab, you have several
options of alignments to choose between (the left, centre, or justified).

Commands: These are the actual commands you will be using. Each command performs a specified
function, and the number of commands available are so diverse that you can practically do anything you
want to with your ideas and creativity being the only limitation.

When you look at the tabs and the ribbons, you may feel that they are organized quite the way you want
them to be. Fret not, because you have been given the power to customize the ribbon the way you want
to make it your ribbon. The following section will explain about customizing a ribbon to truly make it
your own, and to make it much easier for you to apply certain commands if you will be using them more
than the others.

Customizing the Ribbon

First things first, if the ribbon is quite what you want of if the space that the ribbon occupies is what
you’re looking for, then you can just collapse the ribbon. That’s right, you can make the ribbon disappear
(and bring it back whenever you feel like it). Do the following to collapse the ribbon:

Right click on the ribbon area (it can be anywhere within the ribbon). Click on Minimize the Ribbon.

Now the ribbon would have disappeared from the screen. They haven’t disappeared forever; you just
need to click on each tab whenever you want to make use of some command. Whenever you click the
tab, the commands do appear, albeit temporarily. As soon as you are done with the commands, they
automatically disappear, giving you the minimized look once again. Unfortunately, the same also
happens as soon as you click somewhere within the document, before applying the command. You have
to be careful to not mis-click anywhere before applying the commands you want to. With that out of the
way, if you still want to customize the ribbon, read on:
  Right click on the ribbon area.
 Click on Customize the Ribbon.

Now a (not-so-little) dialog box should pop up. Now, suppose you want to create a tab with specific
groups in mind. And suppose in the default ribbon, these groups are spread across various tabs, which
you do not want to select each time you are in need of a particular command. Do the following to create
a new tab with your own customized commands:

 Click on New Tab

 Go ahead and create a name for your tab.
 Select the command you want to add to your tab, then click on Add button in the centre.
 In order to remove certain commands from a tab, click on the required command, then click on
Remove which is just below the Add.
 Now your tab appears in Ribbon, along with the other tabs (which you can customize as well).
 If you do not want a particular group to be present in the ribbon, just uncheck it in the
Customize Ribbon dialog box.

Apart from just creating tabs, you can even create new groups. Creating groups is just as easy as creating
tabs is.

 Click on New Group

 Name the group, as you like.
 If your tab contains multiple groups, you can select which group you want the particular
command to be in. Add the command by clicking on the Add button or remove it with the
Remove button.

The created groups also appear in the tab you have created, along with the other tabs (if you have
customized one of the default tabs).

Importing and Exporting

Instead of customizing your own Ribbon after seeing someone else’s, you can just import their
customization. Take care that you export your current ribbon customizations first before importing, or
you will permanently lose it.

 Go to the Customize the Ribbon window.

 Click on Import/Export
 To import a file, click on Import customization file.
 To export your customization, click on Export all customizations

Resetting the Ribbon

The occasion may also arise where you may need to delete all your customizations and reset everything,
bringing it back to the default settings. Though not often, this is usually done when the ribbon you have
customized gets bugged and stops applying the right commands. To reset the customizations, this is
what you have to do:

 Head to the Customize Ribbon dialog box.

 Click on Reset.
  Select Reset all customizations.

It’s important for you to note that this resets both the Ribbon customizations and the Quick Access
Toolbar customizations. If you do not want your quick access toolbar customizations (as explained in the
next section) to be deleted as well, then be careful here.

Quick Access Toolbar

Notice the tiny toolbar above the Ribbon’s File Tab? It’s extremely easy to miss, and has only Undo, Redo,
and Save, leading to most people thinking it’s just another bar of not much importance. This is the Quick
Access Toolbar or QAT.

When you’re using Excel extensively and need to use a couple of commands repeatedly, then going for
the Quick Access Toolbar instead of clicking on the corresponding tab and group may be faster. It also
acts as a substitute for a customized Ribbon. For example, you can have a few alignment options in your
Quick Access Toolbar while having your Insert tab open and ready to insert pictures or charts at any
given time. The best part is, once you get used to using the Quick Access Toolbar, you will start to
depend less on the Ribbon.

Are those 3 default commands the only ones you can use with the QAT? Definitely not. With the small
drop-down button at the right end of the QAT (Customize the Quick Access Toolbar), the most widely
used commands appear, from which you can select anything you want. You are also not confined to the
displayed 12 commands. Just click on More Commands and you will be able to choose from all the
commands available.

When you need to add a command that is not available in the Ribbon, then:

 Go to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar.

 Click on More Commands
 Under the Choose Commands from dropdown list, select Commands Not in the Ribbon.

You can now select whichever command you want to the QAT.

If you feel like adding a command on the go while you’re working on a particular spreadsheet, just do
this:

 Right click the command.

 Select Add to Quick Access Toolbar

With this, the command you just selected will now appear on the right side.

Protect a worksheet
To prevent other users from accidentally or deliberately changing, moving, or deleting data in a
worksheet, you can lock the cells on your Excel worksheet and then protect the sheet with a password.
Say you own the team status report worksheet, where you want team members to add data in specific
cells only and not be able to modify anything else. With worksheet protection, you can make only certain
parts of the sheet editable and users will not be able to modify data in any other region in the sheet.

Restrict or Prevent Access to the File

This feature helps the users to prevent viewing the worksheet, or users can view the workbook but are
unable to make changes to it.

Protecting a Sheet

1. Protect Sheet

2. Protect Workbook

How to Protect the Sheet in Excel from Editing

You can protect your worksheet from being modified by another user. This prevents unwanted changes
from others by limiting their ability to edit. For example, you can prevent people from editing locked
cells or making formatting changes to delete columns or rows. Password protection prevents other users
from removing the worksheet protection, it needs to be entered to unprotect the worksheet.

Step 1: Go to the Review Tab

On the toolbar select the review option. Go to Home Tab and Click on Arrow Down option

Step 2: Select Appropriate option

A protect sheet dialog box will open. Select the appropriate option.

Step 3: Check the box

Checked the box that you want the user to access the particular cells.

 Password to unprotected cells – Allows only those users who know the valid password to
unprotect the worksheet and can make changes.

 Allow all users of this worksheet to – Checked boxes are aspects that any user can access and
make changes.
Step 4: Create a Password and Click “OK”

Create a strong password for your worksheet. Then click on OK as shown:

Step 5: Renter the Password

Reenter the password in the confirmed password dialog box. Then click on Ok.
Finally, your sheet is protected.

How to Unprotect the Sheet in Excel

Step 1: Go to the Review Tab

On the toolbar select the review option.

Step 2: Click on “Unprotect Sheet”

Select unprotect sheet option as shown:

Step 3: Enter Password

Enter the password in Unprotect sheet dialog box.

Step 4: Click “Ok”

Then click on Ok.

Finally, your sheet is unprotected.

How to Protect the Workbook in Excel

This feature prevents other users from viewing hidden worksheets details, or or adding, moving,
deleting, worksheets. You can protect the structure of your Excel workbook with a password. By using
workbook protection other users are unable to change its structure, order of sheets of our workbook,
and many more.

Step 1: Go to the Review Tab

On the toolbar select the review option.

Step 2: Click on Protect Workbook

Click on protect workbook option as shown above.

Step 3: Click on the Structure

Click on the structure to protect the structure and window dialog box.
Step 4: Create a Password

Create a password for your workbook.

Step 5: Click “Ok”

Then click on ok.

Step 6: Reenter Password

Reenter the password and click on ok.

Finally, your workbook is protected.

How to Unprotect the Workbook in Excel

When the workbook is unprotected, Users can now change the structure and windows of your
workbook.

Step 1: Go to the review Tab

On the toolbar select the review option.

Step 2: Click on “Protect Workbook”

Click on protect workbook.

Step 3: Enter Password

Enter your password.

Now your workbook is unprotected it means anyone can change the structure of your workbook.