Microsoft Excel

2025
Excel Fundamentals l
Basic - Intermediate

By: Engr Syeda Ayesha Anwar

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 Microsoft Excel

UNDERSTANDING WORKBOOKS
In Microsoft Excel the data you enter, whether it sheets) that have been ruled into columns and
consists of numbers, text, or formulas, is stored rows. Before using Excel it is helpful to know what
in a file known as a workbook. Workbooks are the various parts and elements that make up a
just like huge electronic books with pages (or workbook are.

5 6

A worksheet (or page) in a workbook contains 16,384 columns that are labelled
1 using letters of the alphabet. The first column in a worksheet is labelled column
A, while the last is labelled XFD
2 A worksheet (or page) in a workbook contains 1,048,576 rows that are labelled
using numbers from 1 to 1,048,576
3 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.
4 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.
5 A workbook (as you would expect) is made up of pages known as worksheets.
As a default, a new blank workbook normally has 3 worksheets labelled Sheet1,
Sheet2, and Sheet3.
The Insert Worksheet button here will insert another worksheet into the current
6 workbook should you need it

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 Microsoft Excel

TYPING TEXT OR NUMBERS INTO A WORKSHEET

Generally when you start a new spreadsheet you wish to enter the data active. This can be done
project, the first task is to enter some headings in a number of ways but the most common is to
into rows and columns. To type anything into a click in it first before typing.
worksheet you need to make the cell into which

Try This Yourself:

Before you begin ensure
that there is a blank
workbook on the screen…

Click in cell A3 to make

1 this the active cell, type
Garden Settings and
1 2

press
3
When you press the
next cell down
automatically becomes
the active cell. By the
way, even though the text
looks like it is in cells A3
and B3 it really only is in
cell A3 – since there is
nothing in B3, Excel
allows the spill over to be
displayed giving the 4
illusion it is in 2 cells…
Type Pool Covers and
2 press
Repeat the above steps
❸ and enter the remaining
text in column A as shown
Click in cell B2 to make
4 this the active cell, type
UK and press 5

When you press the

cell to the right becomes
the active cell…
Enter the remaining text in
5 row 2 as shown

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 Microsoft Excel

TYPING SIMPLE FORMULAS IN A WORKSHEET

The whole idea behind Excel is to get it to even other formulas, already in the worksheet
perform calculations. In order for it to do this you using the cell addresses of these numbers rather
need to type formulas in the worksheet. Usually than the actual value in them. Formulas must be
these formulas reference existing numbers, or typed beginning with an equal sign (=).

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise...

Click in cell B8 to make this

1 the active cell
Type =B3+B4+B5+B6+B7 and
2 examine what is happening on
the screen
3
Press to enter the formula
❸ and move to the next cell
Notice that a calculation has
now been performed. We have
entered a formula in B8 that
says “add the values in B3, B4,
B5, B6, and B7 and show them
here”…
Ensure that C8 is the active
4 cell, type =SUM(C3:C7) and
press
5

This is an alternative type of

formula known as a “function”.
Again a calculation will appear
in the cell…
Click in cell B8 and notice that
5 the formula you typed appears
in the Formula Bar, while the
result of the calculation 6
appears in the worksheet
Repeat step 5 with cell C8
6
7 Click on the File Tab
and select Save to save the
additions that have been made

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 Microsoft Excel

FILLING A SERIES
A series refers to a sequence of ordered entries reducing the amount of time taken for data entry,
in adjacent cells, such as the days of the week or and ensuring that the spelling is correct. Excel
months of the year. The fill technique can be provides days and months as special built-in series
used to create these in a worksheet for you, that you can access.

2
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
Open
File

you MUST open the file E707

Filling_1.xlsx...

Click on cell A4

Move the mouse pointer to the

small square (the fill handle)
at the bottom right corner of
the cell until the mouse pointer 3
appears as a thin, black cross
Drag the mouse pointer to
❸ column F
Excel will fill the range with the
first six months of the year…
Click on cell A5 and repeat
steps 2 and 3 to create the
series of months with their full
names
You can also fill more than one 6
row at a time…
Select the range A6:A12
A
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to fill
across to column F
Examine each of the series
A created by the filling process

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 Microsoft Excel

INSERTING AND DELETING WORKSHEETS

Once you’ve decided on a structure for your worksheets inserted. However, remember that
workbook, you may find that there are some deletion of worksheets is permanent and can’t be
worksheets that can be deleted. Alternatively, undone using Undo, so always save your
you may find that you need additional blank workbook before making these changes.

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 Microsoft Excel

COPYING A WORKSHEET
Just as you can copy the contents of cells and have a budget workbook that contains data for
ranges within a worksheet, you can duplicate several departments, you can create a worksheet
worksheets within a workbook. This technique is for the first department and then copy it to create
ideal for replicating layouts. For example, if you identical worksheets for other departments.

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 Microsoft Excel

RENAMING A WORKSHEET
By default, Excel names worksheets as Sheet1, makes it much easier to understand the purpose of
Sheet2, Sheet3, etc. These names are fine if you a worksheet. You can also adjust the horizontal
are not planning to share the workbook, but scroll bar to make room for longer, more
changing these to something more relevant meaningful worksheet names.

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