Introduction to Microsoft Excel 365

Explore the 20 skills in chapter one and use the navigation features to jump to specific topics, such as understanding absolute and relative references.

Explore why Excel matters across fields in real-world contexts. Use a household and college budget file to illustrate data analysis and decision making.

Navigate a workbook in Excel with the top ribbon and tabs like File, Home, and Formulas, and use the formula bar to see underlying cell values.

Learn how to work in protected view in Excel 365, when to enable editing for trusted files, and how to manage file info to balance virus risk and productivity.

Enter and edit text, numbers, or formulas in cells using clicks, double-clicking, or the formula bar. Switch between edit mode and ready mode, and exit with escape to preserve contents.

Learn how to apply and compare number formats in Excel 365, including accounting and currency formats, and adjust decimals and symbols using the home tab and number formats dropdown.

Enter a date and apply a date format, switch between short date and long date options, and auto-fit the column to display the full date.

Explore how to insert data with autofill in Excel using the fill handle to copy values and formats, and apply autofill options to fill only formatting or contents, including formulas.

Select the correct data range without totals before inserting a chart, then choose a chart type and use the recommended charts feature. Manage chart elements and positioning with contextual tabs.

Use the insert tab's charts group to insert column, line, area, or pie charts and try the recommended charts feature for preselected data suggestions.

Enter simple formulas in Excel using the equal sign and cell references (B5, B6, B7) to sum values and auto-update totals when inputs change.

Explore absolute and relative cell references in Excel while building a percent of total column, showing how relative references adjust on paste and how absolute references lock totals.

Learn to combine functions and formulas in Excel 365 by writing =sum for a range like V5:V7, leveraging the function library for dynamic updates when inserting rows.

Learn how to quickly insert a sum function using AutoSum in Excel, with auto-detected ranges from the Home tab editing group, and press enter to complete.

Learn to calculate totals in Excel 365 with the quick analysis tool by selecting a range (B13 to B24) and applying a formula from the tool icon.

Explore how the status bar displays statistics like the average for a selected range in the bottom right corner, and customize it by right-clicking to check options.

Adjust the zoom level with the plus and minus icons or the view tab's zoom group to see the whole spreadsheet, often around 70 percent.

Create a new workbook by using online templates from the file tab's new menu; search for a budget or tracker, download, enable content, and manage multiple files.

Learn to arrange multiple workbooks in excel 365 using the view tab, with tiled, horizontal, vertical, or kaskade layouts for side-by-side comparison.

Discover how to check spelling in Excel 365 using the review tab, correct misspellings without squiggly underlines, and understand how Excel's spell check differs from Word.

Preview and print a worksheet by using print preview, selecting the active sheet or workbook, choosing pages, and adjusting orientation, margins, and letter size to make output look polished.

Learn how to cut, copy, and paste cell content in Excel, including relative and absolute references, paste options, and formatting tricks like format painter and conditional formatting.

Explore paste options in Excel 365 by using the transpose feature to convert rows to columns for easier data organization and pivot table preparation.

Learn to insert and delete cells, rows, and columns in Excel 365, using cut cells, shift down or up, and deleting entire rows or columns with labeling changes.

Apply wrap text from the home tab alignment group to display long cell content, expanding row height so text fits without overflowing into adjacent cells.

Use the undo and redo buttons in Excel to manage changes, and rely on familiar shortcuts from other office apps like Word and PowerPoint.

Explore how to align text in Excel cells by centering, left, right, and top or bottom alignments, adjust row height, and see how widening a column clarifies alignment results.

Merge and center cells to create a single heading, then split merged cells when needed. Use the format painter to apply this centered style to other titles.

Select a cell to apply bold, italic, or underline in Excel 365; underline formats text, while the cell border icon underlines the cell, with Ctrl+B for bold.

Change font, font size, and font color in Excel 365, applying to selected cells; use theme colors or standard colors, with standard colors unaffected by the current theme.

Learn how to apply borders to Excel 365 selections, using outside borders, all borders, thick and double lines, and other border options via the border dropdown and format cells dialog.

Apply shading with fill color in cells using the home tab, with theme-driven colors. Change themes in page layout to see how theme colors adapt across the sheet.

Apply cell styles to quickly apply theme colors and fonts, set a title style, and use orange accent to adjust font color, showing how styles differ from font options.

Use format painter to copy bold formatting and theme-colored fills to other cells, and keep it active by double-clicking, then turn it off when finished.

Select the range, then use the quick analysis tool to apply conditional formatting with data bars, color scales, or icon sets, highlighting the highest and lowest values.

Learn to apply conditional formatting in Excel 365 with data bars and color scales from the styles group, compare values in a selected range, and clear formatting.

Apply conditional formatting with highlight cells rule to a selected range, using criteria like greater than, between, or contains text, with customizable formats that update automatically.

Select a range and apply top/bottom rules to highlight values above or below a threshold, such as above average tuition, using the light red fill.

Learn how to remove conditional formatting in Excel 365, use manage rules to view, edit, delete, or duplicate rules, and ensure the correct range is applied across the worksheet.

Clear cell content to remove formatting while preserving values, then use paste special to apply only formatting from a copied cell to V5 and return to normal.

Explore using find and replace in Excel 365, mirroring Word’s dialog to search within rows, columns, formulas, values, and notes, with options to apply to the entire sheet or workbook.

Learn to use find by format in Excel to replace formatting, such as changing accounting numbers from two decimal places to zero decimal places across cells.

Set the print area by selecting cells, go to page layout, and click print area, then file print to preview printing only your chosen data, like monthly income and expenses.

Learn to enter formulas with the function arguments dialog box in Excel 365, using sum, max, count, average, if, and vlookup, and see how the dialog adapts to each function.

Type an equals sign to invoke formula autocomplete and insert functions into cells from an alphabetical list, then select the range D10 to D26 to populate the function.

Calculate the average in Excel using the AVERAGE function on range D10:D26, counting only nonblank cells, with eight completers yielding an average of 24.

Find minimum and maximum values in Excel 365 using the min and max functions on range D10:D26, and practice with the function arguments dialog box and fill handle.

Learn to use date and time functions in Excel, such as the now function that updates automatically on file open, and the today function, with short date formatting tips.

Learn to create formulas using counting functions in Excel 365, using count and counta to count cells in the range B10 through B26 and determine class size 17.

Explore formatting text in Excel 365 with functions such as proper, lower, upper, and concat. See how proper formats a cell's text, with lower and upper as comparisons.

Use concat to combine a student's first name from C10 and last name from B10 with a space, then nest proper to format the full name correctly.

Learn how textjoin combines text with a delimiter, compare with concat, and apply proper formatting for names, while using function arguments dialog and autocomplete in Excel 365.

Create formulas that reference cells on other worksheets to populate a summary sheet. Learn to pull values from a scores sheet using the sheet name and an exclamation point.

Name ranges in Excel 365 to simplify formulas, such as D7 through R7 named as possible, created by typing possible in the Name Box; names cannot include numbers or spaces.

Find and inspect named ranges by opening the formulas tab and using the name manager. The example points to the scores tab and the D7 range.

Update named ranges in the name manager by selecting the range, editing it, and ensuring the name exactly matches the correct range to reference, such as extending to b10.

Delete a named range via the name manager and confirm the deletion, then recreate the named range and verify its spelling and the worksheet and cell range it refers to.

Learn to use the Excel if function with a logical test that returns true or false, set a threshold like 70 percent, and apply relative references.

Calculate loan payments in Excel 365 using the PMT function, converting annual rate to monthly and years to months, and interpret the payment sign.

Use vlookup to assign letter grades by looking up percent values in the grades table on the grades tab, applying absolute references and autofill to copy results.

Learn to check formulas for errors in Excel 365, identify division by zero or empty cells, and manage background error checking via file options and the formulas tab.

Learn to locate errors in Excel 365 using trace precedents and trace dependents to see which cells reference or are referenced, including cross-sheet references, and remove traces.

Turn on show formulas in formula auditing to display and print formulas, then turn it off to restore normal column widths, aiding discussions about formulas in meetings.

Master inserting, deleting, and formatting worksheets, apply themes, adjust rows and columns, and tailor worksheet views and print settings within a multi-sheet workbook.

Name your worksheets descriptively to reflect what happens in the sheet and relate it to your workbook. Rename by double-clicking the sheet tab or by right-clicking and selecting rename.

Change sheet tab colors to organize data across many sheets using theme or standard colors. Right-click a tab to apply blue, orange, or green within your current workbook theme.

Learn to move and copy worksheets in Microsoft Excel 365 by dragging tabs, using the move or copy option, and creating exact sheet copies with numbered duplicates.

Delete worksheets by right-clicking sheet names or using the home tab delete command; rename, move to the front, and color sheets to organize options.

Group worksheets to apply changes across multiple sheets with identical structure; use shift for contiguous groups or control for specific views. Grouped sheets apply changes across all involved sheets and allow printing options across them.

Learn to insert and delete rows and columns in Excel 365 after turning off grouping, using right-click or the ribbon to shift cells up or left.

Apply themes from the page layout tab to unify color, font, and effects across a workbook, affecting all worksheets, tab colors, built-in cell styles, and auto-adjusted column widths.

Modify column widths and row heights in Excel 365 by auto fit or manual adjust, using double clicks, right-click, or the Home tab format group.

Learn to freeze and unfreeze panes in Excel 365 to keep labels visible as you scroll; choose top row, first column, or custom panes based on your active cell.

Hide and unhide rows and columns in Excel 365 using right-click or the Home tab format group, revealing hidden data and helping you recognize hidden lines and missing data.

Learn how to hide and unhide worksheets in Excel, recognize that cells can reference hidden sheets, and use the Home tab's Format dropdown to reveal hidden sheets.

Split workbooks lets you view multiple areas of a worksheet by creating independent panes that scroll separately, enabling data comparison across quadrants; toggle split on and off in view.

Switch from normal view to page layout or page break preview using the view tab to reveal margins, headers, footers, and print-ready layouts.

Insert headers and footers from the insert tab to enter the page layout view. Edit header and footer cells to add page numbers, sheet names, or file names.

Learn to control page breaks in Excel 365 for logical printing by using page break preview, inserting and dragging breaks, resetting to default, and using scale to fit.

Show and hide worksheet elements, including grid lines and headings. Determine print options to include them when printing.

Change worksheet orientation in Excel 365 to portrait or landscape to set print direction without altering on-screen appearance.

Learn to set up margins for printing using page layout view and page break preview, choosing from default, narrow, wide, or normal margins, or creating custom margins.

Scale worksheets for printing by defining page width and height, choosing one or two pages, and previewing in print to ensure labels appear on all pages.

Master printing titles in Excel by setting repeated rows 1–8 and columns A–B in page layout, then preview how labels and numbers appear on subsequent pages.

Choose printing options for active sheet, a selection, or the entire workbook. Select a range to print, like rows one through eight, with the default set to the active sheet.

Insert a column or bar chart from organized data to visualize regional sales, using the insert tab and defining data series and categories.

Insert a pie chart by selecting two ranges for labels and their corresponding values for region three. Use a 3D pie chart to compare items that make up a whole.

Insert a line chart from order date and sales total to show values moving over time. Remove the skewing data point to reveal the true trend in product sales data.

Resize and move charts by selecting the chart area and using the move chart tool to place them on a new sheet, labeled product sales chart.

Learn to use quick layouts in Excel charts to combine data labels, titles, and tables for quick styling; hover a dropdown to preview options and apply layout 10.

Show and hide chart elements individually by clicking the plus to add or remove items like a trend line or data labels, improving readability of charts.

Apply quick styles and colors to charts, using chart styles, fonts, line styles, and effects, then customize the color scheme to match your company colors.

Learn to change the chart type in Excel 365 by switching to bar charts instead of pie charts, and undo changes if needed.

Filter chart data in Excel 365 using the chart filter icon to remove data, such as a region or a category, by selecting and clicking apply to update the chart.

Learn to insert sparklines—mini charts in a cell that update with data, placed to the right, after selecting data, using quick analysis or insert tab options (line, column, win/loss).

Convert data into tables in the product sales tab to quickly summarize and group data. Insert a table with headers to enable sums via the status bar or sum function.

Explore how to apply quick styles to tables using the table design tab, selecting light styles and toggling banded rows to control shading.

Learn to add a total row to Excel tables, use dropdowns in the total row to select sum, average, max, or count, and note it updates when you filter.

Remove duplicates from tables in Excel using the remove duplicates feature, identify duplicates by every value or specific columns, and leave only unique values.

Sort data in Excel quickly via the data tab with sort options, add multiple levels like order date, and use per-column dropdowns to sort by units or product.

Filter data with drop-downs in excel, selecting a product type updates the total row with subtotals automatically. Access advanced filtering options, including text filters to refine results.

Learn to filter data in an Excel table using slicers, inserting and configuring them from the table design tab, enabling multi-select with control and easy removal.

Convert a table to a range after sorting and removing the total row to enable data analysis tools like creating subtitles and grouping outlines that aren’t available in table format.

Explore creating pivot tables in Excel 365 using the recommended method and an alternative approach, and learn to summarize data with fields in rows, columns, values, and filters.

Create a pivot chart from a pivot table using the pivot table analysis tools, and see how filters and chart options affect both the pivot table and the chart.

Analyze data with data tables in Excel 365 using the data tab's what-if analysis, applying column and row inputs to see how commissions change.

Explore goal seek in Excel to reverse engineer a formula result by adjusting inputs. Use what-if analysis to iteratively find the sales goal that yields a target commission.