Create a workbook in Excel

Excel makes it easy to crunch numbers. With Excel, you can streamline data entry with
AutoFill. Then, get chart recommendations based on your data, and create them with one
click. Or easily spot trends and patterns with data bars, color coding, and icons.

Create a workbook

1. Open Excel.
2. Select Blank workbook. Or press Ctrl+N.

Enter data

To manually enter data:

1. Select an empty cell, such as A1, and then type text or a number.
2. Press Enter or Tab to move to the next cell.

To fill data in a series:

1. Enter the beginning of the series in two cells: such as Jan and Feb; or 2014 and 2015.

2. Select the two cells containing the series, and then drag the fill handle across or
down the cells.
Insert or delete a worksheet
Insert a worksheet

▪ Select the New Sheet plus icon at the bottom of the workbook.
▪ Or, select Home > Insert > Insert Sheet.

Rename a worksheet

▪ Double-click the sheet name on the Sheet tab to quickly rename it.
▪ Or, right-click on the Sheet tab, click Rename, and type a new name.

Move a worksheet

▪ To move the tab to the end, right-click the Sheet tab then Move or Copy > (move to
end) > OK .
▪ Or, click and drag to tab to any spot.

Delete a worksheet

▪ Right-click the Sheet tab and select Delete.

▪ Or, select the sheet, and then select Home > Delete > Delete Sheet.
Move or copy worksheets or worksheet data

You can use the Move or Copy Sheet command to move or copy entire worksheets (also
known as sheets), to other locations in the same or a different workbook. You can use
the Cut and Copy commands to move or copy a portion of the data to other worksheets or
workbooks.

Move a worksheet within a workbook

▪ Select the worksheet tab, and drag it to where you want it.

Caution: When you move a sheet to another workbook, check any formulas or charts
that refer to data on the sheet because moving the sheet might cause errors or
produce unintended results in your data. Similarly, if you move a sheet that is referred
to by 3-D references, the calculation might include or leave out data on the sheet.

Copy a worksheet in the same workbook

▪ Press CTRL and drag the worksheet tab to the tab location you want.

OR

1. Right click on the worksheet tab and select Move or Copy.

2. Select the Create a copy checkbox.
3. Under Before sheet, select where you want to place the copy.
4. Select OK.

Print a worksheet or workbook

You can print entire or partial worksheets and workbooks, one at a time, or several at once.
And if the data that you want to print is in a Microsoft Excel table, you can print just the
Excel table.

You can also print a workbook to a file instead of a printer. This is useful when you need to
print the workbook on a different type of printer from the one that you originally used to
print it.

Before you print

Before you print anything in Excel, remember that there are many options available for an
optimal print experience. For more information, see Printing in Excel.
Important: Some formatting, such as colored text or cell shading, may look good on the
screen but not look how you expect when it prints on a black-and-white printer. You may
also want to print a worksheet with gridlines displayed so that the data, rows, and columns
stand out better.

Print one or several worksheets

1. Select the worksheets that you want to print.

2. Select File > Print, or press CTRL+P.
3. Select the Print button or adjust Settings before you select the Print button.

Print one or several workbooks

All workbook files that you want to print must be in the same folder.

1. Select File > Open.

2. Hold down CTRL click the name of each workbook to print, and then select Print.

Print all or part of a worksheet

1. Click the worksheet, and then select the range of data that you want to print.
2. Select File, and then click Print.
3. Under Settings, select the arrow next to Print Active Sheets and select the appropriate
option.

4. Select Print.

Note: If a worksheet has defined print areas, Excel will print only those print areas. If
you don't want to print only the defined print area, select the Ignore print area check
box. Learn more on setting or clearing a print area.
Print an Excel table

1. Select a cell within the table to enable the table.

2. Select File, and then select Print.
3. Under Settings, select the arrow next to Print Active Sheets and select Print Selected
Table.

4. Select Print.

Print a workbook to a file

1. Select File, and then select Print, or press Ctrl+P.

2. Under Printer, select Print to File.
3. Select Print.
4. In the Save Print Output As dialog box, enter a file name and then select OK. The file
will be saved in your Documents folder

Important: If you print the saved file on a different printer, the page breaks and font spacing
may change.

Use Excel as your calculator

Instead of using a calculator, use Microsoft Excel to do the math!

You can enter simple formulas to add, divide, multiply, and subtract two or more numeric
values. Or use the AutoSum feature to quickly total a series of values without entering them
manually in a formula. After you create a formula, you can copy it into adjacent cells — no
need to create the same formula over and over again.

All formula entries begin with an equal sign (=). For simple formulas, simply type the equal
sign followed by the numeric values that you want to calculate and the math operators that
you want to use — the plus sign (+) to add, the minus sign (-) to subtract, the asterisk (*) to
multiply, and the forward slash (/) to divide. Then, press ENTER, and Excel instantly
calculates and displays the result of the formula.

For example, when you type =12.99+16.99 in cell C5 and press ENTER, Excel calculates the
result and displays 29.98 in that cell.
The formula that you enter in a cell remains visible in the formula bar, and you can see it
whenever that cell is selected.

Important: Although there is a SUM function, there is no SUBTRACT function. Instead, use
the minus (-) operator in a formula; for example, =8-3+2-4+12. Or, you can use a minus sign
to convert a number to its negative value in the SUM function; for example, the formula
=SUM(12,5,-3,8,-4) uses the SUM function to add 12, 5, subtract 3, add 8, and subtract 4, in
that order.

Use AutoSum

The easiest way to add a SUM formula to your worksheet is to use AutoSum. Select an
empty cell directly above or below the range that you want to sum, and on
the Home or Formula tabs of the ribbon, click AutoSum > Sum. AutoSum will automatically
sense the range to be summed and build the formula for you. This also works horizontally if
you select a cell to the left or right of the range that you need to sum.

Note: AutoSum does not work on non-contiguous ranges.

AutoSum vertically

In the figure above, the AutoSum feature is seen to automatically detect cells B2:B5 as the
range to sum. All you need to do is press ENTER to confirm it. If you need to add/exclude
more cells, you can hold the Shift Key + the arrow key of your choice until your selection
matches what you want. Then press Enter to complete the task.

Intellisense function guide: the SUM(number1,[number2], …) floating tag beneath the

function is its Intellisense guide. If you click the SUM or function name, it will change o a
blue hyperlink to the Help topic for that function. If you click the individual function
elements, their representative pieces in the formula will be highlighted. In this case, only
B2:B5 would be highlighted, since there is only one number reference in this formula. The
Intellisense tag will appear for any function.

AutoSum horizontally
Learn more in the article on the SUM function.

Avoid rewriting the same formula

After you create a formula, you can copy it to other cells — no need to rewrite the same

formula. You can either copy the formula, or use the fill handle to copy the formula to
adjacent cells.

For example, when you copy the formula in cell B6 to C6, the formula in that cell
automatically changes to update to cell references in column C.

When you copy the formula, ensure that the cell references are correct. Cell references may
change if they have relative references. For more information, see Copy and paste a formula
to another cell or worksheet.
What can I use in a formula to mimic calculator keys?

Calculator Excel method Description, example Result

key
+ (Plus key) + (plus) Use in a formula to add numbers. Example: =4+6+2 12
- (Minus key) - (minus) Use in a formula to subtract numbers or to signify a
negative number. 6

Example: =18-12 -120

Example: =24*-5 (24 times negative 5)

x (Multiply * (asterisk; also Use in a formula to multiply numbers. Example: =8*3 24
key) called "star")
÷ (Divide key) / (forward slash) Use in a formula to divide one number by another. 9
Example: =45/5
% (Percent % (percent) Use in a formula with * to multiply by a percent. Example: 3
key) =15%*20
√ (square SQRT (function) Use the SQRT function in a formula to find the square root 8
root) of a number. Example: =SQRT (64)
1/x =1/n Use =1/n in a formula, where n is the number you want to 0.125
(reciprocal) divide 1 by.

Example: =1/8