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- Office spreadsheets have their secrets, and there are certain basic tasks you must master
- From entering data to more complex tasks, these tricks are ideal for beginners
Beyond the competition that undoubtedly exists, Microsoft’s office suite continues to lead its segment. Most of the users use the programs included in it, but they don’t always know how to use them. Evidently, If you’re just getting started with Office spreadsheets and you’re still not getting fluent, mastering these basic tasks in Excel is likely to help..
Once you’re done with this article, you’ll feel like you can play around with more advanced procedures a bit. Meanwhile, it is time to focus on the simplest so that you stop rejecting the tool.
That being said, we invite you to, If you want to go a little further, take a look at the many Excel-related tutorials we’ve made over time, from the link at the beginning of the post.
Basic tasks you should master in Excel
data entry
In a nutshell, You have two easy ways to enter data in the cells of an Excel sheet. Originally, you click on the cell and write the data that you want it to contain inside.
But you can also paste data copied from other cells or from other programs into the cells, it doesn’t matter. Once the data has been copied, you must move to the cell to fill, and paste, with the classic Ctrl + V command.
Spreadsheet Management
Managing spreadsheets is the next challenge you will face, and you can add sheets quickly. You need to hit the + sign at the far right of the tab row in the sheet, and that will add a new sheet.
When you add a sheet to a document, it has a default name that is none other than Sheet1, Sheet2, etc. You can rename sheets by right-clicking on them and selecting a new one.
To rearrange the sheets, simply drag them to the left or right, as appropriate. Finally, to get rid of a sheet, right-click and Delete, confirming that you want to remove it.
Adding and removing columns and rows
Something that will happen to you right away is that you will have to add or remove columns and rows to sort your content. You will discover that all the power resides in the right button, which allows you to put or remove all the required ones.
An interesting detail is that if you shade multiple columns, rows, or columns and rows, and then run functions like Insert or Delete, the action will involve as many columns, rows, or columns and rows as you have involved.
By clicking on a column header, you will be shading the entire column and its elements. Likewise if you click on the left side header of the row, you will be shading the entire row.
Months ago, we reviewed all the steps that allow you to delete columns and rows in a table in Excel.
number formatting
If you’re going to enter numbers into Excel, you can format them as regular, currency, decimal, percent, or date. With the cell checked, go to Home and use the dropdown box in the Number section of the ribbon to choose a format. You will visualize the results as you move between the available formats, such as Preview.
Font and cell formatting
The last of the basic tasks you should master in Excel consists of formatting the fonts and cells.
In addition to formatting the data inside a cell, sooner or later you’ll notice that you can format the cell itself. Thought, this, so that you apply a specific border or a background, that collaborates in its differentiation from the others. Check the cell, go to Home, and play around with Font Style and Size, Bold, Italic and Underline and Border.
don’t you know well what does each of these customization options mean? We explain it to you now:
- Font style and size: you can make the letters bigger or smaller, and give them a style that you like more.
- Bold, italic and underline: You can highlight the content of a cell with these text widgets.
- Edge: You can give a specific border to each cell so that your eyes can quickly detect it among others.
- Fill and font colors: You can give a color to both the letters and the background of a cell.
Which of these basic Excel tasks gives you the most trouble and would you like us to go deeper?
