Excel
Unit 2
Data files needed to complete these exercises will be found on the S: drive>410>Student>Computer
Technology>Excel>Unit 2
Step by Step 2.1 – Applying Formatting to Cells
GET READY. Before you begin these steps, review the Skills Summary below on options to complete
specific tasks:
FORMATTING
The format of a cell determines how the labels and values look—for example, whether the contents
appear bold, italicized, or with dollar signs and commas. Formatting changes only the appearance of
a value or label; it does not alter the actual data in any way. Formatting features make a worksheet
more attractive or easier to read and emphasize key data. You can apply different formatting
attributes such as font styles and sizes, colors, patterns and borders to the cell contents.
• Home tab>Number group>Number format shortcut buttons (Accounting,
Percentage, Comma) OR Number Format arrow for drop-down menu of
options
Number format
o Note: The Accounting button arrow gives options to format numbers as
foreign currency.)
• Select cell(s)>Home tab>Number launcher>Number tab>Category section
• Home tab>Font group>Font arrow
Font
• Right click on cell(s)>Mini toolbar>Font arrow for drop-down menu of options
• Home tab>Font launcher>Font tab>Font section
• Home tab>Font group>Font Size arrow
• Right click on cell(s)>Mini toolbar>Font Size arrow for drop-down menu of
Font size
options
• Home tab>Font launcher>Font tab>Size section
• Home tab>Font group>Font Color arrow
Font color
• Right click on cell(s)>Mini toolbar>Font Color arrow for gallery
• Home tab>Font launcher>Font tab>Color section
• Home tab>Font group>Bold button/Italic button
Bold/Italic
• Ctrl + B (Bold) OR Ctrl + I (Italic)
• Home tab>Font launcher>Font tab>Font Style section
• Home tab>Font group>Underline button (You may click the Underline arrow
to select different underline styles)
Underline
• Ctrl + U
• Home tab>Font launcher>Font tab>Underline section
• Home tab>Clipboard group>Format Painter button (Click once to use once;
Format Painter
click twice to use multiple times then click again to turn off)
• Home tab>Font group>Borders button (You may click the Borders arrow to
Border
select different underline styles)
• Home tab>Font launcher>Border tab>Apply settings
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Merge &
Center
Cell Styles
Alignment
Cell Color
Wrap Text
Margins
• Select ALL cells that you want to make one cell>Home tab>Alignment
group>Merge & Center button
NOTE: To separate cells that have been Merged & Centered, click in the cell and
click the Merge & Center button again.
Cell Styles are predesigned combinations of formatting attributes.
• Home tab>Styles group>Cell Styles button
You can select two types of alignment on each cell – vertical alignment and
horizontal alignment.
• Home tab>Alignment group>Alignment buttons
o Vertical – Top Align, Middle Align, Bottom Align
o Horizontal – Align Left, Center, Align Right
• Home tab>Font group>Fill Color arrow
• Home tab>Font launcher>Fill tab>Background Color section
• Home tab>Alignment group>Wrap Text button
• Layout tab>Page Setup group>Margins button>Choose a preset margin OR
Custom Margins to create your own
• Home tab>Editing group>Clear button>Clear Formats
Clear
Formatting
Using the options outlined in the above Skills Summary, modify the Excel program as outlined below:
1. OPEN the file X QST Advertising USERNAME from the Excel Unit 2 folder on the shared drive.
2. SAVE the file as X QST Advertising USERNAME on your OneDrive, replacing the X with your class
period and USERNAME with your own user name.
3. Select the range E4:E32 and apply the Accounting Number Format.
4. Select the range G4:I31 and apply the Comma Style format.
5. Select the range J4:J31 and apply the Percentage format.
6. With J4:J31 still selected, increase the decimals showing in the range to 1 (Hint: Home
tab>Numbers group>Increase Decimal button—click once).
7. Select the range B4:B31. These dates are considered numbers. Right click on the range and
select Format Cells from the shortcut menu to open the Format Cells dialog box.
8. Click the Number tab, if necessary. Notice Date is selected in the Category section and the
formatting of the date is selected in the Type section. Change the formatting in the Type section
to display in the format 14-Mar and click OK.
9. Select cell A1. Change the font to Times New Roman, font size 20 pts. In the Font group, click
the Increase Font Size button twice.
10. Select the range A3:J3. Change the font to Times New Roman, font size 14 pts.
11. Press Ctrl + Home key to move to cell A1. Bold the text in cell A1.
12. Merge & Center cells A1:J1, then Middle Align the text.
13. Change the fill color of cell A1 to Turquoise, Accent 2. Add a Thick Bottom border.
14. Select cell A3, apply a single underline and bold.
15. Click the Format Painter button in the Clipboard group. Select the range B3:J3 to copy the
formatting.
16. Center align the contents of the range A3:J3.
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17. Select the range A3:J3. Change the font color to Blue, Accent 1. (Be sure you don’t change the
fill color.)
18. Select the range A4:A31 and apply the following changes:
a. Format in bold and italic
b. Font color Blue, Accent 1
c. Align Left the text
19. Apply the Neutral cell style to the range K1:L1.
20. Add Outside Borders around cells K1:L1.
21. In cell K1, wrap the text so it will appear on more than one line in the cell.
22. Change the Left and Right margins of the worksheet to .75.
23. Select the range A4:A31 and clear the formatting applied to the cells.
24. SAVE the worksheet with the changes.
PAUSE. LEAVE the worksheet open to use in the next exercise.
Step by Step 2.2 – Editing Worksheet Columns, Rows, and Cells
GET READY. Before you begin these steps, review the Skills Summary below on options to complete
specific tasks:
COLUMNS AND ROWS
As you format a worksheet, you might need to adjust the width of one or more columns to
accommodate text or larger font size or style, even delete rows and columns. The default column
width is 8.43 characters wide, a little less than one inch. You can adjust the width of one or more
columns or the height or one or more rows by using the mouse, the Ribbon, or the shortcut menu. You
can also instruct Excel to automatically set the column width or row height to the most appropriate
size (AutoFit).
• Position mouse on right border of column heading>Hold down left mouse
and drag to desired position
Column Width
• Home tab>Cells group>Format button>Column Width
• Right click column heading>Column Width from shortcut menu
• Position mouse on bottom border of row heading>Hold down left mouse
and drag to desired position
Row Height
• Home tab>Cells group>Format button>Row Height
• Right click row heading>Row Height from shortcut menu
AutoFit will automatically adjust your column or row size to be the correct
height/width to accommodate its widest/tallest entry.
Columns
• Select column heading(s)>Double-click on the right border of the column
heading
o If AutoFitting more than one column, select ALL columns to AutoFit
AutoFit
and double-click on the right border of the further right column.
Rows
• Select row heading(s)>Double-click on the bottom border of the row
heading
o If AutoFitting more than one row, select ALL rows to AutoFit and
double-click on the bottom border of the bottom row of the
sele3ction.
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Insert Cell
Insert Column
Insert Row
Delete Column
Delete Row
Delete Cell
• Home tab>Cells group>Insert arrow>Insert Cells>Choose option in Insert
dialog box
• Right-click>Insert>Choose option for cell
• Select cell you want located to the right of the new column>Home
tab>Cells group>Insert arrow>Insert Sheet Columns
• Select column heading you want located to the right of the new
column>Home tab>Cells group>Insert button
• Right click on cell you want located to the right of the new column>Insert
from shortcut menu>Entire Column
• Select cell you want located below the new row>Home tab>Cells
group>Insert arrow>Insert Sheet Rows
• Select row heading you want located below the new row>Home tab>Cells
group>Insert button
• Right click on cell you want located below the new row>Insert from
shortcut menu>Entire Row
• Select cell in column you want deleted>Cells group>Delete arrow>Delete
Sheet Columns
• Select column heading you want deleted>Home tab>Cells group>Delete
button
• Right click on cell in the column you want deleted>Delete from shortcut
menu>Entire Column
• Select cell in row you want deleted>Cells group>Delete arrow>Delete
Sheet Rows
• Select row heading you want deleted>Home tab>Cells group>Delete
button
• Right click on cell in the row you want deleted>Delete from shortcut
menu>Entire Row
• Home tab>Cells group>Delete arrow>Delete Cells>Choose option in Delete
dialog box
EDITING
Managing and editing a worksheet, whether completed or in process, is simple using Excel tools. You
can easily edit single or multiple instances of text using the Find feature, as well as combine it with the
Replace feature to change occurrences of data. Information within a worksheet can be quickly sorted
using various sort criteria and information already entered in cells can be cut and used later or
removed entirely from the worksheet. Comments can also be added in a worksheet to provide
additional information about the data or explain a calculation. Comments remain hidden until they
are viewed.
• Home tab>Editing group>Find & Select button>Find>Key word to find>Find
Find
All OR Find Next
• Home tab>Editing group>Find & Select button>Replace>Key words to find
Replace
and replace
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Sort
Remove Cell
Content
Undo
Redo
Add Comment
Delete Comment
Simple Sort (preset sort criteria):
• Home tab>Editing group>Sort & Filter button> Choose option based on
active cell content (Sort A to Z, Sort Z to A, Sort Largest to Smallest, Sort
Smallest to Largest, etc.)
Custom Sort (can set more specific sort criteria)
• Home tab>Editing group>Sort & Filter button>Custom Sort>Choose Sort by
criteria
To remove content but save it on the Clipboard (view the clipboard by
clicking the Clipboard launcher):
• Home tab>Clipboard group>Cut button
• Right-click on cell>Cut
• Ctrl + X
To remove content without saving it to the Clipboard:
• Select cell>Delete key
• Quick Access toolbar>Undo button
• Ctrl + Z
• Quick Access toolbar>Redo button
• Ctrl + Y
• Select cell for comment>Review tab>Comments group>New Comment
button
• Select cell with comment>Review tab>Comment group>Delete button
PROOFING
The Spelling feature in Excel helps to ensure your worksheet text is professional and edited, free from
spelling errors. This feature compares each word in the worksheet to its built-in and custom
dictionaries and flags any words that it does not find, plus any instances of repeated words, such as
the the. You can then evaluate the found words and decide how to proceed with each one. Misspelled
words appear with a wavy red underline in the worksheet and you can deal with each one individually
by right-clicking it.
• Review tab>Proofing group>Spelling button
Spelling
• Right click any word underlined in red>Choose from the list of possible
corrections
Using the options outlined in the above Skills Summary, create the following worksheets:
1. Position the mouse pointer on the column heading border between column A and column B (the
mouse pointer should change to a two-arrow plus sign
).
2. Hold the left mouse and drag the column border until it displays the complete TV commericals
entry in column A.
3. Use AutoFit to resize column B.
4. Select columns C, D, and J (hold Ctrl while clicking each column heading). AutoFit the three
columns simultaneously.
5. Change the column width of columns F through I to 11.
6. Insert a new row above row 3.
7. In cell A2, type the subtitle text First Quarter; change the font of the text in A2 to Times New
Roman, Bold.
8. Undo the last action and apply the italic attribute to the text in A2.
9. Merge & Center the text across the range A2:L2.
10. Change the entry in cell F6 to 8.
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11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Change the entry in cell F31 to 25.
Click Undo twice to remove the last two changes; click Redo once.
Delete row 28; delete column J.
Select cell D10 and insert a new cell above (Shift cells down); type Gourmet in the new cell D10.
Delete cell A33 (Shift Cells Up; there is no content in this cell—deleting a cell is different than
deleting content).
Select cell A2 and separate the merged cells (See steps under Merge & Center in Skills Summary
for Step-by-Step 2.1).
Change the row height of row 2 to 25.
Merge & Center the text in A2 across the range A2:I2.
Find each instance of the word Pens and change the font color to Red.
Press Ctrl + Home to return to cell A1. Find and replace all instances of the word Billboard with
the word Sign.
Select a cell in column F that contains a number (any cell in the column with a number). Sort
Smallest to Largest using a Simple Sort. Notice the data was sorted by Quantity (column F) from
smallest to largest, keeping the information in each row together.
With the same cell selected, perform a Custom Sort; sort by Inv. Date, Oldest to Newest. Notice
the data is now sorted by the dates in column B, keeping the information in each row together.
Change views so you can see the header on the worksheet; remove all the cell content from the
header cells without saving the data to the clipboard.
Type your name in the center header; switch back to Normal view (remember—you have to
select a cell within the worksheet to switch out of Page Layout view).
Add a comment to cell D4 that reads “Review approved vendors.”
Delete the comment in cell J1.
Perform the necessary steps to check the Spelling in the worksheet and correct any typing
errors that may have been made.
SAVE the worksheet with the changes.
PAUSE. LEAVE the worksheet open to use in the next exercise.
Step by Step 2.3 – Understanding Program Options and Features
GET READY. Before you begin these steps, review the Skills Summary below on options to complete
specific tasks:
RIBBON
The Excel ribbon combines the menu bar and toolbar into a single floating pane. By default, the ribbon
is located at the top of the screen in Office applications. It provides quick access to commonly used
tasks within the program and is customized for each application. The top of the ribbon includes several
tabs that are used to reveal different groups of commands. Since the ribbon contains both the
program’s menu options and toolbar commands, it cannot be removed from the screen. However, it
can be minimized to free up more space to view your worksheet window
To hide ribbon:
• Click Collapse the Ribbon button at the right end of any ribbon
To hide ribbon and tabs:
Collapse Ribbon
• Click Ribbon Display Options in upper right of Excel window>Auto-hide
Ribbon
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Restore Tabs/
Ribbon
• Click Ribbon Display Options in the upper right of Excel window>Show Tabs
and Commands OR Show Tabs (if you only want tabs displayed)
BACKSTAGE VIEW
Backstage view is where you can manage your files and the data about them—creating, saving,
inspecting for hidden metadata or personal information, and setting options. In short, it is everything
that you do to a file that you don’t do in the file. This view is accessed by clicking the File tab. From
Backstage view, you can indicate what you want done with your file in the left pane (save, print,
export, close, etc.) or you can view information about the file, including its properties.
Presentation
• File tab>Properties pane on right>Show All Properties to expand property
Properties
information
HELP
The Help button in previous versions of Excel has been replaced by the Tell me what you want to do
option. This is a text field where you can enter words and phrases related to what you want to do
next and quickly get to features you want to use or actions you want to perform. You also can choose
to get help related to what you’re looking for, or perform a Smart Lookup on the term you entered.
• Search box visible after the last tab, regardless of which ribbon is open.
Tell me what
you want to do
OUTPUT OPTIONS
While saving a project to your computer is the most common final step when creating a presentation,
Excel offers several additional choices when a workbook is finished. These options include saving the
workbook as a PDF file, which will allow the workbook to be viewed on any computer regardless of
whether or not Excel is installed and sharing directly from Excel via email.
• File tab>Export>Create PDF/XPS Document>Create PDF/XPS button
Save workbook
• File tab>Save As>Browse to location to save>Change Save as type: box to PDF
as PDF
(*.pdf)
Email
• File tab>Share>Email>Choose file format for email>Complete email
workbook
information
within Excel
Using the options outlined in the above Skills Summary, make the following changes to the worksheet:
1. Collapse the ribbon so a larger portion of the Excel worksheet is displayed. Notice the tabs still
display.
2. Auto-hide the ribbon. Notice that the tabs are now removed.
3. Change settings to Show Tabs and Commands.
4. Open the presentations properties and review the information that is stored with the
presentation.
5. Show all properties and add your user name as an author (DO NOT replace the author name).
6. In the Categories box, add the text Computer Technology and click off the box; press ESC to
return to Normal view.
7. Select cell F32; you want to quickly add up all the numbers in the cells in column F. In the Tell
me what you want to do box, type sum. Review the results then select Get Help on “sum,”,
then choose SUM function.
8. View the video to learn how to quickly add the range F5:F31; perform the steps to enter a
function in cell F32 that shows the sum.
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9. Change the setting so the worksheet will print in landscape orientation, Fit Sheet on One Page
in Color, but DO NOT PRINT!
10. SAVE the worksheet with the changes.
11. From within the Excel program, email the finished version of the presentation in Excel format
(.xlsx file) as an attachment to your instructor.
12. SAVE the worksheet again as a PDF file. SUBMIT the PDF file in Canvas.
13. CLOSE the file.
PAUSE. LEAVE the Excel open to use for the PROJECTS.
Projects
Project 2-1: Health Insurance
GET READY. LAUNCH Excel if it is not already running.
1. OPEN the X Health Insurance USERNAME file from the Excel Unit 2 folder on the shared drive.
2. SAVE the file as X Health Insurance USERNAME on your OneDrive, replacing the X with your
class period and USERNAME with your own user name.
3. Change the margins to the Normal preset.
4. In cell B10, use the AutoSum to add the number of employees in the range B5:B9.
5. Format the range C5:C10 using the Accounting Number Format.
6. Change the format of the range C6:C9 to the Comma Style.
7. Reduce the number of decimals to 0 in cell B13, using a button in the Number group.
8. Select the range of cells containing the column labels (A4:C4).
9. Change the font of the selection to Times New Roman, font size 12 pt.
10. Increase the font size of the title in cell A1 to 14 pt; change the row height of row 1 to 30.
11. Apply the bold and italic attributes to the worksheet title Quest Corporate Office.
12. Apply the italic attribute to the Health Insurance Premiums subtitle in cell A3.
13. Add the bold attribute to the range A4:C4 and center the column headings.
14. Use the Format Painter to copy the format in cell A4 to the range A5:A10.
15. Apply the format in cell C5 to cell B13.
16. Change the alignment A5:A9 to Align Left; change the alignment of cell A10 to Align Right.
17. Clear the formatting of the subtitle in cell A3. Merge & Center the subtitle across columns A
through C.
18. Bold and underline the entry in cell A3.
19. Select cell C9 and add a bottom double border.
20. Resize column C to a width of 10.71; use AutoFit to resize columns A and B.
21. Delete cell A13 (Shift cells up).
22. Change the text in cell A13 to Monthly Premium Rate, then change the width of the column A
to 20.
23. Select cell A13 and wrap text.
24. Select cells A13:B13 and apply the Accent 3 cell style.
25. Resize any remaining columns as needed to view all the data.
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26. Insert a new row between rows 5 and 6. In cell A6, type Humanitarian Aid and enter 11 for the
number of employees in cell B6.
27. Copy the formula in cell C5 to C6 (Hint: Click cell C5>Copy>Click cell C6>Paste).
28. Add a new column between the Department and Employees columns with the title Family
Coverage inserted in cell B4. Resize the column using AutoFit.
29. Delete the Legal row.
30. Add an outside border around the range A4:D10.
31. Apply the Aqua, Accent 5, Lighter 80% fill color to cells A5:A9; apply Orange, Accent 6, Lighter
60% fill color to the range A4:D4.
32. Change the color of the font in the range A4:D4 to Red, Accent 2, Darker 25%.
33. Format the range A13:C13 in bold.
34. Merge and center the title in cell A1 over columns A through D.
35. Select any cell in the range A5:D9; perform a custom sort by Employees, Smallest to Largest.
36. Remove the comment in cell C13; add a comment in cell B4 that reads Coverage based on
family size.
37. Name the Sheet tab Insurance Data; change the sheet tab color to Red (in the Standard Colors
section).
38. Move to cell A1; use the replace tool to replace all instance of Accounting with
Accounting/Legal.
39. Enter your name in cell A17.
40. Spell check the worksheet and make any necessary changes.
41. SAVE the worksheet with the changes.
42. With the worksheet open, take a screen shot (NOT a screen snip) of your screen; paste the
screen shot on a blank Word document and save the screen shot file to your OneDrive as X
Insurance Screen Shot USERNAME.
43. SAVE the worksheet again as a PDF file. SUBMIT both the screen shot file and PDF files in Canvas
under the appropriate assignment link.
44. CLOSE the file.
PAUSE. LEAVE the worksheet open to use in the next exercise.
Beyond the Basics – Optional Activities
Complete the following practice activities to learn additional Excel features or as assigned by your
teacher.
Activity 1 – Sales Data
Conditional Formatting
You can use formatting to highlight important aspects of data that automatically changes the
appearance of cells if the content meets certain conditions. This type of formatting s called conditional
formatting—if your data meets your conditions, Excel applies the formats you specify. The formatting
is updated if you change data in the worksheet. Data bars and icon sets are a types of conditional
formatting that visually illustrate differences among values.
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Conditional
Formatting
Data Bars
Icon Sets
• Select cells you want the conditional formatting to apply to>Home tab>Styles
group>Conditional Formatting button>Highlight Cell Rules>Choose Option
(i.e., Greater Than, Less Than, Between)>Set parameters and formatting style
• Select cells you want the data bars to apply to>Home tab>Styles
group>Conditional Formatting button>Data Bars>Choose style
• Select cells you want the icon set to apply to>Home tab>Styles
group>Conditional Formatting button>Icon Set>Choose style
1. OPEN the file named X Sales Data USERNAME from Excel Unit 2 folder on the shared drive.
2. SAVE the file as X Sales Data USERNAME on your OneDrive, replacing the X with your class
period and USERNAME with your own user name.
3. Apply Green Data Bars (choose from the Gradient Fill section) to the range B2:B10.
4. Select the range C2:C10, then create a conditional format that changes cell content to red text
ONLY if the amount of sales is greater than 3500 (Hint: Select “Greater Than” option under
“Highlight Cell Rules”)
5. Click cell C10 and change the number to 3672. Notice that because the new entry met the
conditions, the formatting changed.
6. Apply an icon set of your choice to the range D2:D10.
7. Enter your name in cell A13.
8. SAVE the worksheet with the changes.
9. SAVE the worksheet again as a PDF file. SUBMIT the PDF files in Canvas.
10. CLOSE the workbook.
Activity 2 – Solar System
HYPERLINKS
For quick access to related information in another file or on a web page, you can insert a hyperlink in
a worksheet cell. A hyperlink is a shortcut of sorts that enables you to navigate to a web page or a
location in another file in just one click of the mouse. Hyperlinks enable you to supplement worksheet
data with additional information and resources.
• Right click cell>Hyperlink>Choose type of hyperlink
Create Hyperlink
• Select cell>Insert tab>Links group>Hyperlink button>Choose type of hyperlink
• Right click hyperlink>Remove Hyperlink
Delete Hyperlink
• Select hyperlink>Insert tab>Links group>Hyperlink button>Remove Hyperlink
button
1. OPEN the file named X Solar System USERNAME from Excel Unit 2 folder on the shared drive.
2. SAVE the file as X Solar System USERNAME on your OneDrive, replacing the X with your class
period and USERNAME with your own user name
3. Add a hyperlink to cell A2 that links to the Mercury worksheet in the workbook.
4. Add a hyperlink to cell A7 that links to the website http://space-facts.com/saturn/
5. Add a hyperlink to cell A11 that links to your school email address.
6. Delete the hyperlinks in cells A5 and A8.
7. Add your name in cell A12.
8. SAVE the workbook with the changes. SUBMIT the workbook in .xlsx format in Canvas.
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