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Excel Tutorial

Formatting Text, Cells, Rows and Columns

Formatting Cells

You can quickly format the data / text entered in Cells by selecting the Cell(s) and clicking on the icons in Format toolbar. You can make the data / text Bold, Italic, Underlined, horizontally aligned to left, right, center or justified, vertically aligned to top, bottom or middle. You can also change font family, font size and / or color of the data / text and background of the Cells. You can also apply borders to the selected Cells.

If you have not enabled display of Format toolbar, you can

Change the Font,Font Size, Font Style, Font Color etc. in selected Cells by

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Cells
• Choose the Font tab.
• In the Font box, choose the desired font (default font is Arial).
• In the Font Style box, you can choose Regular, Bold, Italic or Bold italic (default is Regular).
• In the Size box, choose desired size (default is 10).
• In the Underline box, select the type of underline desired by you (default is none).
• In the Color box choose the desired font color (default is black).
• Click OK.

Change the alignment of Text in selected Cells by

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Cells
• Choose the Alignment tab.
• In the Horizontal box, choose the desired horizontal alignment (default font is General).
• In the Vertical box, choose the vertical alignment (default is Bottom).
• In the Orientation box, change the angle of text in cells (default is Zero degrees).
• In the Text Direction box, select the direction of the text (default is Context).
• In the Text Control box you can wrap or Shrink to fit or Merge Cells by ticking in the appropriate box (default is all blank).
• Click OK.

Apply borders to selected Cells by

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Cells
• Choose the Borders tab.
• Select the borders (top, bottom, horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal), border style and border color as desired by you.
• Click OK.

Change background of selected Cells

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Cells
• Choose the Patterns tab.
• Select the Color and / or the Pattern for the background as desired.
• Click OK.

Protection of data / text / formulas in selected Cells

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Cells
• Choose the Protection tab.
• If you want a Cell to be unlocked in a Protected worksheet, remove Tick in the box against Locked(Default is Locked).
• If you want to hide formulas in a Protected worksheet, tick the box against Hide.
• Click OK.

Merge and Center, Merge, Unmerge Cells

Merge & Unmerge Icons
on Format Toolbar

If you want to merge two or more Cells horizontally or vertically and also to align the text to center, Select and highlight the cells to be merged and click on Merge and Center icon on the Format toolbar. If you only want to merge the cells without changing the alignment, select and highlight the cells to be merged and click on Merge Cells icon ( This icon is not available as default but can be added by customizing the toolbar. ) on the Format toolbar. To unmerge the merged cells, select the merged cell and click on the Unmerge icon on the Format toolbar.

Please note that Lock or Hide will be effective only in protected worksheets. The Locking of acell(s) enables to restrict rights to access and or to modify the cell contents. The rights of other users to locked and unlocked cells in a worksheet can be set at the time of protecting the worksheet ( by choosing 'Protect Sheet' under "Tools" Menu ). The Hiding of a cell stops display of its contents or formula in the formula bar when the worksheet is protected.

Shortcut Keys to Format Data

Formatting Rows

Adjust Height of Rows

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Rows
• Click on Height. (You can click on Autofit, if you want Microsoft Excel to automatically adjust the height according to the Font size of the text in selected Cells).
• Enter the desired height in the box.
• Click OK.

Alternatively, you can change the Row height by bringing the cursor on the line between two row headers. At this point the cursor will change its shape and if you click the mouse button at this point the height of the selected row will be displayed. You can decrease or increase the height of the selected row(s) above by dragging the mouse up or down from this point.

You can also change the row height by using the icon on the Format toolbar.

Hide Rows

• Select the rows you want to hide.
• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Rows
• Click on Hide.

Unhide Rows

• Select the rows above and below the rows you want to unhide.
• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Rows
• Click on Unhide.

Insert Rows

To insert new rows in a worksheet, highlight and select number of rows you want to insert and then

• Click on Insert tab in Menu bar
• Click Rows

Delete Rows

Select and highlight the rows to be deleted. Then

• Open Edit menu by a click on Edit tab in Menu bar
• Click Delete or press D
• Tick the box against "Entire row"
• Click OK.

Shortcut Keys to Format Rows

Alternatively, press Ctrl with - (minus sign), then tick the box against "Entire row" and press Enter.

Formatting Columns

Adjust Width of Columns

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Columns
• Click on Width. (You can click on Autofit, if you want Microsoft Excel to automatically adjust the width according to the length of text in selected Cells).
• Enter the desired width in the box.
• Click OK.

Alternatively, you can change the Column width by bringing the cursor on the line between two column headers when the cursor will change its shape. At this point if you click the mouse button the width of the column will be displayed. You can decrease or increase the width of the selected column(s) on the left by dragging the mouse left or right from this point.

You can also change the column width by using the icon on the Format toolbar.

Hide Columns

• Select the columns you want to hide.
• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Columns
• Click on Hide.

Unhide Columns

• Select the columns above and below the columns you want to unhide.
• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Columns
• Click on Unhide.

Insert Columns

To insert new columns in a worksheet, highlight and select number of columns / cells (horizontally) you want to insert and then

• Click on Insert tab in Menu bar
• Click Columns. New Columns equal to the number highlighted by you will be inserted left of the highlighted columns /cells.

Alternatively, you can press Alt + I + Cor press Ctrl with + (plus sign), then tick the box against "Entire column" and press Enter.

Delete Columns

Select and highlight the Columns you want to delete. Then

• Open Edit menu by a click on Edit tab in Menu bar
• Click Delete or press D
• Tick the box against "Entire column"
• Click OK.

Alternatively, press Ctrl with - (minus sign), then tick the box against "Entire column" and press Enter.

Shortcut Keys to Format Columns

Hide, Unhide and Rename Worksheets

• Click on Format in Menu bar Format
• Click on Sheet
• Click on Rename if you want to rename the active worksheet. The tab containing name of the worksheet will be selected and you can rename the worksheet. Alternatively, you can rename the worksheet by right click on the worksheet name tab and selecting rename from the context menu.
• Click on Hide if you want to hide the active worksheet.
• Click on Unhide if you want to unhide a hidden worksheet. The name(s) of hidden worksheet(s) will be displayed. Select the name of the worksheet you want to unhide.