I tweak each diagram’s colors and fonts for a customized look. Head over to the Insert tab and click the SmartArt button to see all your options. I primarily use SmartArt within my PowerPoint slides or Word documents, but sometimes diagrams are helpful in my Excel file, too. Then continue formatting your image - re-sizing, re-coloring, flipping, etc.
Head over to the Insert tab and click the Pictures button. Want to include your organization’s logo within your spreadsheet? Images are just as easy to use in Excel as in Word and PowerPoint. Or, fill in your cells with the Fill Color button on the Home tab. Change your font’s color with the Font Color button on the Home tab. You can adjust some or all of your spreadsheet’s contents to bold, italic, or underlined numbers and letters.Ĭolors are highly customizable in Excel, just like in Word and PowerPoint. Just like with Word and PowerPoint, you’re not stuck with regular ol’ text inside of Excel. Whether you need to format text, adjust colors, or insert images, you can apply your existing Word and PowerPoint skills as you begin using Excel. Novices are often pleasantly surprised to learn how many similarities exist between Microsoft products like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. The Page Layout tab is where you adjust printer settings and the Data tab contains a sorting button.įinally, the Formula Bar is where you’ll get to view formulas that are typed into your spreadsheet. For example, the Home tab contains features that let you format text and numbers. Each tab contains a variety of incredible features. Tabs are displayed across the top of your Excel workbook. Your sheets are organized into tabular Columns and Rows. When you open a new file, you’ll see Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3 included along the bottom of your screen. Your workbook will probably include multiple sheets. Your entire Excel file is called an Excel workbook.
Here are some key Excel terms to get you off to a good start. Sometimes Excel novices say that learning to use Excel is like learning a new language. Spreadsheet novices, rejoice! This one’s for you. Within the past year I’ve led 61 trainings (and counting!) about both data analysis/statistics and data visualization. In each session, there’s one person who’s enthusiastically eager to learn but has almost zero experience with spreadsheets. If you use spreadsheets on a daily basis, this post isn’t for you.