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Excel specifications and limits

Worksheet and workbook specifications
Feature Maximum limit
Open workbooks Limited by available memory and system resources
Worksheet size 65,536 rows by 256 columns
Column width 255 characters
Row height 409 points
Page breaks 1000 horizontal and vertical
Length of cell contents 32,767 characters. Only 1,024 display in a cell; all 32,767
(text) display in the formula bar.
Sheets in a workbook Limited by available memory (default is 3 sheets)
Colors in a workbook 56
Cell styles in a workbook 4,000
Named views in a Limited by available memory
workbook
Custom number formats Limited by available memory
Names in a workbook Limited by available memory
Windows in a workbook Limited by system resources
Panes in a window 4
Linked sheets Limited by available memory
Custom functions Limited by available memory
Zoom range 10 percent to 400 percent
Reports Limited by available memory
Sort references 3 in a single sort; unlimited when using sequential sorts
Undo levels 16
Fields in a data form 32
Custom toolbars in a Limited by available memory
workbook
Custom toolbar buttons Limited by available memory

Workgroup specifications
Feature
Users who can open and share a shared
workbook at the same time
Personal views in a shared workbook
Days that change history is maintained
Workbooks that can be merged at one
time
Cells that can be highlighted in a shared
workbook
Colors used to identify changes made by
Maximum limit
256
Limited by available memory
32,767 (default is 30 days)
Limited by available memory
32,767
32 (each user is identified by a separate color;
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different users when change highlighting changes made by the current user are
is turned on highlighted with navy blue)

Calculation specifications
Feature Maximum limit
Number precision 15 digits
Largest number allowed to be typed into a cell 9.99999999999999E307
Largest allowed positive number 1.79769313486231E308
Smallest allowed negative number 2.2250738585072E-308

About filling in data based on adjacent

cells
You can quickly fill in several types of data series by selecting cells and dragging the fill
handle or by using the Series command (point to Fill on the Edit menu, and then click
Series).

Copy data within a row or column By dragging the fill handle of a cell, you can copy
the contents of a cell to other cells in the same row or column.
Fill in a series of numbers, dates, or other items Microsoft Excel can automatically
continue a series of numbers, number/text combinations, dates, or time periods based on a
pattern you establish. For example, the initial selections in the following table are
extended as shown. Items separated by commas are in adjacent cells.
Initial selection Extended series
1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6
9:00 10:00, 11:00, 12:00
Mon Tue, Wed, Thu
Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Jan Feb, Mar, Apr
Jan, Apr Jul, Oct, Jan
Jan-99, Apr-99 Jul-99, Oct-99, Jan-00
15-Jan, 15-Apr 15-Jul, 15-Oct
1999, 2000 2001, 2002, 2003
1-Jan, 1-Mar 1-May, 1-Jul, 1-Sep,...
Qtr3 (or Q3 or Quarter3) Qtr4, Qtr1, Qtr2,...
Text1, textA text2, textA, text3, textA,...
1st Period 2nd Period, 3rd Period,...
Product 1 Product 2, Product 3,...

If the selection contains numbers, you can control whether to create a linear series or a
growth series.
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Create a custom fill series You can create a custom fill series for frequently used text
entries, such as your company's sales regions.

Create, change, or delete a custom fill

series
A custom fill series is a set of data that is used to fill a column in a repeating pattern; for
example, North, South, East, West. You can create a custom fill series from existing
items that you've listed on a worksheet, or you can type the list from scratch.

Create a custom fill series

1. If you've already entered the list of items you want to use as a series, select the list
on the worksheet.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Custom Lists tab.
3. Do one of the following:
o To use the selected list, click Import.

o To type a new list, select New list in the Custom lists box, and then type
the entries in the List entries box, beginning with the first entry. Press
ENTER after each entry. When the list is complete, click Add.

Change which cell is selected next

When you press ENTER to finish working in a cell, Microsoft Excel moves you to an
adjacent cell or leaves you in the current cell.
1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Edit tab.
2. To move to an adjacent cell, select the Move selection after Enter check box,
and then select a direction in the Direction box. To stay in the current cell, clear
the check box.

Insert a symbol
1. Click where you want to insert the symbol.
2. On the Insert menu, click Symbol, and then click the Symbols tab.
3. In the Font box, click the font that you want.
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4. Double-click the symbol that you want to insert.

5. Click Close.

Turn on or off automatic completion of

cell entries
1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Edit tab.
2. Select or clear the Enable AutoComplete for cell values check box.

Turn on or off drag-and-drop editing

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Edit tab.
2. Select or clear the Allow cell drag and drop check box.

SELECTING DATA
Scroll through a worksheet
To move between cells on a worksheet, click any cell or use the arrow keys. When you
move to a cell, it becomes the active cell. To see a different area of the sheet, use the
scroll bars.
To scroll Do this
One row up or Click the arrows in the vertical scroll bar.
down
One column left Click the arrows in the horizontal scroll bar.
or right
One window up Click above or below the scroll box in the vertical scroll bar.
or down
One window left Click to the left or right of the scroll box in the horizontal scroll bar.
or right
A large distance Drag the scroll box to the approximate relative position. In a very large
worksheet, hold down SHIFT while dragging

Delete cells, rows, or columns

1. Select the cells, rows, or columns you want to delete.
2. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
3. If you are deleting a range of cells, click Shift cells left, Shift cells up, Entire
row, or Entire column in the Delete dialog box.
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Stop automatic corrections

1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options.
2. To prevent all automatic corrections, on the AutoCorrect tab, clear the Replace
text as you type check box.
To prevent specific corrections, clear the corresponding check box for the option.

Collect and paste among programs

Collect items to paste
1. Make sure that the Microsoft Office Clipboard is displayed in the task pane of any
open Office program or the Collect without Showing Office Clipboard option is
turned on.
o If you want to display the Office Clipboard in the active program, click
Office Clipboard on the Edit menu.
o If you want to check the Collect without Showing Office Clipboard
option, display the Office Clipboard, click Options, and then make sure
the Collect Without Showing Office Clipboard option is checked.
2. Select the first item you want to copy.
3. On the Standard toolbar, click Copy.
4. Continue copying items from documents in any Office program until you have
collected all of the items you want (up to 24).

Paste collected items

1. If the Microsoft Office Clipboard is not displayed in the task pane, click Office
Clipboard on the Edit menu.
Note If the Office Clipboard is not available, you are in a program or view that
doesn't support showing or pasting multiple items from the Office Clipboard.
2. Click where you want the items to be pasted. You can paste collected items into
any Microsoft Office program.
3. Do one of the following:
o To paste items one at a time, on the Office Clipboard, click the each item
you want to paste.
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o To paste all the items you copied, click Paste All on the Office Clipboard
task pane.

Display the contents of the Office

Clipboard
• On the Edit menu, click Office Clipboard.

Turn Office Clipboard command options

on or off
1. Display the Microsoft Office Clipboard in the task pane.
o On the Edit menu, click Office Clipboard.

2. On the Office Clipboard task pane, click Options.

3. Set the command options you want:
Option
Show Office Clipboard
Automatically
Collect Without Showing
Office Clipboard
Show Office Clipboard
Icon on Taskbar
Show Status Near Taskbar
When Copying
Description
Automatically displays the Microsoft Office Clipboard
when copying items.
Automatically copies items to the Office Clipboard without
displaying the Office Clipboard.
Displays the Office Clipboard icon in the status area of the
system taskbar when the Office Clipboard is active.
Displays the collected item message when copying items to
the Office Clipboard

About formatting worksheets and data

Use these formatting features to effectively display your data.
Format text and individual characters To make text stand out, you can format all of
the text in a cell or selected characters. Select the characters you want to format, and then
click a button on the Formatting toolbar

Add or remove a sheet background

pattern
1. Click the sheet that you want to add a background pattern to or delete a
background pattern from. Make sure only one sheet is selected.
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2. Do one of the following:

Add a sheet background pattern

1. On the Format menu, point to Sheet, and then click Background.
2. Select the graphics file to use for the background pattern.
The selected graphic is repeated to fill the sheet. You can apply solid color
shading to cells that contain data.

Remove a sheet background pattern

On the Format menu, point to Sheet, and then click Delete Background.

Apply a border around a page

1. Select the range of cells on the page that you want to add a border to or delete a
border from.
2. Do one of the following:

Apply cell borders

To apply the most recently selected border style, click Borders on the
Formatting toolbar
Click format menu and click Cell and click border tab. First select border color
and select border type and apply on the specific sides.
To apply a different border style, click the arrow next to Borders, and then click a
border on the palette.
Special Notes
o More border settings To apply additional border styles, click Cells on
the Format menu, and then click the Border tab. Click the line style you
want, and then click a button to indicate the border placement.
o Border styles To change the line style of an existing border, select the
cells that the border appears on. On the Border tab, click a new style in
the Style list, and then click the border you want to change in the diagram
under Border.

Remove cell borders

On the Formatting toolbar, click the arrow next to Borders, and then click on the
palette.
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Or press Ctrl+1 to display format cell box and click border tab the click none box
and press ok.

Shade cells with patterns

1. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Patterns tab.
2. To include a background color with the pattern, click a color in the Cell
shading box.
3. Click the arrow next to the Pattern box, and then click the pattern style
and color you want.
If you do not select a pattern color, the pattern is black.

Add a conditional format

1. Do one of the following:
To use values in the selected cells as the formatting criteria, click Cell
Value Is, select the comparison phrase, and then type a constant value or a
formula. If you enter a formula, start it with an equal sign (=).
To use a formula as the formatting criteria (to evaluate data or a condition
other than the values in selected cells), click Formula Is and then enter
the formula that evaluates to a logical value of TRUE or FALSE.
2. Click Format.
3. Select the formatting you want to apply when the cell value meets the
condition or the formula returns the value TRUE.
4. To add another condition, click Add, and then repeat steps 1 through 3.
You can specify up to three conditions. If none of the specified conditions
are true, the cells keep their existing formats.
2. Note Using multiple conditions If more than one specified condition is true,
Microsoft Excel applies only the formats of the first true condition, even if more
than one condition is true.
3. Copy formats to other cells
1. Select the cells that have the conditional formats you want to copy.
2. On the Formatting toolbar, click Format Painter, and then select the
cells you want to format.
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Find cells that have conditional formats

1. To find all cells that have conditional formatting, click any cell.
To find cells that have conditional formatting settings identical to the settings of a
specific cell, click the specific cell.
2. On the Edit menu, click Go To.
3. Click Special.
4. Click Conditional formats.
5. Do one of the following:
To find cells with any conditional formatting, click All below Data validation.
To find cells with identical conditional formats, click Same below Data
validation.

Define the default column width

1. Right-click a sheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets on the shortcut menu
2. On the Format menu, point to Column, and then click Standard Width.
3. Type a new measurement.
The number that appears in the Standard column width box is the average
number of digits 0-9 of the standard font that fit in a cell.

Display multiple lines of text within a cell

1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Alignment tab.
3. Under Text control, select the Wrap text check box

Position data in a cell

1. Select the cells you want to reposition. To center or align data that spans several
columns or rows, such as column and row labels, first merge a selected range of
cells and then select the merged cell for repositioning.
2. Do one of the following:
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Center, left-align, or right-align data

On the Formatting toolbar, click the appropriate button.
o Click Align Left, to align text to the left.

o Click Center , to center text.

o Click Align Right, to align text to the right.

Nete
To restore the default alignment, select the cells, click Cells on the Format menu,
and then click the Alignment tab. In the Horizontal box, click General.

Increase or decrease indented text from the left edge of a cell

On the Formatting toolbar, click Increase Indent or Decrease Indent.

Indent text in a cell

1. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Alignment tab.

2. Do one of the following:

 To indent text from the left, right, or both sides of the cell, in the
Horizontal box, click Left (Indent), Right (Indent), or
Distributed (Indent). Then, in the Indent box, click the amount
of indent you want.
 To indent text from the top, bottom, or both top and bottom of the
cell, in the Vertical box, click Top (Indent), Bottom (Indent), or
Distributed. Then, in the Indent box, click the amount of indent
you want.
 To horizontally justify text that is distributed in a cell (indented
from both sides), in the Horizontal box, click Justify.
 To horizontally justify text that is not distributed in a cell, in the
Horizontal box, click Distributed (Indent), and then click Justify
distributed.
 To vertically justify text in a cell, in the Vertical box, click
Justify.

Align data at the top, center, or bottom of a cell

3. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Alignment tab.
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4. In the Vertical box, click the option you want.

Rotate text in a cell

5. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Alignment tab.

6. In the Orientation box, click a degree point, or drag the indicator to the
angle you want.
To display text vertically from top to bottom, click the vertical Text box
under Orientation.

Add or remove a currency symbol

Add or remove a currency symbol
1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. In the Category list, click Currency.
4. In the Symbol list, do one of the following:
o To add a currency symbol, select the one you want.

o To remove a currency symbol, click None.

Change the number of decimal places

displayed
On a worksheet
1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. To display more or fewer digits after the decimal point, click Increase Decimal
or Decrease Decimal on the Formatting toolbar.

In a built-in number format

1. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
2. In the Category list, click Currency, Accounting, Percentage, or Scientific.
3. In the Decimal places box, enter the number of decimal places you want to
display.
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4. If you want to change the currency symbol, click the symbol you want to use in
the Symbol list.

Display minus signs on negative numbers

1. Select the cells you want to change.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. Do one of the following:
For simple numbers, click Number in the Category list.
For currency, click Currency in the Category list.
4. In the Negative numbers box, select the display style for negative numbers.

Display numbers as dates or times

1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. In the Category list, click Date or Time, and then click the format you want to
use.

Display or hide the thousands separator

in a number
Add or remove a thousands separator
1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. In the Category list, click Number.
4. Select or clear the Use 1000 separator (,) check box.

Add the default thousands separator

1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. Click Comma Style on the Formatting toolbar.
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Format numbers as text

Format cells as text
1. Select the cells you want to format.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. In the Category list, click Text, and then click OK.
4. Enter the numbers in the formatted cells.

Format existing numbers as text

If you've already entered the numbers, you can change the numbers to text data.
1. Select the cells that contain the numbers you want to format as text.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. In the Category list, click Text, and then click OK.

Reset a number format

1. Select the cells you want to reformat to the default number format.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab.
3. In the Category list, click General.

Create or delete a style

Create a new style
1. Select a cell that has the combination of formats you want to include in the new
style. (You can specify the formats when you name the style.)
2. On the Format menu, click Style.
3. In the Style name box, type a name for the new style.
4. To define and apply the style to the selected cells, click OK.
To define the style without applying it, click Add, and then click Close.

Specify formats for a style

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1. On the Format menu, click Style.

2. In the Style name box, type a name for a new style.
To change formats for an existing style, click the style you want to change.
3. Click Modify.
4. On any of the tabs in the dialog box, select the formats you want, and then click
OK.
5. Clear the check box for any type of formats that you don't want the style to
include.
6. To define and apply the style to the selected cells, click OK.
To define the style without applying it, click Add, and then click Close.

Remove a style from selected cells

1. Select the cells that are formatted with the style you want to remove.
2. On the Format menu, click Style.
3. In the Style name box, click Normal.

Delete a style from the style list

1. On the Format menu, click Style.
2. In the Style name box, click the style you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.

Save styles to use in new workbooks

1. Open a new blank workbook.
2. Open the workbook that contains the styles you want to save.
3. Copy the styles from your workbook to the blank workbook.

How ?
1. Open the workbook that contains the styles you want to copy.
2. Open the workbook you want to copy the styles to, and then click Style on
the Format menu.
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3. Click Merge.
4. In the Merge styles box, double-click the workbook that contains the
styles you want to copy.
Note If the two workbooks contain styles with the same names, you must
confirm that you want to merge these styles. To replace the styles in the active
workbook with the copied styles, click Yes. To keep the styles in the active
workbook, click No. This warning occurs only once, regardless of the number of
conflicting style names.
4. In the blank workbook, click Save As on the File menu.
5. In the File name box, type book.
6. In the Save as type list, click Template (*.xlt).
7. In the Save in list, click the Templates folder.
8. Click Save.

Apply or remove automatic formatting on

a range of cells
1. Select the range you want to format or remove the autoformat from.
2. On the Format menu, click AutoFormat.
3. Do one of the following:
Apply an autoformat Click the format you want. If you want to use only
selected parts of the autoformat, click Options, and then clear the check boxes for
the formats you don't want to apply.
Remove an autoformat At the bottom of the list, click the format above None.

About filtering
Filtering is a quick and easy way to find and work with a subset of data in a list. A
filtered list displays only the rows that meet the criteria you specify for a column.
Microsoft Excel provides two commands for filtering lists:
• AutoFilter, which includes filter by selection, for simple criteria
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Remove filters
• To remove a filter applied to one column in a list, click the arrow next to the
column, and then click All.
• To remove filters applied to all columns in a list, point to Filter on the Data
menu, and then click Show All.
• To remove the filter arrows from a list, point to Filter on the Data menu, and then
click AutoFilter.

Sorting:-

Default sort orders

In an ascending sort, Microsoft Excel uses the following order. (In a descending sort, this
sort order is reversed except for blank cells, which are always placed last.)
Numbers Numbers are sorted from the smallest negative number to the largest positive
number.
Alphanumeric sort When you sort alphanumeric text, Excel sorts left to right, character
by character. For example, if a cell contains the text "A100," Excel places the cell after a
cell that contains the entry "A1" and before a cell that contains the entry "A11."
Text and text that includes numbers are sorted in the following order:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (space) ! " # $ % & ( ) * , . / : ; ? @ [ \ ] ^ _ ` { | } ~ + < = > A B C D E
FGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Apostrophes (') and hyphens (-) are ignored, with one exception: If two text strings are
the same except for a hyphen, the text with the hyphen is sorted last.
Logical values In logical values, FALSE is placed before TRUE.
Error values All error values are equal.
Blanks Blanks are always placed last

Sort a list
Sort rows in ascending order (A to Z, or 0 to 9) or descending
order (Z to A, or 9 to 0)
1. Click a cell in the column you would like to sort by.
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2. Click Sort Ascending or Sort Descending.

Note In a PivotTable report, Microsoft Excel uses the selected field to sort.

Sort rows by 2 or 3 columns

For best results, the list you sort should have column labels.
1. Click a cell in the list you want to sort.
2. On the Data menu, click Sort.
3. In the Sort by and Then by boxes, click the columns you want to sort.
4. Select any other sort options you want, and then click OK.

Sort by 4 columns
1. Click a cell in the list you want to sort.
2. On the Data menu, click Sort.
3. In the first Sort by box click the column of least importance.
4. Click OK.
5. On the Data menu, click Sort.
6. In the Sort by and Then by boxes, click the other 3 columns you want to sort,
starting with the most important.
7. Select any other sort options you want, and then click OK

Designate valid cell entries

1. Select the cell to validate.
2. On the Data menu, click Validation, and then click the Settings tab.
3. Specify the type of validation you want:

Validations:-
Allow values from a list
1. In the Allow box, click List.
2. Click the Source box and then do one of the following:
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 To define the list locally, type the list values separated by commas.
 To use a range of cells with a defined name, type the equal sign (=)
followed by the name of the range.
 To use cell references, select the cells on the worksheet and then
press ENTER.
3. Make sure the In-cell dropdown check box is selected.

Allow numbers within limits

4. In the Allow box, click Whole Number or Decimal.
5. In the Data box, click the type of restriction you want. For example, to set
upper and lower limits, click between.
6. Enter the minimum, maximum, or specific value to allow.

Allow numbers within limits

7. In the Allow box, click Whole Number or Decimal.
8. In the Data box, click the type of restriction you want. For example, to set
upper and lower limits, click between.
9. Enter the minimum, maximum, or specific value to allow.

Allow text of a specified length

10. In the Allow box, click Text Length.
11. In the Data box, click the type of restriction you want. For example, to
allow up to a certain number of characters, click less than or equal to.
12. Enter the minimum, maximum, or specific length for the text.

Calculate what's allowed based on the content of another cell

13. In the Allow box, click the type of data you want.
14. In the Data box, click the type of restriction you want.
15. In the box or boxes below the Data box, click the cell that you want to use
to specify what's allowed. For example, to allow entries for an account
only if the result won't go over the budget, click Decimal for Allow, click
less than or equal to for Data, and in the Maximum box, click the cell
that contains the budget amount.
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Use a formula to calculate what's allowed

16. In the Allow box, click Custom.
17. In the Formula box, enter a formula that calculates a logical value (TRUE
for valid entries or FALSE for invalid). For example, to allow the value in
the cell for the picnic account only if nothing is budgeted for the
discretionary account (cell D6) and the total budget (D20) is also less than
the $40,000 allocated, you could enter =AND(D6=0,D20<40000) for the
custom formula.
4. Specify whether the cell can be left blank:
o If you want to allow blank (null) values, select the Ignore blank check
box.
o If you want to prevent entry of blank (null) values, clear the Ignore blank
check box.
Note If your allowed values are based on a cell range with a defined name, and
there is a blank cell anywhere in the range, setting the Ignore blank check box
allows any values to be entered in the validated cell. This is also true for any cells
referenced by validation formulas: if any referenced cell is blank, setting the
Ignore blank check box allows any values to be entered in the validated cell.
2. To display an optional input message when the cell is clicked, click the Input
Message tab, make sure the Show input message when cell is selected check
box is selected, and fill in the title and text for the message.
3. Specify how you want Microsoft Excel to respond when invalid data is entered:

Validation Errors:
1. Click the Error Alert tab, and make sure the Show error alert after
invalid data is entered check box is selected.
2. Select one of the following options for the Style box:
To display an information message that does not prevent entry of invalid
data, click Information.
To display a warning message that does not prevent entry of invalid data,
click Warning.
To prevent entry of invalid data, click Stop.
3. Fill in the title and text for the message (up to 225 characters).
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Note If you don't enter a title or text, the title defaults to "Microsoft
Excel" and the message to: "The value you entered is not valid. A user has
restricted values that can be entered into this cell."
Note Applying data validation to a cell does not format the cell.

Create a hyperlink
Create a hyperlink to a new file
1. Right-click the cell or graphic you want to represent the hyperlink, and then click
Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
2. Under Link to on the left side of the dialog box, click Create new document.
3. Type a name for the new file in the Name of new document box.
4. To specify a location other than the one shown under Full Path, type the new
location in the Name of new document box or click Change and then select the
location you want. Click OK.
5. Under When to edit, click an option to specify whether to open the new file for
editing now or later.
6. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click
ScreenTip and then type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box. Click OK.

Create a hyperlink to an existing file or Web page

1. Right-click the text or graphic you want to represent the hyperlink, and then click
Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
2. Under Link to on the left side of the dialog box, click Existing File or Web
page.
3. Do one of the following:
o To select a file from the current folder, click Current Folder and then
click the file you want to link to.
o To select the Web page from a list of browsed pages, click Browsed
Pages and then click the Web page you want to link to.
o To select a file from a list of files you have recently used, click Recent
Files and then click the file you want to link to.
o If you know the name and location of the file or Web page you want to
link to, you can type that information in the Address box.
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o To select the Web page by opening your browser and searching for the
page, click Browse the Web, open the Web page you want to link to, and
then switch back to Microsoft Excel without closing your browser.
4. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click
ScreenTip and then type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box. Click OK.

Create a hyperlink to a specific location on a Web page

To create a hyperlink to a specific location on a Web page, make sure the Web page has a
bookmark at that location.
1. In Microsoft Excel, right-click the text or graphic you want to represent the
hyperlink, and then click Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
2. Under Link to on the left side of the dialog box, click Existing file or Web page.
3. Do one of the following:
o To select a Web page from the current folder, click Current Folder and
then click the Web page you want to link to.
o To select the Web page from a list of browsed pages, click Browsed
Pages and then click the Web page you want to link to.
o To select a Web page from a list of files you have recently used, click
Recent Files and then click the Web page you want to link to.
o If you know the name and location of the Web page you want to link to,
you can type that information in the Address box.
o To select the Web page by opening your browser and searching for the
page, click Browse the Web, open the Web page you want to link to, and
then switch back to Excel without closing your browser.
4. Click Bookmark, and then double-click the bookmark you want.
5. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click
ScreenTip, type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box, and then click OK.

Create a hyperlink to a specific location in a workbook

To link to a location in the current workbook or another workbook, you can either define
a name for the destination cells or use a cell reference.
1. To use a name, name the destination cells in the destination workbook.

How?
 22

1. Select the cell, range of cells, or nonadjacent selections that you want to
name.
2. Click the Name box at the left end of the formula bar.
Name box
3. Type the name for the cells.
4. Press ENTER.
Note You cannot name a cell while you are changing the contents of the cell.
2. In the source workbook, right-click the text or graphic you want to represent the
hyperlink, and then click Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
3. Do one of the following:
o To link to a location in your current workbook, click Place in this
document under Link to.
o To link to a location in another workbook, click Existing file or Web
page under Link to.
2. If you chose Existing file or Web page, locate and select the workbook you want
to link to, and then click the Bookmark button.
3. Do one of the following:

o In the list under Cell Reference, click the sheet you want to link to, and
then type the cell reference in the Type in the cell reference box. Click
OK.
o In the list under Defined Names, click the name that represents the cells
you want to link to. Click OK.
4. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click
ScreenTip and then type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box. Click OK.

Create a customized hyperlink by using a worksheet function

Creates a shortcut or jump that opens a document stored on a network server, an intranet,
or the Internet. When you click the cell that contains the HYPERLINK function,
Microsoft Excel opens the file stored at link_location.
 23

Create a hyperlink to an e-mail address

When you click a hyperlink to an e-mail address, your e-mail program automatically
starts and creates an e-mail message with the correct address in the To box, provided you
have an e-mail program installed.
1. Right-click the text or graphic you want to represent the hyperlink, and then click
Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
2. Under Link to on the left side of the dialog box, click E-mail address.
3. In the E-mail address box, type the e-mail address you want.
4. In the Subject box, type the subject of the e-mail message.
Note that some Web browsers and e-mail programs might not recognize the
subject line.
5. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click
ScreenTip, type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box, and then click OK.

Import a text file

1. Click the cell where you want to put the data from the text file.
To ensure that the external data does not replace existing data, make sure that the
worksheet has no data below or to the right of the cell you click.
2. On the Data menu, point to Import External Data, and then click Import Data.
3. In the Files of type box, click Text Files.
4. In the Look in list, locate and double-click the text file you want to import as an
external data range.
5. To specify how you want to divide the text into columns, follow the instructions
in the Text Import Wizard, and then click Finish.
6. In the Import Data dialog box, click Properties to set formatting and layout
options for the imported data.
7. In the Import Data dialog box, do one of the following:
o To return the data to the location you selected, click Existing worksheet,
and then click OK.
o To return the data to a new worksheet, click New worksheet, and then
click OK. Microsoft Excel adds a new worksheet to your workbook and
 24

automatically puts the external data range in the upper-left corner of the
new worksheet.

Merge workbooks
1. Make sure the copies of the shared workbook that you want to merge are all
stored in the same folder. To do this, you must give each copy a different name.
2. Open the copy into which you want to merge changes.
3. On the Tools menu, click Compare and Merge Workbooks.
4. If prompted, save the workbook.
5. In the Select Files to Merge into Current Workbook dialog box, click a copy
that has changes to be merged, and then click OK.
To merge more than one copy at the same time, hold down CTRL or SHIFT and
click the file names, and then click OK.

Add a comment to a cell

Comments are notes that you enter for a cell.
1. Click the cell you want to comment on.
2. On the Insert menu, click Comment.
3. In the box, type the comment text.
If you don't want your name in the comment, select and delete the name.
4. When you finish typing the text, click outside the comment box.
Note When you sort, comments are sorted along with the data. In PivotTable reports,
however, comments do not move when you change the layout of the report.

Copy comments
1. Select the cells you want to copy.
2. Click Copy.
3. Select the upper-left cell of the paste area.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
5. Click Comments.
 25

6. Do not press ENTER after you click OK. If you do, the entire cells within the
moving border are copied to the paste area. To cancel the moving border, press
ESC.
Note Copied comments replace any existing comments in the destination cells.

Edit a comment
1. Click the cell with the comment you want to edit.
2. On the Insert menu, click Edit Comment.
3. When you finish editing, click outside the comment box.

Print comments
1. Click the worksheet.
2. If you want to print the comments in place on the worksheet, display the
comments you want to print.
To display an individual comment, right-click its cell and then click Show
Comment on the shortcut menu. To display all comments, click Comments on
the View menu. Move and resize any overlapping comments as necessary.

How?
1. Click the border of the comment box so that handles appear:

2. Do one or more of the following:

To move the comment, drag the border of the comment box.
To change the size, drag the handles on the sides and corners of the
comment box.
3. On the File menu, click Page Setup, and then click the Sheet tab.
4. Do one of the following:
To print the comments where they appear on the worksheet, click As displayed
on sheet in the Comments box.
To print the comments at the end of the sheet, click At end of sheet in the
Comments box.
 26

5. Click Print.

Delete comments
Selected comments
1. Select the cells containing the comments you want to delete.
2. On the Edit menu, point to Clear, and then click Comments.

All comments on a worksheet

1. On the Edit menu, click Go To.
2. Click Special.
3. Click Comments, and then click OK.
4. On the Edit menu, point to Clear, and then click Comments.

About printing
Viewing your worksheet for printing
Microsoft Excel provides the following ways to view your worksheet and adjust how it
will look printed.
• Normal view The default view is best for on-screen viewing and working.
• Print preview Shows you the printed page so you can adjust columns and
margins. The way pages appear in the preview window depends on the available
fonts, the resolution of the printer, and the available colors.
• Page break preview Shows you what data will go on each page so you can
adjust the print area and page breaks.
As you make settings that affect how your worksheet will print, you can switch between
the different views to see the effects before you send the data to the printer.

Preparing to print
Excel provides many optional settings so you can adjust the appearance of the printed
page. To make sure you've checked everything likely to affect your printout, do the
following:
 27

Change the format and layout of the worksheet on-screen

You can set the orientation of the printed worksheet to portrait or landscape.
When to use landscape Switch to landscape when you need to print many more
columns of data than will fit on a portrait page. If you don't want to use landscape, you
can change the layout of the printed worksheet to fit the data to the available space, or
adjust the margins.
Making the data fit the page You can make the printed image fit the page or paper size
by shrinking or expanding the image. Other changes you can make to the layout of the
printed worksheet include setting the paper size, centering the data on the printed page,
and controlling how the pages are numbered. These changes affect only the worksheet's
printed appearance, not how it looks on the screen.
Print partial data To print only selected parts of the data on a worksheet, you can
specify which areas to print.

Print
Print the selection, the active worksheet(s), or a workbook
If the worksheet has a defined print area, Microsoft Excel will print only the print area
unless a specific selection is made. For example, if you select a range of cells to print and
then click Selection, Excel prints the selection and ignores any print area defined for the
worksheet.
1. On the File menu, click Print.
Under Print what, select an option to print the selection, the active sheet(s), or the
entire workbook.

Print several workbooks at once

All workbook files you want to print must be in the same folder.
1. On the File menu, click Open.
2. Hold down CTRL and click the name of each workbook you want to print.
3. In the Open dialog box, click Tools, and then click Print
 28

Print a workbook to a file

1. On the File menu, click Print.
2. In the Printer box, click the printer on which you want to print the file.
3. Select the Print to file check box, and then click OK.
4. Under Output File Name in the Print to file dialog box, type a name for the file
you want to print.