Excel basic 1 – tables, cells and calculations

Excel Basics training will introduce you to the basics of spreadsheets and get you started in using the software. This is the first part of Excel Basics as a whole.  

Goal

We start the training in the basics of the application, how to use the program effectively, and best practices. 

You will learn how to use Excel’s calculation formulas, i.e. to build easily updatable calculations with basic formulas and functions. You will also learn to enter information “correctly”, thus avoiding classic pitfalls in for example addresses or dates. 

Target audience

The training is suitable for novice Excel users, as well as for users who want to improve the efficiency of their work. 

Program version 

This training is suitable for Windows versions of Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022, as well as for the 2016 version of Excel for Mac.  

Content

The basics of using Excel efficiently

• Cells, tables, charts? What Excel terms mean? 
• How do I start using?  Start and close Excel and open and close files. 
• Where are the functions? Where to find excel functionality and how the Excel tab-based user interface works. 
• Where do I save my files and in what format? Different file formats and different storage locations. 
• How do I print my files? Print an Excel table or chart and save it as a PDF 

Explore, select, and enter Excel data

• How do I move around a range of cells? Move between cells with your mouse or keyboard. 
• How do I select multiple cells? Paint to select more than one cell or range of cells. 
• How do I enter data into cells? Enter data into a cell, cancel the input, and move easily to the next cell when I filled in the previous one. 
• How do I enter more special content? Enter phone numbers, dates, times, and other specially formatted content into cells. 
• How do I copy information from one place to another? Copy one or more cells to another or the same table. 

Calculation and functions 

• How do I calculate in Excel? Basic calculations in Excel using cell references. 
• How do I create an automatically calculating table template? Direct reference and copying formulas. 
• Can I count numbers from different tables? References between tables and workbooks. 
• Sum and other quick functions. 

Keywords 

Excel, Basics, Spreadsheet, Beginners, Reference, Cell Reference, Functions, Calculation, Table, Chart, Print