Datasheet

Moving around the Workbook

The key to doing both data entry and data editing in any spreadsheet is selecting the

cell or cells you want to fill or modify. Selecting a cell almost always entails moving the

cell cursor (or pointer) to another part of the current worksheet. Sometimes, it also

involves activating a different worksheet in the workbook file.

Excel gives you plenty of choices in techniques for moving the cell cursor: Some use

the mouse and others are keyboard driven.

Moving within the displayed area

Here’s a recap of the most important ways to move the cell cursor to a new cell within

the area of the worksheet that is currently displayed on-screen:

⻬ Click the target cell with the white-cross mouse pointer.

⻬ Press the arrow keys until the cell pointer is in the target cell.

⻬ Click the Name Box with the current cell reference at the very beginning of the

Formula Bar, enter the reference of the target (by column letter and row number

as in D12), and press Enter.

Exercise 1-4: Moving the Cell Cursor within the Displayed Area

Make Sheet1 of the blank workbook, Book1, active and then practice moving the cell

cursor to different cells in the displayed area using the mouse, arrow keys, and

Name Box:

1. Move the cell pointer to cell F9 with the mouse.

2. Move the cell pointer to cell C13 using just the down and left arrow keys.

3. Move the cell pointer to cell A1 using only the Name Box.

Keep in mind that you can always move the cursor to cell A1 (also known as the Home

cell) of any active worksheet simply by pressing Ctrl+Home.

Moving to a new area of the worksheet

Many times you have to make cell entries in areas that aren’t currently displayed in the

active worksheet. One of quickest ways to do this is by entering the reference of the

cell you want to go to in the Name Box. You can also use any the following techniques

to scroll to new parts of the current worksheet:

⻬ To scroll up and down rows of the worksheet by windows, press Page Up or Page

Down or click the blank area above or below the scroll box in the vertical scroll bar.

⻬ To scroll left and right columns of the worksheet by windows, click the blank

area to the left or right of the scroll box in the horizontal scroll bar.

⻬ To quickly scroll through rows or columns of the worksheet, hold down the Shift

key as you drag the scroll box up or down in the vertical scroll bar or left and

right in the horizontal scroll bar.

Try It

Part I: Creating Spreadsheets

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