TECH TUTOR

Microsoft Excel 2013

LEVEL 1

kcls.org/techtutor
Microsoft Excel 2013 Level 1 Manual
Rev 6/2014
[email protected]
Microsoft Excel 2013 – Level 1
The KCLS Tech Tutor Program offers free One-on-One Computer Help and Computer Classes. Go to
kcls.org/techtutor for upcoming Tech Tutor sessions, learning online and class manuals.
This manual is for Microsoft Excel 2013 – Level 1 class held on KCLS computers running Windows 7.

Contents!
Signing in to Library Computers ..................................................................................................................................... 1!
In this class, you will….......................................................................................................................................................... 2!
What is Excel used for? ......................................................................................................................................................... 2!
Excel 2013 Welcome Page ................................................................................................................................................. 2!
Excel 2013 Organization – User Interface ................................................................................................................... 3!
The Ribbon .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3!
Quick Access Toolbar ........................................................................................................................................................... 3!
File Menu .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4!
Title Bar, Help Menu, Ribbon Display Options............................................................................................................ 4!
Name Box, Formula Bar, Spreadsheet ........................................................................................................................... 5!
Using Tools in Excel................................................................................................................................................................ 6!
Save Your Work ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6!
Entering Data into Cells ...................................................................................................................................................... 7!
Calculating with Formulas ................................................................................................................................................. 9!
Copy a Formula with Autofill ............................................................................................................................................ 9!
Quick Addition with AutoSum ....................................................................................................................................... 10!
Saving With OneDrive ....................................................................................................................................................... 11!
More Computer Learning from KCLS .......................................................................................................................... 11

Signing in to Library Computers

For personal use of library computers, you must use your own library card number and PIN.
Use these codes to sign in during a computer class:
627837
1212
Note: Be careful not to type the letter “O” for a zero (0) or the letter “l” for a one (1).

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In this class, you will…
Learn about Microsoft Excel 2013, including:
! What Excel is used for
! How the tools and menus are organized (user interface)
! How to use basic tools in Excel

What is Excel used for?

Excel is a spreadsheet program used to “easily discover, visualize, and share insights from your data.”
The types of data you can use to work with Excel are:
! Numbers – for financial data values like earnings and budget for home or business
! Text – for lists of contact information, collectible items, merchandise, etc.
! Formulas – to make basic or complex numeric calculations
Excel has powerful tools and grids of columns and rows (spreadsheets), which allow you to store,
manipulate, analyze and share data. Browse Excel templates on the Welcome Page to visualize what is
possible with Excel. Click on a template to see a description and suggested use for the template.

Excel 2013 Welcome Page

Open Excel 2013 from the computer desktop. On the Welcome page, note
the various popular templates available. Click “blank workbook” template
then click “Create” to open a new workbook.
Excel 2013 desktop icon

Excel 2013 Welcome page

Excel 2013 Templates

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Excel 2013 Organization – User Interface
The way the tools and menus are organized in Excel 2013 is known as the user interface.
We will learn about The Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, File Menu and other key parts of Excel.

The Ribbon
The Ribbon runs along the top, contains all the Excel tools, and is organized into three parts:
! Tabs – represent a general activity area
! Groups – show related tools (commands) together
! Commands – a button, expandable menu, or a box for entering related information
Click the various Tabs: observe how the Groups and Commands change based on the selected Tab.

Tabs

Groups Commands

Diagram of The Ribbon and its parts

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is above the Tabs and contains the commands used most often.
Place the mouse arrow over each icon (do not click) to see the name and use for each icon.
You may customize the commands in the toolbar if you click the black arrow at the end of the toolbar.
The Undo command “takes back” any changes made to the document. For example, type “Undo” in
the blank workbook you have open, then click Undo in the Quick Access Toolbar. Undo keeps track of
actions by sequence; if you accidentally erase (change) data in your file, click Undo right away to get it
back. On that note, it is important to “save early and save often.” (See “Saving Your Work” on page 9.)

Undo Quick Access Toolbar

Quick Access Toolbar & “Undo” button

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File Menu
The File Menu contains actions at the file level. Click the green “File” tab to the far left of the tabs
(see “Excel 2013 Work Space Labels” image, pg. 5). From the “backstage” area you can create a New
workbook, Open an existing one, Save changes to the current workbook, Save As a different file with
a different name, Print the current workbook, and other options. Click the “back arrow” at the top to
exit the backstage area.

Title Bar, Help Menu, Ribbon Display Options

The Title Bar shows the name of the program and your document. (Top-most bar in program
window.) Excel documents, known as workbooks, have a temporary title, Book1, until you “Save As”
with a different name. To the far-right on the Title Bar is the Help Menu and Ribbon Display options.
The Help Menu has articles on using the software. Not sure how to perform a certain action or where
to find a command? Click the question mark icon to browse Help articles, or search for specific topics.
Ribbon Display Options allow you to see more or less of the Ribbon and the work area, as a result.
Take a moment to locate and explore these features in the Excel program window.

Title Bar Help Menu Ribbon Display Options

Title Bar, Help Menu & Ribbon Display Options

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 Name Box, Formula Bar, Spreadsheet
The Name Box is below the ribbon and names the cell in which you’re currently working. The
Formula Bar is to the right of the Name Box. Because Excel is largely a program for working with
numbers and doing calculations, you may begin to see Excel as something like a calculator. The
instructions for performing calculations are called formulas and appear in the formula bar.
The Spreadsheet is below the name box and formula bar. It is a large grid of boxes known as cells.
Each cell has an address (also known as a cell reference) that will be displayed in the name box when
the cell is clicked. A cell’s address consists of its column letter and row number. See cell A1. Excel
identifies the selected cell (also known as the active cell) with a dark green outline. Most work in Excel is
done in the cells.
Every Workbook has worksheets (spreadsheets). Every worksheet has the following:
! COLUMNS represented by letters across the top
! ROWS represented by numbers down the side
! CELLS are the individual boxes such as cell A1

File Menu Button

Title Bar

Formula Bar
Name Box

Cell A1 Spreadsheet Area

Excel 2013 Work Area Labels

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Using Tools in Excel
Start learning about spreadsheets by working in a new workbook in Microsoft Excel 2013.

Save Your Work

To make sure you don’t lose your work on a document, you should “save early and save often.” Let’s
start by saving the document you have open in Excel 2013:
1. Click the green File Button near the Tabs. Learn more about “File Menu” on page 4.
2. Click Save As. This option is for saving, or naming, a file for the first time. You may create different
versions of a file by “saving as” a new name. Learn more in “Quick Access Toolbar” on page 3.
3. Click “Computer”. See TIP below and “Saving With OneDrive” (page 11) for “cloud” storage info.
4. Click “My Documents” folder. On KCLS computers, files saved to “My Documents” folder are
erased at the end of your session. Consider a USB drive, or OneDrive for long-term storage.
5. Name file “My Practice Document”. Generally, choose a name that is easy to remember.
6. Click Save.

TIP: Have a Microsoft account with Outlook.com, Hotmail.com or Live.com? Microsoft Office 2013
Programs offer “cloud” file storage through OneDrive. Click OneDrive instead of “Computer” to
log in, save the file and access anyplace through the Internet. Learn more at bit.ly/office2013cloud.

Excel 2013 Backstage View – “Save As” to “My Documents” on KCLS computers

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Entering Data into Cells
For this exercise, you will operate a pet store for a day and keep track of your sales for that day. First
you will learn how to enter information into a cell.
Click into cell A1 to select it. Notice that the mouse pointer looks like a big plus (or cross). This shape is
known as the selection pointer. Use the mouse pointer whenever you want to select one or more cells.
In cell A1, type the name of your pet store. You will
learn how to enter the name into the cell. There are
three commonly used methods to enter information
into cells:

! Enter key—enters information and moves the

cursor downward.
! Tab key—enters information and moves the
cursor one cell to the right.
! Check mark—clicking the button enters
information and leaves the cursor in the same cell.

In this case, press the Enter key to enter the name of the pet store and move your selection down to
the next line. Continue typing and entering the following list of pets: dogs, cats, fish, birds, rodents.

Click in cell B2. Type Number Sold,

then press Tab. The tab key enters
the information and moves your
selection to the cell C2. Type Price
in cell C2. Press Tab. Type Total.
Press Enter. The selection may
jump back in the next row instead
of down if you have been tabbing.
If you need to, click in cell B3. The
picture looks like this:

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The name of your pet store may be
too long to fit in cell A1. Select cells
A1:E1 and click “Merge and Center”
command in the Alignment Group of
the Home Tab. Now add a little style:
click “Good” in the Styles Group of
the Home Tab.

You have finished typing words (often referred to as labels) and now are ready to start typing numbers
(often referred to as values.) Starting in cell B3 type the number of pets sold as shown below. Also type
the prices you charge. Type the prices without dollar signs. (You’ll use number formatting below.)

Did you notice the zeros disappeared? Select the cells with the prices in them like
shown in the picture above. (This is cell range C3:C7.) In the Numbers Group, click
the dollar sign to apply a number format for currency to cells corresponding to
Price. It should now look like the picture at right.

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Calculating with Formulas
Now you are going to learn how to perform calculations in Excel, called formulas. First, you will find the
total number of pets you sold.

Begin by selecting the empty cell D3. Type = (equal sign). Notice the equal sign is displayed in the
formula bar. Important: formulas ALWAYS begin with an equal sign. Click cell B3. Notice the
moving lines around the cell—they look like marching ants. Actually this is a selection marquee (like a
movie marquee, but showing selection within a formula). Type an asterisk (*). Click cell C3. Press Enter
to enter the formula.

Now you can see the answer in D3 and the formula (on the formula bar). Try the same formula for the
figuring how much you made from selling cats. Click on D4. What do you type first when you are
setting up a formula? You got it! An equal sign! Click on B4. Remember, computers show
multiplication with an * (asterisk). Use the number keypad so you don’t have to worry about the shift
key. Now click on C4. Press Enter.

Copy a Formula with Autofill

You can speed up your work by calculating one formula and copying it to make other calculations
quickly and efficiently.

Place your mouse over the fill handle so the mouse pointer
changes from a large plus shape to a small one. Be very
precise with the mouse so you get and keep the correct
shape. Press and hold the mouse button and drag
downward until you get an outline around the cells down
to cell D7. Release the mouse button. Voila! You have a
column of answers!

Click in D5. Notice the formula: =B5*C5. Press Enter. Note

this formula: =B6*C6. Keep pressing Enter and notice the
pattern. Excel not only copies the formula, but adjusts it for
the row. Excel is pretty smart!

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You could probably have done everything you have done so far using a calculator. In fact, it probably
would have been easier because you’re more used to using a calculator than Excel. Let’s look at a
situation where Excel leaves a calculator in the dust. You have a clerk working for you who’s young
and inexperienced. When things get rushed, your helper gets a bit careless. You count the rodents.
There are two missing! You ask your clerk, “What happened to the other rodents?” “Oh, no” says the
clerk. “I was in a rush and I forgot to record the sale.” Now your records are wrong but we will correct it.

Click cell B7. Type 20 (right over the other number) and press Enter. Look at your totals—adjusted
instantly! If you were using a calculator you’d have to enter all the information.

The ability to change a spreadsheet so simply is useful not only for correcting an error, but also for
planning. Suppose there’s a sudden demand for dogs. Now you’re thinking about increasing the
price? Try it. Change the price for dogs to 125 dollars. Now use Undo to put it back.

Quick Addition with AutoSum

Speed up your work doing quick addition
with AutoSum. Begin by clicking your
mouse to select D8. Stop for a second.
You’re going to do a thought exercise. With
what you know, how would you add up this
column? Probably, you would create a
formula like this: =D3+D4+D5+D6+D7.

That sure looks like an awful lot of work.

Imagine if you had a 100 items to add up,
what a nightmare! Make sure you have D8
still selected. Click the AutoSum button in
the Editing Group of the Home Tab. (The
button shows the Greek letter Sigma, used
in mathematical notation to show sums.)
Click the button. Excel shows a formula and
automatically selects the numbers to add up.
Cool! Click the blue check to complete the
sum. The answer appears as a Special kind of
formula known as a Worksheet Function: =SUM(D3:D7)

Functions include a name that describes the purpose of the function (in this case, addition), and a set
of parentheses. The function’s argument(s) appear inside the parentheses. The arguments show how
the function is calculating information. In this case the function is adding all the values in the cells D3
through D7.

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Saving With OneDrive
When working on files you need for later use, it is important to “save early and save often.”
Excel 2013, and all Microsoft Office 2013 Programs, offer storage and access to your files through
OneDrive. If you have a Microsoft account (Outlook.com, Live.com, Hotmail.com) you may log into that
account near the upper right-hand corner of the Excel 2013 window. When you’re logged into your
account and proceed to save your files, you may save them “to the cloud”. In other words, to your own
personal storage account on the Internet. Learn more about it at bit.ly/office2013cloud.

Backstage View; Sign In to OneDrive for Cloud Storage

Certainly, you can still save to a USB drive. On library computers, you may temporarily save your files to
the “My Documents” folder (See “Save Your Work”, page 6) but all data is erased at the end of your
computer session.

More Computer Learning from KCLS

The KCLS Tech Tutor Program offers free One-on-One Computer Help and Computer Classes. Go to
kcls.org/techtutor for upcoming Tech Tutor sessions, computer learning online courses through
premium databases and class manuals. This manual has been for Microsoft Excel 2013 – Level 1 class
held on library computers running Windows 7.
Please visit kcls.org/usingthelibrary/computers/ to learn more about using KCLS library computers.

—END—

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