Spreadsheet Fundamentals

The Building Blocks

Before formulas and pivot tables, you need to understand how spreadsheets work. This chapter covers the fundamentals that everything else builds on.

Cells, Rows, and Columns

The Grid

A spreadsheet is a grid of cells. Each cell is the intersection of a row (numbered 1, 2, 3...) and a column (lettered A, B, C...).

Cell References

Every cell has an address:

• A1 is column A, row 1
• B5 is column B, row 5
• Z100 is column Z, row 100

After column Z comes AA, AB, AC... then BA, BB... and so on.

Selecting Cells

Single cell: Click on it.

Range of cells: Click and drag, or click the first cell, hold Shift, click the last cell.

Entire row: Click the row number.

Entire column: Click the column letter.

Multiple non-adjacent cells: Hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) while clicking.

Cell Contents

A cell can contain:

• Text: Words, labels, descriptions
• Numbers: Values for calculation
• Formulas: Calculations that produce results
• Dates: Stored as numbers, displayed as dates
• Nothing: Empty cells

Entering Data

Typing

Click a cell and type. Press Enter to confirm and move down. Press Tab to confirm and move right.

Editing

Double-click a cell to edit its contents. Or click once and edit in the formula bar.

AutoFill

Drag the small square at the bottom-right corner of a selection to fill patterns:

• 1, 2 → drag → 3, 4, 5...
• Monday, Tuesday → drag → Wednesday, Thursday...
• Jan-2025 → drag → Feb-2025, Mar-2025...

Excel recognizes patterns and continues them.

Copy and Paste

Standard shortcuts work:

• Ctrl+C (Cmd+C) to copy
• Ctrl+V (Cmd+V) to paste
• Ctrl+X (Cmd+X) to cut

Paste Special (Ctrl+Alt+V) lets you paste only values, only formatting, transpose, etc.

Formatting

Number Formats

The same number can display differently:

The underlying value doesn't change — only how it's displayed.

To change format: Select cells → Right-click → Format Cells, or use the ribbon.

Text Formatting

• Bold: Ctrl+B
• Italic: Ctrl+I
• Underline: Ctrl+U
• Font, size, color: Use the ribbon

Alignment

• Horizontal: Left, Center, Right
• Vertical: Top, Middle, Bottom
• Wrap text: Long text wraps within the cell
• Merge cells: Combine multiple cells into one (use sparingly)

Borders and Fill

• Borders: Lines around cells for visual organization
• Fill color: Background color for cells
• Use to highlight headers, sections, or important data

Conditional Formatting

Format cells automatically based on their values:

• Highlight cells above a threshold
• Color scales (red to green)
• Data bars
• Icon sets

To apply: Select range → Home → Conditional Formatting → Choose a rule

Worksheets and Workbooks

Workbooks

A workbook is your Excel file (.xlsx). It contains one or more worksheets.

Worksheets (Sheets)

Each tab at the bottom is a worksheet — a separate grid within the same file.

Common uses:

• Different months or years on different sheets
• Raw data on one sheet, analysis on another
• Summary sheet pulling from detail sheets

To add a sheet: Click the + next to the tabs.

To rename: Double-click the tab and type.

To reference another sheet: Use the format SheetName!CellRef Example: =Sheet2!A1 refers to cell A1 on Sheet2.

Good Spreadsheet Practices

Structure Your Data Properly

Do:

• One row per record (person, transaction, item)
• One column per attribute (name, date, amount)
• Headers in the first row
• No blank rows or columns in your data

Don't:

• Mix data and formatting
• Merge cells in data areas
• Put multiple pieces of information in one cell
• Leave blank rows between data

Use Clear Names

• Name columns clearly (not A, B, C — actual headers)
• Name sheets descriptively
• Consider using named ranges for important data

Document Your Work

• Add a notes sheet explaining the workbook
• Comment on complex formulas
• Date your files or use version tracking

Protect Against Errors

• Lock cells that shouldn't change
• Use data validation to restrict inputs
• Keep backups
• Use formulas instead of manual calculations

Common Beginner Mistakes

Numbers Stored as Text

Sometimes numbers are stored as text and won't calculate properly. Look for:

• Numbers left-aligned (text default)
• Green triangles in cell corners
• Formulas that don't work

Fix: Select cells → Data → Text to Columns → Finish, or multiply by 1.

Merged Cells Causing Problems

Merged cells break sorting, filtering, and many formulas. Avoid them in data areas.

Hardcoded Values in Formulas

Bad: =A1*0.15 (what is 0.15?)

Good: Put 0.15 in a labeled cell, reference it: =A1*$B$1

No Backups

Always keep backups. Use version names (Budget_v1, Budget_v2) or cloud storage with version history.

AI Prompt: Fundamentals Help

I'm learning Excel basics. Help me understand:

[Describe what you're trying to do or what confuses you]

Please explain:
1. The concept in simple terms
2. Step-by-step how to do it
3. Common mistakes to avoid

What's Next

You understand the grid. Now let's make it calculate.

Next chapter: Formulas and functions — the essential functions that solve 90% of spreadsheet problems.