In a table, what should you press to move forward one cell in the current row?

Group the selected objects

Option-Command-G

Ungroup the selected objects

Option-Shift-Command-G

Lock the selected object

Command-L

Unlock the selected object

Option-Command-L

Duplicate the selected object

Command-D or Option-drag

Press Option and an arrow key, then drag

Move the selected object one point

Press an arrow key

Move the selected object ten points

Hold down Shift and press an arrow key

Move the selected object to the back

Shift-Command-B

Move the selected object to the front

Shift-Command-F

Move the selected object backward

Option-Shift-Command-B

Move the selected object forward

Option-Shift-Command-F

In a table, add rows above the selected cells

Option-Up Arrow

In a table, add rows below the selected cells

Option-Down Arrow

In a table, add columns to the right of the selected cells

Option-Right Arrow

In a table, add columns to the left of the selected cells

Option-Left Arrow

In a table, select the first populated cell in the current row

Option-Command-Left Arrow

In a table, select the last populated cell in the current row

Option-Command-Right Arrow

In a table, select the first populated cell in the current column

Option-Command-Up Arrow

In a table, select the last populated cell in the current column

Option-Command-Down Arrow

Delete selected rows

Option-Command-Delete

Delete selected columns

Control-Command-Delete

Select the table name

Shift-Tab

In a table, paste a formula result

Shift-Command-V

Select the first cell in a selected table

Return

In a table, expand the current selection to include the first populated cell in the current row

Option-Shift-Command-Left Arrow

In a table, expand the current selection to include the last populated cell in the current row

Option-Shift-Command-Right Arrow

In a table, expand the current selection to include the first populated cell in the current column

Option-Shift-Command-Up Arrow

In a table, expand the current selection to include the last populated cell in the current column

Option-Shift-Command-Down Arrow

In a table, merge selected cells

Control-Command-M

In a table, unmerge selected cells

Option-Control-Command-M

Section 1: Overview

Welcome to the Microsoft Office Excel tutorial.

In this tutorial you will learn about the ways you can use the keyboard to accomplish many common tasks in Excel including opening and saving workbooks, formatting text and cells and working with lists and tables. As you progress through the chapters you will also discover useful SuperNova and ScreenReader hot keys and some tips and tricks to help you be even more productive.

Section 2: Learn the essentials

Move around a workbook using the keyboard

Excel has many different hot keys to help you move around a workbook.

Here are just some of the more popular key presses available to you:

• To move to the next cell, press the Arrow Keys.
• To move to the next cell to the right, press TAB.
• To move to the next cell to the left, press SHIFT + TAB.
• To move to the edge of a data region, press CONTROL + Arrow Keys.
• To move to the first cell in the row, press HOME.
• To move to the first cell, press CONTROL + HOME.
• To move to the last cell, press CONTROL + END.
• To scroll down, press PAGE DOWN.
• To scroll up, press PAGE UP.
• To scroll to the right, press ALT + PAGE DOWN.
• To scroll to the left, press ALT + PAGE UP.
• To move to the next worksheet, press CONTROL + PAGE DOWN.
• To move to the previous worksheet, press CONTROL + PAGE UP.
• To go to a cell using the "Go To" dialog box, press F5 to open the "Go To" dialog box, type the cell co-ordinates in the Reference box and press ENTER.

Select cells in a worksheet

Excel offers many different ways to select cells. Some ways only use the keyboard, some only use the mouse and some use a combination of both.

Tip: If you find the Excel Quick Analysis option taking focus away from the worksheet when you begin selecting cells then go to Excel's Options (ALT + F, T) and in the "General" category deselect the "Show Quick Analysis options on selection" check box.

Select a single range using the keyboard

Here are just some of the ways you can select a range of cells using the keyboard:

• To select cells, go to the top left cell and with SHIFT held down press the DOWN ARROW and RIGHT ARROW to extend the selection down and right.
• To select a data range, move the focus inside the range and press CONTROL + A.
• To select the entire worksheet, press CONTROL + A twice.
• To select a column, move to the first cell in the column and press CONTROL + SHIFT + DOWN ARROW. This will select cells to the last used cell in the column. If you press CONTROL + SHIFT + DOWN ARROW again, you will select the entire column.
• To select a row, move to the first cell in the row and press CONTROL + SHIFT + RIGHT ARROW. This will select cells to the last used cell in the row. If you press CONTROL + SHIFT + RIGHT ARROW again, you will select the entire row.
• To select an entire column, press CONTROL + SPACEBAR.
• To select an entire row, press SHIFT + SPACEBAR.
• To select all used cells in the worksheet, press CONTROL + HOME to go to the first cell in the worksheet and then press CONTROL + SHIFT + END.

Select nonadjacent ranges using the keyboard

You can select nonadjacent cells in a worksheet. You can do this using keyboard commands.

To select nonadjacent cells using the keyboard:

1. Go to the top left cell in the range.
2. Hold down SHIFT and press DOWN ARROW and RIGHT ARROW to select the cells in the first range.
3. Press SHIFT + F8.
4. Go to the top left cell in the second range.
5. Hold down SHIFT and press DOWN ARROW and RIGHT ARROW to select the cells in the second range.
6. If you wish to select more cells, press SHIFT + F8 and select the next range of cells.
7. Repeat the previous step until you have selected all the required cells in the worksheet.

Tip: Excel indicates it is ready to add further cells to the selection by showing the word "ADD" on the Excel Status bar. This appears after you press SHIFT + F8.

Select using the Go To command

To select cells using the "Go To" command:

1. Press F5. The "Go To" dialog box opens with the cursor in the "Reference" box.
2. In the "Reference" box:
   • To select a single range, type the range you want to select, for example, type "C5:F9" to select all the cells between C5 and F9 and press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and selects the cells.
   • To select nonadjacent cells, type each range separated with a comma, for example, type "C5:F9, J5:P9" to select cells between C5 and F9 and J5 and P9 and press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and selects the cells.

Select cells using the mouse

You can select cells using the mouse pointer.

• To select a single range of cells, click where you want the selection to begin and keeping the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON pressed down, move the pointer over the cells you want to select.
• To select a large range of cells, click where you want the selection to begin and keep SHIFT pressed down while you move the pointer to and click on the last cell.
• To select nonadjacent cells, select the first range and keep CONTROL pressed down while you select each additional range of cells.

Announce the selected ranges

To have SuperNova or ScreenReader announce the ranges of cells currently selected in your worksheet, press the Additional Focus Information hot key.

Move within the selection using the keyboard

You can move to each cell that is selected by using Excel hot keys.

• To move to the next selected cell, press TAB or ENTER.
• To move to the previous selected cell, press SHIFT + TAB or SHIFT + ENTER.

Section 3: Create a new workbook

When Excel opens, it displays a Start screen showing a list of templates. To work on a blank workbook select "Blank workbook" from the list or simply press ESCAPE. A new blank workbook opens.

Tip: You can turn off the appearance of the Start screen when Excel starts by going to Excel's Options (ALT + F, T) and, in the "General" category, deselect the "Show the Start Screen when this application starts" check box.

When working in one workbook you can create a new blank workbook using the "New" command.

To do this press CONTROL + N.

Section 4: Open files

Open a recent workbook

When Excel opens, it displays a Start screen showing a list of templates. The Start screen also shows recent files you have opened. If you want to open a recent workbook in this dialog box you must press TAB to locate the recent file list, use the Arrow Keys to select the file and then press ENTER.

Tip: You can turn off the appearance of the Start screen when Excel starts by going to Excel's Options (ALT + F, T) and, in the "General" category, deselect the "Show the Start Screen when this application starts" check box.

If you are working in a workbook, you can use Backstage View to find a recently used file instead of using the "Open" dialog box.

To do this:

1. Press CONTROL + O. Backstage View opens. The focus is on the "Open" option.
2. TAB to the recent workbooks list.
3. DOWN ARROW to select a file and press ENTER. Backstage View closes and the file opens.

Open an existing workbook

The "Open" dialog box allows you to find and open workbooks that are stored on the computer. You can then make changes to these workbooks within the main Excel window.

To do this:

1. Press CONTROL + F12. The "Open" dialog box opens.
2. SHIFT + TAB twice to move into the file list, use the Arrow Keys to select the file and then press ENTER. If the file is in a different folder, use BACKSPACE to go one level up and use ENTER to open folders until you select the file and then press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and opens the file.

Note that you must change the "Files of type" value if you are opening a file of a type the current value does not include. The "Files of type" list filters the types of files showing.

Switch between open workbooks

In Excel, you can have multiple workbooks open at the same time and switch between them with the use of an Excel key command.

To do this press CONTROL + F6 or CONTROL + SHIFT + F6.

Section 5: Save and close workbooks

Save a new workbook for the first time

Before you save work you must first consider whether others need to open the file. If others do, then it is important to consider the programs they use and the types of files they can open. This will decide the best format to save the file in.

To save a file:

1. Press F12. The "Save As" dialog box opens.
2. If the default folder location is correct, type a name for the file in the "File name" box. If the location is not correct, SHIFT + TAB twice to move into the file list, use BACKSPACE to go one level up and use ENTER to open folders until you are in the correct folder, then TAB to the "File name" box and type a name for the file.
3. If the file format is to change, TAB to the "Type of format" list and use the Arrow Keys to select a format
4. TAB to the "Save" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the dialog box and saves the file.

Save changes to a workbook

You can save changes to a workbook by using the Excel Save command.

To do this press CONTROL + S.

Note, if this is a new workbook that has not been saved before, then the "Save As" dialog box will automatically open when you use the Save command. You must save the workbook.

Save a workbook in a different file type

Excel includes a number of different file types that you can use to save a workbook in. You may need to save the workbook in a different file type if you are sending the workbook to someone who does not have the same version of Excel.

To do this:

1. Press F12. The "Save As" dialog box opens.
2. If the default folder location is correct, type a name for the file in the "File name" box. If the location is not correct, SHIFT + TAB twice to move into the file list, use BACKSPACE to go one level up and use ENTER to open folders until you are in the correct folder, then TAB to the "File name" box and type a name for the file.
3. TAB to the "Type of format" list and use the Arrow Keys to select a file type.
4. TAB to the "Save" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the dialog box and saves the file.

Close and exit

To close your current workbook while keeping Excel and other workbooks open press CONTROL + F4.

To close all workbooks and exit Excel press ALT + F4.

Section 6: Work with cells

Read a cell

As you move through a worksheet, SuperNova and ScreenReader first tells you the content of the current cell followed by the cell position and finally any properties associated with the cell.

You can control the amount of information SuperNova announces by changing verbosity level.

In addition, you can use the following SuperNova hot keys to read about a cell:

Enter data in a cell

To do this:

1. Go to the cell.
2. Type the data and press ENTER.

Note: By default, pressing ENTER confirms the entry and moves you one cell down. You can also use the following keys to move to the next cell in a different direction:

• SHIFT + ENTER to confirm and move one cell up.
• TAB to confirm and move one cell right.
• SHIFT + TAB to confirm and move one cell left.

Edit a cell

You can edit the content of a cell rather than having to retype the content.

To do this:

1. Go to the cell to edit.
2. Press F2.
3. Edit the cell content and press ENTER.
4. To cancel without making changes, press ESCAPE.

Note: By default, pressing ENTER confirms your entry and moves you one cell down. You can also use the following keys to move to the next cell in a different direction:

• SHIFT + ENTER to confirm and move one cell up.
• TAB to confirm and move one cell right.
• SHIFT + TAB to confirm and move one cell left.

Note: You can type text into the active cell using either Insert Mode or Overwrite Mode. You press the INSERT key to switch between these two input modes. Insert Mode adds the text you are typing into the current line without replacing what is already written. Overwrite Mode will replace the current text with the new text being typed, in essence, replacing one character for another.

Clear cells

To clear data from cells:

1. Select the cells to clear.
2. Press DELETE.

Insert cells

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with your SuperNova or ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova and ScreenReader Manual.

To do this:

1. Go to the cell where you want to insert a new cell. If you want to insert more than one cell, select the cells where you want to insert the new cells.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + EQUALS. The "Insert" dialog box opens.
3. Use the Arrow Keys to select "Shift cells right" or "Shift cells down" and then press ENTER. The choice you make determines the direction the current cells move. Excel closes the dialog box and inserts the new cells.

Move data in a workbook

You can move data from one part of a workbook to another. This can make working faster as you do not need to re-type the information again.

To do this:

1. Select the data to move.
2. Press CONTROL + X. Excel moves the data to the Clipboard.
3. Go to the cell where you want to insert the data.
4. To overwrite the existing cells, press CONTROL + V.
5. To move the existing cells, press SHIFT + F10 to open a context menu, then DOWN ARROW to "Insert Cut cells" and press ENTER. This opens the "Insert Paste" dialog box. In this dialog box, use the Arrow Keys to select whether the existing cells move down or right and then press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and inserts the data.

Copy data in a workbook

You can copy data from one part of a workbook to another. This can make working faster as you do not need to re-type the information again.

To do this:

1. Select the data to copy.
2. Press CONTROL + C. Excel copies the data to the Clipboard.
3. Go to the cell where you want to insert the data.
4. To overwrite the existing cells, press CONTROL + V.
5. To move the existing cells, press SHIFT + F10 to open a context menu, then DOWN ARROW to "Insert Copied cells" and press ENTER. This opens the "Insert Paste" dialog box. In this dialog box, use the Arrow Keys to select whether the existing cells move down or right and then press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and inserts the data.

Find data

To find data in a workbook:

1. Press SHIFT + F5. The "Find & Replace" dialog box opens.
2. In the "Find what" box, type in the data that you want to find and then do one of the following:
   • Press ENTER and then press ESCAPE to close the dialog box. This will return you to the worksheet with a matching cell selected. To search for the next matching cell, press SHIFT + F4.
   • Press ENTER and then press ALT + F6 to switch focus from the "Find & Replace" dialog box to the matching cell in the worksheet. When you need to return to the "Find & Replace" dialog box, press ALT + F6 again.
   • TAB to the "Find All" button and press SPACEBAR. This will show a list of matching results. You can use the Arrow Keys to move through the list and if you press ENTER on an item, focus will move to that cell in the worksheet. To then move to the selected cell, press ALT + F6 to switch focus to the worksheet or press ESCAPE to close the dialog box.

Section 7: Format cells

Change font type

To do this:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + F. The "Font" page in the "Format cells" dialog box opens.
3. TAB to the "Font" list.
4. Use the Arrow Keys to select your font and press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and changes the cells.

Change font size

To do this:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + F. The "Font" page in the "Format cells" dialog box opens.
3. TAB to the "Size" list.
4. Use the Arrow Keys to select a size and press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and changes the cells.

Change font colour

To do this:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + F. The "Font" page in the "Format cells" dialog box opens.
3. TAB to the "Colour" list and press DOWN ARROW to open the list.
4. Use the Arrow Keys to choose a colour and press ENTER. The list closes and focus goes back to the dialog box.
5. Press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and changes the cells.

Make text bold

To do this:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + B.

Make text italic

To do this:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + I.

Underline text

To do this:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + U.

Align text

Excel uses vertical and horizontal positioning to align text in a cell. The vertical position is the position between the top and bottom of a cell, for example, you can align the text to the top, middle or bottom of a cell. The horizontal position is the position between the left and right  sides of a cell, for example, you can align the text to the left, centre or right of a cell.

To align text:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + 1. The "Format Cells" dialog box opens.
3. If the "Alignment" page is not open, press CONTROL + TAB until the "Alignment" page opens.
4. TAB to the "Horizontal" list and use the Arrow Keys to select an alignment.
5. TAB to the "Vertical" list and use the Arrow Keys to select an alignment.
6. TAB to the "OK" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the dialog box and changes the cells.

Add a border to a cell

Having cells with borders is a very common thing in Excel. You may add them to help draw attention to number, or to divide numbers from column headings in a table.

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with your SuperNova or ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To apply an outline border to a cell or range of cells:

1. Select the cell or cells.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + 7.

You can choose different border styles by going to the "Border" page in the "Format Cells" dialog box. You can open the "Format Cells" dialog box by pressing CONTROL + 1.

To remove a border applied to a cell or group of cells, press CONTROL + SHIFT + MINUS.

Wrap text

You can wrap text in a cell so that the text is not hid from view by the data in adjacent cells. You can do this by selecting "Wrap text" in the "Format Cells" dialog box or by adding a manual line break. Using the "Wrap text" option means Excel will automatically adjust the cell content if the column width changes.

To apply the "Wrap text" option to cells:

1. Select the cells to change.
2. Press CONTROL + 1. The "Format Cells" dialog box opens.
3. If the "Alignment" page is not open, press CONTROL + TAB until the "Alignment" page opens.
4. TAB to the "Wrap text" check box and press SPACEBAR to select this item.
5. TAB to the "OK" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the dialog box and changes the cells.

If you want to apply a manual line break in a cell:

1. Position the cursor in the cell where you want to insert the line break.
2. Press ALT + ENTER.

Section 8: Headings

SuperNova and ScreenReader can detect and announce the row and column headings in a worksheet. A row or column heading is usually a cell in the row or column with different properties to the other cells in the row or column, for example, the text in the cell might be bold, italic, underlined or has a different background colour.

Reading headings with a hot key

You can read headings in a number of different ways.

(*) You can learn more about the current focus by pressing the hot key multiple times.

• x2 spells the cell co-ordinates.
• x3 reads the row and column headings.
• x4 spells the row and column headings.

Automatically read headings as you navigate

You can set SuperNova and ScreenReader to automatically read the row and column headings as you navigate through a worksheet by turning on automatic heading announcement.

To do this press LEFT CONTROL + CAPS LOCK + H.

Change the methods for detecting headings

You control how SuperNova detects row and column headings through the "Heading Announcement Configuration" dialog box. In this dialog box you can set the detection options, for example, change heading detection from cells containing bold text to cells containing italic text.

To change detection settings

1. Press CAPS LOCK + X. The "Heading Announcement Configuration" dialog box opens.
2. DOWN ARROW to select "Change Heading Detection Method" and press ENTER. The "Heading Detection Method" dialog box opens.
3. In this dialog box:
   • You can use the "Add" button to add different methods to detect headings in your worksheet. Options include different formatting styles, cell colour, cell pattern and first text cell in row and column.
   • You can use the "Remove" button to remove the methods to detect headings.
   • You can use the "Up" and "Down" buttons to change what order the items in your Properties list appear. The first item in your list is the first option SuperNova and ScreenReader uses to try and find a heading. If this is unsuccessful then SuperNova and ScreenReader uses the second method to try and find a heading and so on.
4. When done, TAB to the "OK" button and press SPACEBAR. The dialog box closes and focus goes back to the "Heading Announcement Configuration" dialog box.
5. TAB to the "Close" button and press SPACEBAR. SuperNova or ScreenReader closes the dialog box and focus goes back to the worksheet.

Change the heading detection range

You can change the size of the area SuperNova and ScreenReader searches for headings. By default, this value is set to 30 rows and columns beyond the visible cells on the screen.

To do this:

1. Press CAPS LOCK + X. The "Heading Announcement Configuration" dialog box opens.
2. DOWN ARROW to select "Change Search Margin Beyond Visible Cells" and press ENTER. The "Search Margin" dialog box opens.
3. In the "Search Margin Around Visible Cells" box, type a value.
4. TAB to the "OK" button and press SPACEBAR. The dialog box closes and focus goes back to the "Heading Announcement Configuration" dialog box.
5. TAB to the "Close" button and press SPACEBAR. SuperNova and ScreenReader closes the dialog box and focus goes back to the worksheet. Now, as you navigate around the workbook the new heading announcement settings will be used.

Note: If you set the search margin to a very high value then this can have a detrimental impact on your system performance. This is because of the number of cells SuperNova or ScreenReader must continuously search as you move through the workbook.

Section 9: Rows and columns

Insert a row

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with your SuperNova or ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To insert a row:

1. Go to the row. If you want to insert more than one row, select a cell in each row.
2. Press SHIFT + SPACEBAR. Excel selects all the cells in the row.
3. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + EQUALS. Excel inserts the row and existing rows shift down.

Insert a column

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with your SuperNova or ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To insert a column:

1. Go to the column. If you want to insert more than one column, select a cell in each column.
2. Press CONTROL + SPACEBAR. Excel selects all the cells in the column.
3. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + EQUALS. Excel inserts the column and existing columns shift right.

Hide rows and unhide rows

When reading large worksheets, you may find it easier to hide the columns or rows that you do not need to consider. For example, you may only be interested in the data from Row 1, Row 2 and Row 30. To make it easy to view these rows, you can hide all the rows between Row 2 and Row 30.

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with the SuperNova and ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To hide rows:

1. Select the rows to hide.
2. Press CONTROL + 9.

To unhide rows:

1. Select the cells that span the hidden rows. If you want to unhide all rows in the data region then press CONTROL + A to select the data region.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + 9.

Hide columns and unhide columns

When reading large worksheets, you may find it easier to hide the columns or rows that you do not need to consider. For example, you may only be interested in the data from Column A, Column B and Column Q. To make it easy to view these columns, you can hide all the columns between Column B and Column Q.

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with the SuperNova and ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To hide columns:

1. Select the columns to hide.
2. Press CONTROL + 0.

To unhide columns:

1. Select the cells that span the hidden columns. If you want to unhide all columns in the data region then press CONTROL + A to select the data region.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + 0.

Delete rows

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with your SuperNova or ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To delete a row:

1. Go to the row. If you want to delete more than one row, select a cell in each row.
2. Press SHIFT + SPACEBAR. Excel selects all the cells in the row.
3. Then do one of the following:
   • Press DELETE to clear the cells.
   • Press CONTROL + MINUS to delete the entire row and shift rows up.

Delete columns

Note: You may find these hot keys conflicting with your SuperNova or ScreenReader hot keys. To avoid any conflict please use the "Allow Through" hot key. To learn more please see the "Hot Key Conflicts" topics in the SuperNova or ScreenReader Manual.

To delete a column:

1. Go to the column. If you want to delete more than one column, select a cell in each column.
2. Press CONTROL + SPACEBAR. Excel selects all the cells in the column.
3. Then do one of the following:
   • Press DELETE to clear the cells.
   • Press CONTROL + MINUS to delete the entire column and shift columns left.

Freeze rows and columns

When you freeze panes, you keep specific rows or columns visible when scrolling. For example, you might want to keep row and column headings visible as you move through a worksheet. A solid line marks the rows and columns you freeze. This provides a visual benefit to users working in a workbook.

To do this:

1. To freeze a row, go to the cell immediately below the row in Column A. To freeze a column, go to the cell immediately right of the column in Row 1. To freeze both the row and column, go to the cell immediately below and to the right of the row and column.
2. Press ALT + W. the "View" tab opens in the Ribbon.
3. TAB to "Freeze Pane" and press SPACEBAR. A list opens.
4. DOWN ARROW to "Freeze Pane" and press ENTER. Excel freezes the row, column or both rows and columns and focus goes back to the worksheet.

When you press navigation keys like HOME and CONTROL + HOME, the focus only moves in the scrollable area of the worksheet. To move focus into the freeze pane area requires you to use the Arrow Keys.

The "Freeze Pane" option changes to "Unfreeze Panes" when you have frozen rows and columns. You can choose "Unfreeze Panes" to go back to full scrolling in the worksheet.

Section 10: Worksheets

Open worksheets

You can move between worksheets by pressing CONTROL + PAGE UP and CONTROL + PAGE DOWN. You might find, when working in workbooks with a large number of worksheets these Excel key commands can be difficult to use, especially when sheet names and data in the sheets are similar.

Instead, the SuperNova and ScreenReader Item Finder provides a way to quickly jump to a worksheet using only a few key presses.

To change sheets using the Item Finder:

1. Press CAPS LOCK + TAB. The SuperNova Item Finder opens. You begin in the "Summary" tab.
2. DOWN ARROW through the Summary list, select "Sheets" and press ENTER. The "Sheets" page opens showing a list of sheets in the workbook.
3. DOWN ARROW to select a sheet and press ENTER. The Item Finder closes and the sheet opens.

Insert a sheet

You can insert a new sheet in a workbook by pressing SHIFT + F11. Excel inserts the new sheet before the current worksheet.

Rename, move and copy sheets

The "Format" option in the "Home" tab of the Ribbon holds the options for renaming, moving and copying worksheets. You can quickly reach these options by pressing ALT + H, followed by the letter O.

To rename a worksheet:

1. Go to the sheet you want to rename.
2. Press ALT + H, O and DOWN ARROW to "Rename Sheet" and press ENTER. Excel closes the menu and selects the sheet name.
3. Type a name and press ENTER. Excel renames the sheet and then focus goes back to the worksheet.

To move or copy a worksheet:

To do this:

1. Go to the sheet you want to move or copy.
2. Press ALT + H, O and DOWN ARROW to "Move or Copy Sheet" and press ENTER. The "Move or Copy" dialog box opens.
3. Use the "Before sheet" list to show where you want to position the sheet.
4. If you want to copy rather than move the sheet, TAB to the "Create a copy" check box and press SPACEBAR.
5. TAB to the "OK" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the dialog box and, depending on your choices, moves or copies the sheet.

To move or copy a worksheet to another workbook:

To do this:

1. Open the source and target workbooks.
2. Go to the sheet you want to move or copy.
3. Press ALT + H, O and DOWN ARROW to "Move or Copy Sheet" and press ENTER. The "Move or Copy" dialog box opens.
4. SHIFT + TAB to the "To Book" list and use the Arrow Keys to select the target workbook.
5. TAB to the "Before sheet" list and use the Arrow Keys to select where you want to position the sheet in the target workbook.
6. If you want to copy rather than move the sheet, TAB to the "Create a copy" check box and press SPACEBAR.
7. TAB to the "OK" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the dialog box and, depending on your choices, moves or copies the sheet.

Delete a sheet

The "Delete" option in the "Home" tab of the Ribbon holds the options for deleting rows, columns and worksheets. You can quickly reach these options by pressing ALT + H, followed by the letter D.

To delete a worksheet:

1. Go to the sheet you want to delete.
2. Press ALT + H, D and DOWN ARROW to "Delete Sheet" and press ENTER. A confirmation message window appears.
3. TAB to the "Delete" button and press SPACEBAR. Excel closes the message window and deletes the sheet.

Section 11: Sort data

Sort a column of data in ascending order

To perform a simple sort based on one column:

1. Select the cells to sort.
2. Press SHIFT + F10, DOWN ARROW to "Sort" and RIGHT ARROW to open its sub-menu.
3. If the data is text, DOWN ARROW to "Sort A to Z" and press ENTER. If the data is numbers, DOWN ARROW to "Sort smallest to largest" and press ENTER. Excel closes the menu and sorts the data.

Sort a column of data in descending order

To perform a simple sort based on one column:

1. Select the cells to sort.
2. Press SHIFT + F10, DOWN ARROW to "Sort" and RIGHT ARROW to open its sub-menu.
3. If the data is text, DOWN ARROW to "Sort Z to A" and press ENTER. If the data is numbers, DOWN ARROW to "Sort largest to smallest" and press ENTER. Excel closes the menu and sorts the data.

Auto filter data

Filtering provides an easy way to sort data. Filtering also has the benefit that it does not alter the source data but rather just hides the rows that do not meet the current criteria.

In order to successfully filter data, the worksheet must have headings for each column of data. With headings in place, you can filter data in the following way:

1. Go to a heading in the data range.
2. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + L. Excel adds a drop down button to each cell in the row.
3. Go to the heading to be filtered and press ALT + DOWN ARROW. A list opens with options including "Ascending", "Descending" and criteria based on the column data.
4. DOWN ARROW to select an item and press ENTER. Excel closes the list and focus goes back to the cell. Excel hides all the rows that do not meet the criteria.

Note: To close the filter list without applying a change, press ALT + UP ARROW or ESCAPE. To remove the Filter, go to the heading row and press CONTROL + SHIFT + L AGAIN.

Section 12: Formula

A formula is a series of mathematical instructions that can be used in Excel to perform calculations based on the contents of cells. Formulae are entered in Excel’s formula bar by prefixing the formula with an ("=") equals sign.

There are four possible components that make up an Excel formula and they are:

• References: The cell co-ordinates (or a range of cell co-ordinates) that you want to perform calculations on.
• Operators: Mathematical symbols ( + , -, /, *, etc.) that specify the calculation to be performed on the cell (or range of cells) value.
• Constants: Numbers (such as 5) that do not change during the calculation.
• Functions: Built-in Excel formulas, such as Sum, Average, and Count.

Add a simple formula

To add a simple formula:

1. Go to the cell that will show the results of the formula.
2. Type = followed by the formula, for example, =A1+B1 and press ENTER.

The above example adds the values of cells A1 and B1 together and puts the results into the current cell.

Apply relative, absolute and mixed references

A cell reference can be relative or absolute. A relative reference changes when copied and an absolute reference stays constant when copied

For example:

• To display the value of cell A1 as a relative value:

  =A1

• To display the value of cell A1 as an absolute value:
  =$A$1
   
• To display the value of cell A1 with an absolute column value and relative row value:

  =$A1

• To display the value of cell A1 with a relative column value and absolute row value:

  =A$1

To switch between relative, absolute and mixed references:

1. Go to the cell containing the formula.
2. Press F2.
3. Edit the formula or select the reference to change and press F4 to toggle through the combinations.
4. wHEN DONE, Press ENTER. Excel updates the formula.

Insert a function

An Excel function is a built-in formula. these include:

• Sum (adds the values of a range of cells together).
• Average (calculates the average value of a range of cells).
• Min (calculates the minimum value of a range of cells).
• Max (calculates the maximum value of a range of cells)
• Count (calculates the number of cells in a range).

An Excel function has a name (such as Sum, Average, Max, Min, or Count) and arguments (such as the cell range A1:A30) specified in brackets (parentheses).

To insert a simple function:

1. Go to the cell that will show the results of the formula.
2. Press SHIFT + F3. The "Insert Function" dialog box opens.
3. TAB to the "Select a function" list.
4. DOWN ARROW to the Excel function that you want to use and then press ENTER. The "Function Arguments" dialog box opens.
5. Type in the arguments for the function, such as the cell range A1:A30, and press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and inserts the formula into the cell.

If you use a particular function regularly then you can type in the name of the function directly into the cell rather than using the method described above, for example, typing

=SUM(A1:A30)

Brings the same results as using the steps above.

Read the Formula Bar

The Formula Bar shows any formulas contained in a cell.

You can press a SuperNova and ScreenReader hot key to read the content of the Formula Bar.

Show formulas in a worksheet

You can set Excel to show the formula in the worksheet cells rather than showing the outcome of the formula by pressing CONTROL + GRAVE (`).

Repeat this hot key to go back to showing the results of the formula.

Section 13: Comments

You can add a Comment to a cell. A Comment is a small text box that contains any points of interest about the current cell.

You can hide or view Comments added to cells.

Add or edit a Comment

To add or edit a Comment:

1. Go to the cell to change.
2. Press SHIFT + F2. A Comment text box opens.
3. Type a Comment and press ESCAPE. Excel saves the Comment and focus goes back to the worksheet.

If you do not return to your worksheet, press ESCAPE to move focus away from the Comment. To avoid this problem in the future, see "Recommended Excel Comment setting change" below.

Read a Comment

SuperNova and ScreenReader tells you when a cell has a Comment. You can then choose to read the Comment or ignore it.

To read a Comment, press the Additional Focus Information hot key.

List the Comments in the currently visible cells

One way you can review Comments added to cells is to use the SuperNova and ScreenReader Item Finder. This method is restricted to the cells currently visible on the screen.

To show a list of Comments and then go to the cell containing the Comment:

1. Press CAPS LOCK + TAB. The Item Finder opens. You begin in the "Summary" tab.
2. DOWN ARROW through the Summary list, select "Comments" and press ENTER. The "Comments" list opens.
3. DOWN ARROW to select the Comment you want to go to and press ENTER. The Item Finder dialog box closes and focus moves to the cell.

Go to cells containing Comments

When working in a small worksheet, the Item Finder provides an easy way to review the cells containing Comments. When the range of cells extends beyond the visible screen then you need to adopt a different approach.

To review cells containing a Comment do this:

1. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + O. Excel selects all cells containing Comments in the worksheet.
2. Press TAB or SHIFT + TAB to move between the selected cells.

Note: You will not be able to move between selected cells if the range becomes unselected, for example, if you use the Arrow Keys to move away from the current cell. You can also select all cells containing Comments by pressing F5 to open the "Go To" dialog box, select the "Specials" button and then choose "Comments".

Delete a Comment

To delete a Comment from a cell:

1. Go to the cell to change.
2. Press SHIFT + F10 and then DOWN ARROW to "Delete Comment" and press ENTER. Excel closes the menu and deletes the Comment.

Recommended Excel Comment setting change

You may find setting Excel to hide Comments means comments are easier to use because it reduces screen clutter.

To do this:

1. Press ALT + F. Backstage View opens.
2. DOWN ARROW to "Options" and press ENTER. The "Excel Options" dialog box opens.
3. DOWN ARROW to the "Advanced" tab.
4. TAB to the "For cells with comments, show:" group and select either "No comments or indicators" or "Indicators only, and comments on hover" and then press ENTER. Excel closes the dialog box and applies the changes.

Section 14: Charts

Create a chart

To create a chart:

1. Select the cells containing the data range.
2. Press ALT + N followed by K. The "Insert" tab opens, the "All Charts" button is pressed and a list of available chart types opens.
3. Use the Arrow Keys to select a chart type and press ENTER. Excel inserts the chart into the worksheet.
4. press ESCAPE. Excel moves focus back to the worksheet.

Note: To quickly create a chart that is based on a default design and inserted as a new chart sheet, select your data range and press ALT + F1 or F11. If you use a particular chart type regularly, then you can set this to be your default chart design. This is done by selecting the "Set as default chart" button, in the "Chart Type" dialog box.

Edit a chart

Once you have created a chart you can do several things to customize and modify the contents of the chart. To do this you must first select the chart, which you do by clicking the chart object with the mouse pointer. For a keyboard alternative, you can use the SuperNova and ScreenReader Item Finder to select your chart.

To do this:

1. Press CAPS LOCK + TAB. The SuperNova Item Finder opens. You begin in the "Summary" tab
2. DOWN ARROW through the Summary list, select "Charts" and press ENTER. The "Charts" page opens.
3. DOWN ARROW to select the chart to edit and press ENTER. The Item Finder dialog box closes and the chart is selected. When your chart is selected, Excel adds "Chart Tools" tabs to the Ribbon. These additional tabs are: Design, Layout and Format.
4. Press ALT and RIGHT ARROW until you select the tab you want to open.
5. TAB to the button you want to use and press SPACEBAR.

List chart elements

You can list and review chart elements using the SuperNova and ScreenReader Item Finder.

To list charts in the current worksheet and review the chart elements:

1. Press CAPS LOCK + TAB. The Item Finder opens. You begin in the "Summary" tab.
2. DOWN ARROW through the Summary list, select "Charts" and press ENTER. The "Charts" page opens.
3. DOWN ARROW to select the chart to review and press ENTER. the Item Finder dialog box closes and the chart is selected.
4. To read the chart elements, press the Additional Focus Information hot key.
5. To list the chart elements, open the SuperNova Item Finder and then press CONTROL + TAB to open the "Chart elements" page. Next, use the Arrow Keys to view a list of the chart properties. When done, press ESCAPE to exit the Item Finder.
6. Press ESCAPE. Excel moves focus back to the worksheet.

Section 15: Popular Excel hot keys

General Hot Keys

Navigation Hot Keys

Edit and Format Hot Keys

Cut, Copy and Paste Hot Keys

Find Hot Keys

What should you press to move forward one cell in the current row?

Which of the following keyboard shortcuts cuts a row from a table?

What key enables you to navigate through a table?

When you select a cell range the cells must be adjacent to each other?