Opening a blank spreadsheet and saving it

To create a new Excel spreadsheet, open Excel on your computer. If you have Excel installed, look for the icon on your desktop or search for "Excel" in your start menu. When Excel opens, you will see a screen with options to create a new workbook. Click the blank workbook option — it looks like a grid of empty cells.

Once the blank spreadsheet appears, save it when ready with a name you will recognize. Press Ctrl+S on your keyboard (or Cmd+S on Mac), and a dialog box will ask where you want to save the file and what to name it. Choose a folder you use regularly, like Documents, and type a clear name like "Monthly Budget" or "Inventory List". Excel will add the .xlsx extension automatically.

The spreadsheet is now ready to use. You will see columns labeled A, B, C across the top and rows numbered 1, 2, 3 down the left side. Each box where a column and row meet is called a cell, and it is identified by its column letter and row number — for example, cell A1 is in the top-left corner.

Key Takeaways

  • A new Excel spreadsheet opens as a blank grid of cells, each identified by a column letter and row number like A1 or B3.
  • Save your spreadsheet when ready after opening it so you do not lose your work if the program closes unexpectedly.
  • Type data directly into any cell by clicking it and then typing; press Enter to move to the next row or Tab to move to the next column.
  • Formulas that start with an equals sign (=) let you add, subtract, count, or average numbers without doing the math yourself.
  • Format your data by selecting cells and using the toolbar buttons to make text bold, change colors, or adjust column width so everything fits.

Entering data into cells

Click on any cell to select it — you will see a dark border around the cell you chose. Type whatever you want to put there: a number, a word, a date, or a formula. As you type, the text appears both in the cell and in the formula bar at the top of the screen. When you finish typing, press Enter to confirm the entry and move down to the next row, or press Tab to move right to the next column.

If you make a mistake while typing, press Backspace to delete characters, or press Escape to cancel the entire entry without saving it. If you already pressed Enter and want to fix what you typed, click the cell again and type the correction — the new text will replace the old one.

Most spreadsheets start with a header row at the top that labels what each column contains. For example, in a budget spreadsheet, row 1 might have headers like "Date", "Category", and "Amount". Type these labels in cells A1, B1, and C1, pressing Tab to move between them. Then start your actual data in row 2.

Using formulas to calculate automatically

A formula is an instruction that tells Excel to do math for you. Every formula starts with an equals sign (=). The most common formulas add or sum numbers. To add the numbers in cells A1, A2, and A3, click on an empty cell below them and type =SUM(A1:A3). The colon between A1 and A3 means "all cells from A1 through A3". Press Enter, and Excel will add those numbers and show the total.

Other useful formulas include =AVERAGE(A1:A10) to find the average of ten numbers, =COUNT(A1:A10) to count how many cells contain numbers, and =MAX(A1:A10) to find the largest number. You can also do straightforward math: type =A1+A2 to add two cells, =A1-A2 to subtract, =A1*A2 to multiply, or =A1/A2 to divide.

If you change a number in one of the cells a formula uses, Excel updates the result automatically. This is why formulas are powerful — you can change your data and the totals recalculate when ready without you having to redo the math.

Organizing columns and rows

When you first create a spreadsheet, all columns are the same width. If your text is too long to fit, it either spills over into the next column or gets cut off. To widen a column, position your cursor on the line between two column letters at the top — for example, between the A and B headers. Your cursor will change to a resize arrow. Click and drag to the right to make the column wider, or double-click to auto-fit the column to whatever text is inside it.

You can also insert new rows or columns if you need to add information in the middle of your data. Right-click on a row number or column letter and select "Insert" from the menu. A new row or column will appear, and everything below or to the right will shift down or over to make room.

If you want to delete a row or column you no longer need, right-click it and select "Delete". Be careful — this removes the data permanently, though you can press Ctrl+Z to undo if you change your mind when ready.

Formatting to make data easier to read

Once your data is entered, formatting makes it clearer and easier to scan. Select the cells you want to format by clicking one and dragging to another, or by clicking one cell and then holding Shift while clicking a different cell. The selected cells will highlight in blue.

With cells selected, use the toolbar buttons near the top to make changes. Click the B button to make text bold, the I button to make it italic, or the U button to underline. You can change text color by clicking the small arrow next to the font color button and choosing a color from the palette. To change the background color of cells, click the paint bucket icon and choose a color.

Numbers can be formatted too. Right-click selected cells and choose "Format Cells". A dialog box opens where you can set how many decimal places to show, add dollar signs to money, or display dates in a specific format. This does not change the actual number — it only changes how it appears on screen.

Saving and backing up your work

Save your spreadsheet regularly as you work. Press Ctrl+S every few minutes, especially after entering a lot of data or creating a formula. This ensures that if your computer crashes or the power goes out, you do not lose everything.

Excel also has an auto-save feature if you store your file in OneDrive or SharePoint, which are cloud storage services. If auto-save is turned on, Excel saves your changes automatically every few seconds. You can check whether auto-save is on by looking at the top of the window — if you see "AutoSave" with a toggle switch, you can turn it on or off there.

If you want to keep multiple versions of the same spreadsheet — for example, one for each month — save each version with a different name. Use File > Save As and type a new name. This way you have a record of how your data changed over time.

Printing or sharing your spreadsheet

When you are ready to print your spreadsheet, press Ctrl+P to open the print dialog. A preview will show you how the spreadsheet will look on paper. If it is too wide to fit on one page, Excel will split it across multiple pages. You can adjust this by going to File > Print and looking for options to scale or fit to page.

To share your spreadsheet with someone else, you can email the file as an attachment, or you can upload it to OneDrive and send them a link. If you upload to OneDrive, you can also set permissions so they can view only, or edit the file themselves. Right-click the file in OneDrive and choose "Share" to send an invitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between columns and rows?

Columns run vertically down the page and are labeled with letters (A, B, C). Rows run horizontally across the page and are labeled with numbers (1, 2, 3). A cell is the intersection of a column and row — for example, B3 is in column B, row 3.

Can I undo a mistake after I save the file?

If you saved the file and then made a mistake, you can still undo recent changes by pressing Ctrl+Z repeatedly. However, once you close and reopen the file, the undo history is gone. This is why saving frequently is important — save before making big changes so you can always go back to a known good version.

How do I copy a formula to other cells?

Click the cell with the formula you want to copy. A small square appears in the bottom-right corner of the cell. Click and drag that square down or to the right to copy the formula to other cells. Excel automatically adjusts the cell references — for example, if you copy =SUM(A1:A3) down to the next row, it becomes =SUM(A2:A4).

What should I do if Excel freezes or stops responding?

Press Ctrl+S to try to save your work, then wait a few seconds. If Excel is still frozen, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the task manager, click Excel in the list, and click "End Task". When you reopen Excel, it will offer to recover your file from the last auto-save.

Can I use Excel on my phone or tablet?

Yes, Microsoft offers free Excel apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. The mobile version has fewer features than the desktop version, but you can view, edit, and create basic spreadsheets. Files sync automatically if you save them to OneDrive.