The basics of opening and changing cells

To edit a spreadsheet in Excel, open the file and click on any cell — the box where a row and column meet. That cell is now selected, shown by a blue border around it. Type directly into the cell, and what you type replaces whatever was there before. Press Enter when you finish, and Excel moves you down to the next cell.

If you want to change only part of what is in a cell — not replace the whole thing — double-click the cell instead of single-clicking. The cursor appears inside the cell, and you can edit the text the way you would in a document. Use the arrow keys to move through the text, backspace to delete, and type to add. Press Enter when you are done.

You can also edit a cell by clicking it once and then clicking in the formula bar — the long white box at the top that shows what is in the selected cell. Type or edit there, and the changes appear in both the formula bar and the cell itself.

Key Takeaways

  • Click a cell to select it, then type to replace its contents, or double-click to edit only part of what is there.
  • Press Enter to confirm your change and move to the next cell, or press Escape to cancel without saving.
  • Undo any mistake by pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac), which works even after you have moved to a different cell.
  • Use the fill handle — the small square at the bottom right of a selected cell — to copy a formula or value down to multiple cells at once.
  • Save your work often with Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac) to avoid losing changes if the program closes unexpectedly.

Undoing mistakes and recovering lost work

If you make a change and realize it was wrong, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. Excel undoes the last action and restores what was there before. You can press it multiple times to undo several changes in reverse order — the most recent change undoes first.

Undo works even after you have moved to a different cell or closed and reopened the file, as long as you have not saved. Once you save the file, undo can only go back to the last time you saved. If you close the file without saving and want to recover it, look for an "Autorecover" or "Recent Files" option in the File menu — Excel keeps backup copies of unsaved work for a limited time.

Copying, moving, and deleting content

To copy a cell or group of cells, select them and press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac). Click where you want the copy to go and press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac). The content appears in the new location, and the original stays in place.

To move content instead of copying it, select the cells and press Ctrl+X (Windows) or Command+X (Mac). This cuts the content — it disappears from the original location. Click where you want it to go and press Ctrl+V to paste it there.

To delete what is in a cell without moving anything, select the cell and press Delete. The cell becomes empty. If you want to delete the cell itself and shift everything else over, right-click the cell, choose "Delete", and pick whether to shift cells left or up.

Working with rows and columns

To insert a new row, right-click on the row number on the left side and choose "Insert 1 Above" or "Insert 1 Below". Excel creates a blank row and shifts everything else down. To insert a column, right-click on the column letter at the top and choose "Insert 1 Left" or "Insert 1 Right".

To delete a row or column, right-click it and choose "Delete". Everything in that row or column disappears, and the rows or columns below or to the right shift up or left to fill the space. If you delete by mistake, press Ctrl+Z to undo.

To change the width of a column, position your cursor on the line between two column letters at the top until it becomes a resize arrow, then drag left or right. To change row height, do the same with the line between two row numbers on the left.

Editing formulas and functions

A formula in Excel starts with an equals sign and tells Excel to calculate something. For example, =A1+A2 adds the values in cells A1 and A2. To edit a formula, click the cell that contains it and look at the formula bar at the top. You see the formula there, not the result. Click in the formula bar and edit the formula the same way you would edit text in a document.

When you click a cell with a formula, Excel highlights the cells that the formula uses in different colors. This helps you see which cells are being added, subtracted, or used in the calculation. If the formula refers to cells that no longer exist or contain an error, Excel shows an error message like #REF! or #VALUE!. Click the cell and check the formula bar to find and fix the problem.

Finding and replacing text across the spreadsheet

To find a specific word or number in your spreadsheet, press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac). A search box appears. Type what you are looking for and press Enter. Excel highlights the first match and jumps to it. Press Enter again or click the down arrow to find the next match.

To replace text, press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+H (Mac). Type what you want to find in the first box and what you want to replace it with in the second box. Click "Replace All" to change every match at once, or click "Replace" one at a time if you want to check each one before it changes. This is useful when you realize a name or number is spelled wrong throughout the entire spreadsheet.

Saving your spreadsheet in different formats

By default, Excel saves files as .xlsx, which is the standard Excel format and works on Windows, Mac, and most other programs. To save, press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac). If this is a new file, a dialog box asks where you want to save it and what to name it.

If you need to share the file with someone who uses an older version of Excel or a different program, you can save it in a different format. Press Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows) or Command+Shift+S (Mac), or go to File and choose "Save As". A dropdown menu shows other formats: .xls for older Excel versions, .csv for importing into other programs, .pdf if you want people to view but not edit, and others. Choose the format you need and click Save.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between editing a cell and replacing it?

Replacing means you click once and type, which erases everything that was there. Editing means you double-click or click in the formula bar, so you can change only part of the content. Use editing when you want to keep most of what is there and fix a typo or add a word.

Can I edit multiple cells at the same time?

You can select multiple cells and type to replace all of them with the same content at once. Select the cells, type what you want, and press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Enter (Mac) instead of just Enter. To edit different cells with different changes, you must do them one at a time.

What happens if I press Enter instead of Escape when I change my mind about an edit?

Pressing Enter saves the change and moves you to the next cell. If you realize you made a mistake after pressing Enter, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo it. Pressing Escape cancels the edit before you press Enter, so the cell stays as it was.

How do I know if a cell contains a formula or just a number?

Click the cell and look at the formula bar at the top. If it starts with an equals sign, it is a formula. If it is just a number or text, that is what appears in the formula bar. You can edit either one the same way — click the cell and type or edit in the formula bar.

Can I edit a spreadsheet on my phone or tablet?

Excel has apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android that let you view and edit spreadsheets. The editing tools are simpler than the desktop version, but you can change cell contents, add rows and columns, and use basic formulas. You need a Microsoft account to sign in and save changes to the cloud.