Part I: Getting Started with Excel
■ (^) Select the cell that you want to edit and then click inside the Formula bar to
edit the cell contents in the Formula bar.
You can use whichever method you prefer. Some people find editing directly in the cell
easier; others prefer to use the Formula bar to edit a cell.
The Advanced tab of the Excel Options dialog box contains a section called Editing Options. These settings affect
how editing works. (To access this dialog box, choose File ➪ Options.) If the Allow Editing Directly in Cells option
isn’t enabled, you can’t edit a cell by double-clicking. In addition, pressing F2 allows you to edit the cell in the
Formula bar (not directly in the cell).
All of these methods cause Excel to go into Edit mode. (The word Edit appears at the
left side of the status bar at the bottom of the window.) When Excel is in Edit mode, the
Formula bar enables two icons: Cancel (the X) and Enter (the check mark). Figure 2.3 shows
these two icons. Clicking the Cancel icon cancels editing without changing the cell’s con-
tents. (Pressing Esc has the same effect.) Clicking the Enter icon completes the editing and
enters the modified contents into the cell. (Pressing Enter has the same effect, except that
clicking the Enter icon doesn’t change the active cell.)
FIGURE 2.3
When you’re editing a cell, the Formula bar enables two new icons: Cancel (X) and Enter
(check mark).
When you begin editing a cell, the insertion point appears as a vertical bar, and you can
perform the following tasks:
■ (^) Add new characters at the location of the insertion point. Move the insertion
point by doing one of the following:
■ (^) Using the navigation keys to move within the cell
■ Pressing Home to move the insertion point to the beginning of the cell
■ (^) Pressing End to move the insertion point to the end of the cell