Excel 2010 Bible

Part I: Getting Started with Excel

116

FIGURE 6.1

In just a few minutes, some simple formatting can greatly improve the appearance of your worksheets.

The Excel formatting tools are available in three locations:

l On the Home tab of the Ribbon

l (^) On the Mini toolbar that appears when you right-click a range or a cell
l From the Format Cells dialog box
In addition, many common formatting commands have keyboard shortcuts that you can use.
Cross-Reference
Excel also enables you to format cells based on the cell’s contents. Chapter 20 discusses conditional formatting. n

Using the formatting tools of the Home Tab ............................................................

The Home tab of the Ribbon provides quick access to the most commonly used formatting options.

Start by selecting the cell or range; then use the appropriate tool in the Font, Alignment, or

Number groups.

Using these tools is very intuitive, and the best way to familiarize yourself with them is to experi-

ment. Enter some data, select some cells, and then click the controls to change the appearance.

Note that some of these controls are actually drop-down lists. Click the small arrow on the button,

and the button expands to display your choices.

Using the Mini toolbar ............................................................................................

When you right-click a cell or a range selection, you get a shortcut menu. In addition, the Mini

toolbar appears above the shortcut menu. Figure 6.2 shows how this toolbar looks.