Part I: Getting Started with Excel
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l (^) Double-click the cell to edit the cell contents directly in the cell.
l Select the cell and press F2 to edit the cell contents directly in the cell.
l (^) 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; oth-
ers prefer to use the Formula bar to edit a cell.
Note
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). n
All these methods cause Excel to go into edit mode. (The word Edit appears at the left side of the sta-
tus bar at the bottom of the screen.) When Excel is in edit mode, the Formula bar displays two new
icons: the X and the Check Mark (see Figure 2.3). Clicking the X icon cancels editing without chang-
ing the cell’s contents. (Pressing Esc has the same effect.) Clicking the Check Mark icon completes
the editing and enters the modified contents into the cell. (Pressing Enter has the same effect.)
FIGURE 2.3
While editing a cell, the Formula bar displays two new icons.
The X iconThe Check Mark icon
When you begin editing a cell, the insertion point appears as a vertical bar, and you can perform
the following tasks:
l (^) Add new characters at the location of the insertion point. Move the insertion point by
l Using the navigation keys to move within the cell
l (^) Pressing Home to move the insertion point to the beginning of the cell
l Pressing End to move the insertion point to the end of the cell