Excel®2019ForDummies®
Publishedby:JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ
07030-5774,www.wiley.com
Copyright©2018byJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey
PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem
ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recording,scanningorotherwise,exceptaspermittedunder
Sections107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,withoutthe
priorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher.RequeststothePublisherfor
permissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,John
Wiley&Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,(201)7486011,fax(201)748-6008,oronlineat
/>Trademarks:Wiley,ForDummies,theDummiesManlogo,
Dummies.com,MakingEverythingEasier,andrelatedtradedressare
trademarksorregisteredtrademarksofJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.andmay
notbeusedwithoutwrittenpermission.MicrosoftandExcelareregistered
trademarksofMicrosoftCorporation.Allothertrademarksarethe
propertyoftheirrespectiveowners.JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.isnot
associatedwithanyproductorvendormentionedinthisbook.
LIMITOFLIABILITY/DISCLAIMEROFWARRANTY:THE
PUBLISHERANDTHEAUTHORMAKENOREPRESENTATIONS
ORWARRANTIESWITHRESPECTTOTHEACCURACYOR
COMPLETENESSOFTHECONTENTSOFTHISWORKAND
SPECIFICALLYDISCLAIMALLWARRANTIES,INCLUDING
WITHOUTLIMITATIONWARRANTIESOFFITNESSFORA
PARTICULARPURPOSE.NOWARRANTYMAYBECREATEDOR
EXTENDEDBYSALESORPROMOTIONALMATERIALS.THE
ADVICEANDSTRATEGIESCONTAINEDHEREINMAYNOTBE
SUITABLEFOREVERYSITUATION.THISWORKISSOLDWITH

THEUNDERSTANDINGTHATTHEPUBLISHERISNOT
ENGAGEDINRENDERINGLEGAL,ACCOUNTING,OROTHER
PROFESSIONALSERVICES.IFPROFESSIONALASSISTANCEIS
REQUIRED,THESERVICESOFACOMPETENTPROFESSIONAL
PERSONSHOULDBESOUGHT.NEITHERTHEPUBLISHERNOR
THEAUTHORSHALLBELIABLEFORDAMAGESARISING


HEREFROM.THEFACTTHATANORGANIZATIONORWEBSITE
ISREFERREDTOINTHISWORKASACITATIONAND/ORA
POTENTIALSOURCEOFFURTHERINFORMATIONDOESNOT
MEANTHATTHEAUTHORORTHEPUBLISHERENDORSESTHE
INFORMATIONTHEORGANIZATIONORWEBSITEMAY
PROVIDEORRECOMMENDATIONSITMAYMAKE.FURTHER,
READERSSHOULDBEAWARETHATINTERNETWEBSITES
LISTEDINTHISWORKMAYHAVECHANGEDORDISAPPEARED
BETWEENWHENTHISWORKWASWRITTENANDWHENITIS
READ.
Forgeneralinformationonourotherproductsandservices,pleasecontact
ourCustomerCareDepartmentwithintheU.S.at877-762-2974,outside
theU.S.at317-572-3993,orfax317-572-4002.Fortechnicalsupport,
pleasevisit />Wileypublishesinavarietyofprintandelectronicformatsandbyprinton-demand.Somematerialincludedwithstandardprintversionsofthis
bookmaynotbeincludedine-booksorinprint-on-demand.Ifthisbook
referstomediasuchasaCDorDVDthatisnotincludedintheversion
youpurchased,youmaydownloadthismaterialat
.FormoreinformationaboutWiley
products,visitwww.wiley.com.
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2018954127
ISBN978-1-119-51332-2(pbk);ISBN978-1-119-51333-9(ebk);ISBN
978-1-119-51334-6(ebk)



Excel®2019ForDummies®
Toviewthisbook’sCheatSheet,simplygoto
www.dummies.comandsearchfor“Excel®2019
ForDummiesCheatSheet”intheSearchbox.

TableofContents
Cover
Introduction
AboutThisBook
HowtoUseThisBook
WhatYouCanSafelyIgnore
FoolishAssumptions
HowThisBookIsOrganized
ConventionsUsedinThisBook
BeyondtheBook
WheretoGofromHere

Part1:GettingStartedwithExcel2019
Chapter1:TheExcel2019UserExperience
Excel’sRibbonUserInterface
LaunchingandQuittingExcel
HelpIsontheWay

Chapter2:CreatingaSpreadsheetfromScratch
SoWhatYaGonnaPutinThatNewWorkbookofYours?
DoingtheData-EntryThing
ItTakesAllTypes
FixingThoseDataEntryFlub-Ups

TakingtheDrudgeryOutofDataEntry
HowtoMakeYourFormulasFunctionEvenBetter
MakingSureThattheDataIsSafeandSound
SavingtheWorkbookasaPDFFile


DocumentRecoverytotheRescue

Part2:EditingWithoutTears
Chapter3:MakingItAllLookPretty
ChoosingaSelectGroupofCells
UsingtheFormatasTableGallery
CellFormattingfromtheHomeTab
FormattingCellsClosetotheSourcewiththeMini-bar
UsingtheFormatCellsDialogBox
CalibratingColumns
FutzingwiththeFonts
AlteringtheAlignment
DoingItinStyles
FoolingAroundwiththeFormatPainter
ConditionalFormatting

Chapter4:GoingThroughChanges
OpeningYourWorkbooksforEditing
MuchAdoaboutUndo
DoingtheOldDrag-and-DropThing
CopyingFormulaswithAutoFill
CutandPaste,DigitalStyle
Let’sBeClearAboutDeletingStuff
StayinginStepwithInsert

StampingOutYourSpellingErrors
EliminatingErrorswithTexttoSpeech

Chapter5:PrintingtheMasterpiece
PreviewingPagesinPageLayoutView
UsingtheBackstagePrintScreen
PrintingtheCurrentWorksheet
MyPageWasSetUp!
FromHeadertoFooter
SolvingPageBreakProblems
LettingYourFormulasAllHangOut

Part3:GettingOrganizedandStayingThatWay
Chapter6:MaintainingtheWork sheet
ZoomingInandOut
SplittingtheWorksheetintoWindowPanes


FixedHeadingswithFreezePanes
ElectronicStickyNotes
TheRangeNameGame
SeekandYeShallFind…
ReplacingCellEntries
DoingYourResearchwithSmartLookup
ControllingRecalculation
PuttingontheProtection

Chapter7:MaintainingMultipleWorksheets
JugglingMultipleWorksheets
Don’tShort-SheetMe!

OpeningWindowsonYourWorksheets
ComparingWorksheetsSidebySide
ShiftingSheetstoOtherWorkbooks
SummingStuffonDifferentWorksheets

Part4:DiggingDataAnalysis
Chapter8:DoingWhat-IfAnalysis
PlayingWhat-IfwithDataTables
PlayingWhat-IfwithGoalSeeking
MakingtheCasewithScenarioManager

Chapter9:PlayingwithPivotTables
DataAnalysiswithPivotTables
FormattingPivotTables
SortingandFilteringPivotTableData
ModifyingPivotTables
CreatingPivotCharts

Part5:LifeBeyondtheSpreadsheet
Chapter10:CharmingChartsandGorgeousGraphics
MakingProfessional-LookingCharts
AddingGreat-LookingGraphics
ControllingHowGraphicObjectsOverlap
PrintingJusttheCharts

Chapter11:GettingontheDataList
CreatingDataLists
SortingDataLists
FilteringDataLists



ImportingExternalData

Chapter12:Linking,Automating,andSharing
Spreadsheets
UsingOfficeAdd-ins
UsingExcelAdd-Ins
AddingHyperlinkstoaWorksheet
AutomatingCommandswithMacros
SharingYourWorksheets
EditingWorksheetsinExcelOnline

Part6:ThePartofTens
Chapter13:TopTenBeginnerBasics
Chapter14:TheTenCommandmentsofExcel2019
Chapter15:TopTenWaystoManageYourData
Chapter16:TopTenWaystoAnalyzeYourData
Index
AbouttheAuthor
ConnectwithDummies
EndUserLicenseAgreement


Introduction
I’mveryproudtopresentyouwithExcel2019ForDummies,thelatest
versionofeverybody’sfavoritebookonMicrosoftOfficeExcelforreaders
withnointentionwhatsoeverofbecomingspreadsheetgurus.
Excel2019ForDummiescoversallthefundamentaltechniquesyouneed
toknowinordertocreate,edit,format,andprintyourownworksheets.In
additiontoshowingyouaroundtheworksheet,thisbookalsoexposesyou

tothebasicsofcharting,creatingdatalists,andperformingdataanalysis.
Keepinmind,though,thatthisbookjusttouchesontheeasiestwaystoget
afewthingsdonewiththesefeatures—Idon’tattempttocovercharting,
datalists,ordataanalysisinthesamedefinitivewayasspreadsheets:This
bookconcentratesonspreadsheetsbecausespreadsheetsarewhatmost
regularfolkscreatewithExcel.

AboutThisBook
Thisbookisn’tmeanttobereadcovertocover.Althoughitschaptersare
looselyorganizedinalogicalorder(progressingasyoumightwhen
studyingExcelinaclassroomsituation),eachtopiccoveredinachapteris
reallymeanttostandonitsown.
Eachdiscussionofatopicbrieflyaddressesthequestionofwhata
particularfeatureisgoodforbeforelaunchingintohowtouseit.InExcel,
aswithmostothersophisticatedprograms,youusuallyhavemorethanone
waytodoatask.Forthesakeofyoursanity,Ihavepurposelylimitedthe
choicesbyusuallygivingyouonlythemostefficientwaystodoa
particulartask.Later,ifyou’resotempted,youcanexperimentwith
alternativewaysofdoingatask.Fornow,justconcentrateonperforming
thetaskasIdescribe.
Asmuchaspossible,I’vetriedtomakeitunnecessaryforyouto
rememberanythingcoveredinanothersectionofthebook.Fromtimeto
time,however,youwillcomeacrossacross-referencetoanothersection
orchapterinthebook.Forthemostpart,suchcross-referencesaremeant
tohelpyougetmorecompleteinformationonasubject,shouldyouhave
thetimeandinterest.Ifyouhaveneither,noproblem.Justignorethe
cross-referencesasiftheyneverexisted.


HowtoUseThisBook

Thisbookissimilartoareferencebook.Youcanstartbylookingupthe
topicyouneedinformationabout(ineithertheTableofContentsorthe
index)andthenreferdirectlytothesectionofinterest.Iexplainmost
topicsconversationally(asthoughyouweresittinginthebackofa
classroomwhereyoucansafelynap).Sometimes,however,myregimentcommandermentalitytakesover,andIlistthestepsyouneedtotaketo
accomplishaparticulartaskinaparticularsection.

WhatYouCanSafelyIgnore
Whenyoucomeacrossasectionthatcontainsthestepsyoutaketoget
somethingdone,youcansafelyignorealltextaccompanyingthesteps(the
textthatisn’tinbold)ifyouhaveneitherthetimenortheinclinationto
wadethroughmorematerial.
Wheneverpossible,Ihavealsotriedtoseparatebackgroundorfootnotetypeinformationfromtheessentialfactsbyexilingthiskindofjunktoa
sidebar(lookforblocksoftextonagraybackground).Often,these
sectionsareflaggedwithiconsthatletyouknowwhattypeofinformation
youwillencounterthere.Youcaneasilydisregardtextmarkedthisway.
(I’llscoopyouontheiconsIuseinthisbookalittlelater.)

FoolishAssumptions
I’monlygoingtomakeonefoolishassumptionaboutyou,andthatisthat
youhavesomeneedtouseMicrosoftExcel2019inyourworkorstudies.
Ifpushed,Ifurtherguessthatyouaren’tparticularlyinterestedinknowing
Excelatanexpertlevelbutareterriblymotivatedtofindouthowtodothe
stuffyouneedtogetdone.Ifthat’sthecase,thisisdefinitelythebookfor
you.Fortunately,evenifyouhappentobeoneofthosenewcomerswho’s
highlymotivatedtobecomethecompany’sresidentspreadsheetguru,
you’vestillcometotherightplace.
Asfarasyourhardwareandsoftwaregoes,I’massumingthatyoualready
haveExcel2019(usuallyaspartofMicrosoftOffice2019)installedon
yourcomputingdevice,usingastandardhomeorbusinessinstallation

runningunderWindows10(thisisthefirstversionofExcelthatisnot
supportedbyearlierversionsofWindows,suchastheinfamousWindow8


ortheever-popularWindows7).I’mnotassuming,however,thatwhen
you’reusingExcel2019,youaresittinginfrontofalargescreenmonitor
andmakingcellentriesandcommandselectionswithaphysicalkeyboard
orconnectedmouse.WiththeintroductionofMicrosoft’sSurface4tablets
andthesupportforawholeslewofdifferentWindowstablets,youmay
wellbeenteringdataandselectingcommandswithyourfingerorstylus
usingtheWindowsTouchkeyboard.

TodealwiththedifferencesbetweenusingExcel2019ona
standarddesktoporlaptopcomputerwithaccessonlytoaphysical
keyboardandmouseandatouchscreentabletorsmartphone
environmentwithaccessonlytothevirtualTouchkeyboard,I’ve
outlinedthetouchscreenequivalentstocommoncommandsyoufind
throughoutthetextsuchas“click,”“double-click,”“drag,”andso
forthinChapter1.

ThisbookisintendedonlyforusersofMicrosoftOfficeExcel
2019!BecauseofthediversityofthedevicesthatExcel2019runson
andtheplaceswhereitsfilescanbesavedandused,ifyou’reusing
Excel2007orExcel2010forWindows,muchofthefile-related
informationinthisbookmayonlyconfuseandconfoundyou.If
you’restillusingaversionpriortoExcel2007,whichintroducedthe
Ribboninterface,thiseditionwillbeofnousetoyouasyourversion
oftheprogramworksnothinglikethe2019versionthisbook
describes.



HowThisBookIsOrganized
Thisbookisorganizedinsixpartswitheachpartcontainingtwoormore
chapters(tokeeptheeditorshappy)thatmoreorlessgotogether(tokeep
youhappy).Eachchapterisdividedfurtherintolooselyrelatedsections
thatcoverthebasicsofthetopicathand.However,don’tgethungupon
followingthestructureofthebook;ultimately,itdoesn’tmatterwhether
youfindouthowtoedittheworksheetbeforeyoulearnhowtoformatit,
orwhetheryoufigureoutprintingbeforeyoulearnediting.Theimportant
thingisthatyoufindtheinformation—andunderstanditwhenyoufindit
—whenyouneedtoperformaparticulartask.
Incaseyou’reinterested,asynopsisofwhatyoufindineachpartfollows.

Part1:GettingStartedwithExcel2019
Asthenameimplies,thispartcoverssuchfundamentalsashowtostartthe
program,identifythepartsofthescreen,enterinformationinthe
worksheet,saveadocument,andsoon.Ifyou’restartingwithabsolutely
nobackgroundinusingspreadsheets,youdefinitelywanttoglanceatthe
informationinChapter1todiscoverthesecretsoftheRibboninterface
beforeyoumoveontohowtocreatenewworksheetsinChapter2.

Part2:EditingWithoutTears
Inthispart,Ishowyouhowtoeditspreadsheetstomakethemlookgood,
includinghowtomakemajoreditingchangeswithoutcourtingdisaster.
PeruseChapter3whenyouneedinformationonformattingthedatato
improvethewayitappearsintheworksheet.SeeChapter4for
rearranging,deleting,orinsertingnewinformationintheworksheet.Read
Chapter5fortheskinnyonprintingyourfinishedproduct.

Part3:GettingOrganizedandStayingThatWay

HereIgiveyouallkindsofinformationonhowtostayontopofthedata
thatyou’veenteredintoyourspreadsheets.Chapter6isfullofgoodideas
onhowtokeeptrackofandorganizethedatainasingleworksheet.
Chapter7givesyoutheinsandoutsofworkingwithdataindifferent
worksheetsinthesameworkbookandgivesyouinformationon
transferringdatabetweenthesheetsofdifferentworkbooks.

Part4:DiggingDataAnalysis


Thispartconsistsoftwochapters.Chapter8introducesperforming
varioustypesofwhat-ifanalysisinExcel,includingsettingupdatatables
withoneandtwoinputs,performinggoalseeking,andcreatingdifferent
caseswithScenarioManager.Chapter9introducesExcel’spowerfulpivot
tableandpivotchartcapabilitiesthatenableyoutosummarizeandfilter
vastamountsofdatainaworksheettableordatalistinacompacttabular
orchartformat.

Part5:LifeBeyondtheSpreadsheet
InPart5,IexploresomeoftheotheraspectsofExcelbesidesthe
spreadsheet.InChapter10,youfindoutjusthowridiculouslyeasyitisto
createachartusingthedatainaworksheet.InChapter11,youdiscover
justhowusefulExcel’sdatalistcapabilitiescanbewhenyouhavetotrack
andorganizealargeamountofinformation.InChapter12,youfindout
aboutusingadd-inprogramstoenhanceExcel’sbuilt-infeatures,adding
hyperlinkstojumptonewplacesinaworksheet,tonewdocuments,and
eventowebpages,aswellashowtorecordmacrostoautomateyour
work.

Part6:ThePartofTens

AsisthetraditioninForDummiesbooks,thelastpartcontainslistsofthe
toptenmostusefulfacts,tips,andsuggestions.Inthispart,youfindfour
chapters.Chapter13providesyouwiththetoptenbeginnerbasicsyou
needtoknowasyoustartusingthisprogram.Chapter14givesyouthe
KingJamesVersionoftheTenCommandmentsofExcel2019.Withthis
chapterunderyourbelt,howcanstthougoestastray?Chapter15talks
aboutthetoptenfeaturesformanagingandmaintainingloadsofdatain
Excel2019,whileChapter16examinesthetoptenfeaturesforidentifying
trendsandvitalindicatorsinyourExceldata.

ConventionsUsedinThisBook
Thefollowinginformationgivesyouthelowdownonhowthingslookin
thisbook.Publisherscalltheseitemsthebook’sconventions(no
campaigning,flag-waving,name-calling,orfinger-pointingisinvolved,
however).

SelectingRibboncommands
Throughoutthebook,you’llfindRibboncommandsequences(thename


onthetabontheRibbonandthecommandbuttonyouselect)separatedby
acommandarrow,asin
HOME ⇒   Copy

ThisshorthandistheRibboncommandthatcopieswhatevercellsor
graphicsarecurrentlyselectedtotheWindowsClipboard.Itmeansthat
youclicktheHometabontheRibbon(ifitisn’tdisplayedalready)and
thenclicktheCopybutton(thatsportsthetraditionalside-by-sidepage
icon).
SomeoftheRibboncommandsequencesinvolvenotonlyselectinga

commandbuttononatabbutthenalsoselectinganitemonadrop-down
menu.Inthiscase,thedrop-downmenucommandfollowsthenameofthe
tabandcommandbutton,allseparatedbycommandarrows,asin
Formulas ⇒   CalculationOptions ⇒   Manual

ThisshorthandistheRibboncommandsequencethatturnsonmanual
recalculationinExcel.ItsaysthatyouclicktheFormulastab(ifitisn’t
displayedalready)andthenclicktheCalculationOptionsbuttonfollowed
bytheManualdrop-downmenuoption.
Thebookoccasionallyencouragesyoutotypesomethingspecificintoa
specificcellintheworksheet.WhenItellyoutoenteraspecificfunction,
thepartyoushouldtypegenerallyappearsinboldtype.Forexample,
=SUM(A2:B2)meansthatyoushouldtypeexactlywhatyousee:anequal
sign,thewordSUM,aleftparenthesis,thetextA2:B2(completewitha
colonbetweentheletter-numbercombos),andarightparenthesis.You
then,ofcourse,havetopressEntertomaketheentrystick.
Occasionally,Igiveyouahotkeycombinationthatyoucanpressinorder
tochooseacommandfromthekeyboardratherthanclickingbuttonson
theRibbonwiththemouse.Hotkeycombinationsarewrittenlikethis:
Alt+FSorCtrl+S(bothofthesehotkeycombossaveworkbookchanges).
WiththeAltkeycombosonaphysicalkeyboard,youpresstheAltkey
untilthehotkeylettersappearinlittlesquaresallalongtheRibbon.At
thatpoint,youcanreleasetheAltkeyandstarttypingthehotkeyletters
(bytheway,youtypealllowercasehotkeyletters—Ionlyputthemin
capstomakethemstandoutinthetext).
HotkeycombosthatusetheCtrlkeyareofanoldervintageandworka
littlebitdifferently.OnphysicalkeyboardsyouhavetoholddowntheCtrl


keywhileyoutypethehotkeyletter(thoughagain,typeonlylowercase

lettersunlessyouseetheShiftkeyinthesequence,asinCtrl+Shift+C).
Excel2019usesonlyonepull-downmenu(File)andonetoolbar(the
QuickAccesstoolbar).YouopentheFilepull-downmenubyclickingthe
FiletaborpressingAlt+FtoaccesstheExcelBackstage.TheQuick
Accesstoolbarwithitsfourbuttonsappearstotheimmediaterightofthe
Filetab.
Finally,ifyou’rereallyobservant,youmaynoticeadiscrepancyinhow
thenamesofdialogboxoptions(suchasheadings,optionbuttons,and
checkboxes)appearinthetextandhowtheyactuallyappearinExcelon
yourcomputerscreen.Iintentionallyusetheconventionofcapitalizingthe
initiallettersofallthemainwordsofadialogboxoptiontohelpyou
differentiatethenameoftheoptionfromtherestofthetextdescribingits
use.

IconsUsedinThisBook
Thefollowingiconsareplacedinthemarginstopointoutstuffyoumayor
maynotwanttoread.

Thisiconalertsyoutonerdydiscussionsthatyoumaywellwant
toskip(orreadwhennooneelseisaround).

Thisiconalertsyoutoshortcutsorothervaluablehintsrelatedto
thetopicathand.

Thisiconalertsyoutoinformationtokeepinmindifyouwantto
meetwithamodicumofsuccess.

Thisiconalertsyoutoinformationtokeepinmindifyouwantto
avertcompletedisaster.



BeyondtheBook
Inadditiontowhatyou’rereadingrightnow,thisproductalsocomeswith
afreeaccess-anywhereCheatSheetthat’sfullofpointersonhowtomake
yourwaythroughExcel’scommandmenusandimmediatelystartusingits
featurestocreategreat-lookingspreadsheetsandcharts.TogetthisCheat
Sheet,simplygotowww.dummies.comandsearchfor“Excel2019For
DummiesCheatSheet”intheSearchbox.

WheretoGofromHere
Ifyou’veneverworkedwithacomputerspreadsheet,Isuggestthatyou
firstgotoChapter1andfindoutwhatyou’redealingwith.Then,as
specificneedsarise(suchas,“HowdoIcopyaformula?”or“HowdoI
printjustaparticularsectionofmyworksheet?”),youcangototheTable
ofContentsortheindextofindtheappropriatesectionandgorighttothat
sectionforanswers.


Part1

GettingStartedwithExcel2019


INTHISPART…
ExploretheExceluserinterfaceandtheRibbon.
Makesenseofthemostcommonlyusedtabsandcommand
buttons.
CustomizetheQuickAccesstoolbar.
Start(andstop)Excel2019.
GetonlinehelpwiththeHelptabandwiththeTellMefeaturein

Excel2019.
Becomefamiliarwiththeprominentbuttonsandboxesforentering
spreadsheetdata.
Saveyourworkandrecoveralostworkbookifdisasterstrikes.
Visitwww.dummies.comformoregreatDummiescontentonline.


Chapter1

TheExcel2019UserExperience
INTHISCHAPTER
GettingfamiliarwiththeExcel2019programwindowand
Backstageview
SelectingcommandsfromtheRibbon
CustomizingtheQuickAccesstoolbar
StartingExcel2019
SurfinganExcel2019worksheetandworkbook
GettingthingsdonewiththeTellMefeature
Excel2019,likeExcel2016,2013,2010,and2007beforeit,reliesupona
singlestripatthetopoftheworksheetcalledtheRibbonthatputsthebulk
oftheExcelcommandsyouuseatyourfingertipsatalltimes.
AddtotheRibbonaFiletabandaQuickAccesstoolbar—alongwitha
fewremainingtaskpanes(Help,Clipboard,ClipArt,andResearch,to
nameafew)—andyouendupwiththehandiestwaytocrunchyour
numbers,produceandprintpolishedfinancialreports,aswellasorganize
andchartyourdata.Inotherwords,todoallthewonderfulthingsfor
whichyourelyonExcel.
Bestofall,theExcel2019userinterfaceincludesallsortsofgraphical
elementsthatmakeworkingonspreadsheetsalotfasterandagreatdeal
easier.ForemostisLivePreview,whichshowsyouhowyouractual

worksheetdatawouldappearinaparticularfont,tableformatting,andso
onbeforeyouactuallyselectit.ThisLivePreviewextendstothenew
QuickAnalysisandRecommendedPivotTablesandRecommendedCharts
commandstoenableyoutopreviewyourdatainvariousformatsbefore
youapplythem.
Additionally,Excel2019supportsaPageLayoutViewthatdisplaysrulers
andmarginsalongwithheadersandfootersforeveryworksheetwitha
Zoomslideratthebottomofthescreenthatenablesyoutozoominand
outonthespreadsheetdatainstantly.Finally,Excel2019isfullofpop-up


galleriesthatmakespreadsheetformattingandchartingarealbreeze,
especiallyintandemwithLivePreview.

Excel’sRibbonUserInterface
WhenyoulaunchExcel2019,theStartscreensimilartotheoneshownin
Figure1-1opens.Hereyoucanstartanewblankworkbookbyclicking
theBlankworkbooktemplate,oryoucanselectanyoftheothertemplates
shownasthebasisforyournewspreadsheet.Ifnoneofthetemplates
shownintheStartscreensuitsyourneeds,youcansearchfortemplates
online.Afteryou’veworkedwithExcelforsometime,theStartscreen
alsodisplaysalistofrecentlyopenedworkbooksthatyoucanreopenfor
furthereditingorprinting.

FIGURE1-1:TheExcel2019Startscreenenablesyoutoopenanewblankworkbookora
recentlyopenedworkbook,orfindatemplatetouseasthebasisforanewworkbook.

WhenyouselecttheBlankworkbooktemplatefromtheExcel2019Start
screen,theprogramopensaninitialworksheet(namedSheet1)inanew
workbookfile(namedBook1)insideaprogramwindowliketheone

showninFigure1-2.


FIGURE1-2:TheExcel2019programwindowthatappearsimmediatelyafterselectingthe
BlankWorkbooktemplateintheopeningscreen.

TheExcelprogramwindowcontainingthisworksheetoftheworkbook
containsthefollowingcomponents:
FilebuttonthatwhenclickedopenstheBackstageview—amenuon
theleftthatcontainsallthedocument-andfile-relatedcommands,
includingInfo,New,Open(selectedbydefaultwhenyoufirstlaunch
Excel),Save,SaveAs,Print,Share,Export,Publish,andClose.
Additionally,atthebottom,there’sanAccountoptionwithUserand
ProductinformationandanOptionsitemthatenablesyoutochange
manyofExcel’sdefaultsettings.NotethatyoucanpressEsctoexit
theBackstageviewandreturntothenormalworksheetview.
CustomizableQuickAccesstoolbarthatcontainsbuttonsyoucan
clicktoperformcommontasks,suchasmanuallysavingyourwork
andundoingandredoingedits.Thistoolbarisontheleftsideand
beginswiththeSavebuttoninanewworksheet.Thedeactivated


AutoSavebuttontoitsimmediateleftisautomaticallyturnedonafter
youmanuallysaveaworkbookfileinthecloudonOneDriveora
SharePointwebsite.
Ribbonthatconsistsofaseriesoftabs,rangingfromHomethrough
Help.ThetabsontheRibboncontainsthebulkoftheExcel.
Formulabarthatdisplaystheaddressofthecurrentcellalongwith
thecontentsofthatcell.
Worksheetareathatcontainsthecellsoftheworksheetidentifiedby

columnheadingsusinglettersalongthetopandrowheadingsusing
numbersalongtheleftedge;tabsforswitchingtoanewworksheet;a
horizontalscrollbartomoveleftandrightthroughthesheet;anda
verticalscrollbartomoveupanddownthroughthesheet.
Statusbarthatkeepsyouinformedoftheprogram’scurrentmodeand
anyspecialkeysyouengageandenablesyoutoselectanewworksheet
viewandtozoominandoutontheworksheet.

GoingBackstage
TotheimmediateleftoftheHometabontheRibbonrightbelowthe
AutoSavebuttonandQuickAccesstoolbar,youfindtheFilebutton.
WhenyouselectFile,theBackstageviewopens.Thisviewcontainsa
menusimilartotheoneshowninFigure1-3.Whenyouopenthe
BackstageviewwiththeInfooptionselected(Alt+FI),Exceldisplaysat-aglancestatsabouttheworkbookfileyouhaveopenandactiveinthe
program.


FIGURE1-3:OpenBackstageviewtogetat-a-glanceinformationaboutthecurrentfile,
accessallfile-relatedcommands,andmodifytheprogramoptions.

Thisinformationpanelisdividedintotwopanes.Thepaneontheleft
containslargebuttonsthatenableyoutomodifytheworkbook’sprotection
status,checkthedocumentbeforepublishing,manageitsversions,and
determinewhichworksheetsinthefileareshownwhentheExcel
workbookfileisviewedinawebbrowser.Thepaneontherightcontainsa
listoffieldsdetailingtheworkbook’svariousdocumentProperties,some
ofwhichyoucanchange(suchasTitle,Tags,Categories,Author,andLast
ModifiedBy),andmanyofwhichyoucan’t(suchasSize,LastModified,
Created,andsoforth).
BelowtheInfooption,youfindthecommands(New,Open,Save,Save

As,SaveasAdobePDF,Print,Share,Export,Publish,andClose)thatyou
commonlyneedforworkingwithExcelworkbookfiles.Nearthebottom,
theFiletabcontainsanAccountoptionthat,whenselected,displaysan
AccountpanelintheBackstageview.Thispaneldisplaysuser,connection,
andMicrosoftOfficeaccountinformation.BelowtheAccountmenuitem,
youfindoptionstogiveMicrosoftfeedbackaboutExcel2019aswellas
optionsthatyoucanselecttochangetheprogram’smanydefaultsettings.


SelecttheOpenoptiontoopenanExcelworkbookyou’ve
previouslyworkedonformoreediting.WhenyouselectOpen,Excel
displaysapanelwithalistofalltheworkbookfilesrecentlyopened
intheprogram.Tore-openaparticularfileforediting,allyoudois
clickitsfilenameinthislist.

ToclosetheBackstageviewandreturntothenormalworksheet
view,youselecttheBackbuttonattheverytopofthemenuorsimply
pressEsconyourkeyboard.

UsingtheExcelRibbon
TheRibbon(showninFigure1-4)groupsthemostcommonlyused
optionsneededtoperformparticulartypesofExceltasks.

FIGURE1-4:Excel’sRibbonconsistsofaseriesoftabscontainingcommandbuttons
arrangedintodifferentgroups.

Todothis,theRibbonusesthefollowingcomponents:
TabsforeachofExcel’smaintasksthatbringtogetheranddisplayall
thecommandscommonlyneededtoperformthatcoretask.
Groupsthatorganizerelatedcommandbuttonsintosubtasksnormally

performedaspartofthetab’slargercoretask.
Commandbuttonswithineachgroupthatyouselecttoperforma
particularactionortoopenagalleryfromwhichyoucanclicka
particularthumbnail.Note:Manycommandbuttonsoncertaintabsof
theRibbonareorganizedintomini-toolbarswithrelatedsettings.
DialogBoxlauncherinthelower-rightcornerofcertaingroupsthat
opensadialogboxcontainingabunchofadditionaloptionsyoucan


select.(Notethatyoucanmouseoverthisbuttontodisplayapreview
ofthedialogbox.)

TodisplaymoreoftheWorksheetareaintheprogramwindow,
collapsetheRibbonsothatonlythenamesofitstabsaredisplayedby
simplyclickingtheCollapsetheRibbonbuttonontherightside
abovetheverticalscrollbar.Youcanalsodouble-click(ordouble-tap
onatouchscreen)anyoneoftheRibbon’stabs,orpressCtrl+F1on
yourkeyboard.ToonceagainpintheRibboninplacesothatallthe
commandbuttonsoneachofitstabsarealwaysdisplayedinthe
programwindow,double-click(ordouble-tap)anyoneofthetabs,or
pressCtrl+F1asecondtime.YoucanalsodothisbyselectingthePin
theRibbonbutton(whoseiconlooksjustlikeapin)thatreplacesthe
UnpintheRibbonbuttonandappearswheneveryoutemporarily
activateatabtouseitscommandbuttons.

WhenyouworkinExcelwiththeRibboncollapsed,theRibbon
expandseachtimeyouactivateoneofitstabstoshowitscommand
buttons,butthattabstaysopenonlyuntilyouselectoneofthe
commandbuttonsorselectanelementintheworksheet.Themoment
youselectacommandbutton,Excelimmediatelyminimizesthe

Ribbonagainandjustdisplaysitstabs.Notethatyoucanalsousethe
ShowTabsandShowTabsandCommandsoptionsontheRibbon
DisplayOptionsbutton’sdrop-downmenutoswitchbetween
collapsingtheRibbontoitstabsandrestoringitscommandsagain.

IfyoureallywanttomaximizetheWorksheetareainExcel2019,
youcanuseitsAuto-HideRibboncommandtoremovethedisplayof
theQuickAccesstoolbarplusthenamesoftheRibbon’stabsand
commands.Todothis,clickortaptheRibbonDisplayOptionsbutton
(totheimmediateleftoftheMinimizebuttonintheupper-right
cornerofthescreen)andselectAuto-HideRibboncommandatthe
topofthedrop-downmenu.Withthismodeturnedon,yousimply
needtoclickortapanywhereintheblankareaofthescreenabove