You can change or clear the contents of your cells any time. To clear a cell entry simply select the cell or cell range you want to delete and press the <Delete> key. You don’t have to clear a cell entry if you want to replace it altogether—just select the cell and enter the new entry on top of the old entry.
There are a couple methods you can use to edit the contents of a cell. One method is to select the cell you want to edit, click the formula bar, and then edit the cell contents in the formula bar. Another method is to double-click the cell you want to edit, then edit the cell contents directly in the cell. Either method causes Excel to go to Edit mode, and the Cancel and Enter buttons appear on the formula bar. In Edit mode the arrow keys move from character to character in the cell instead of from cell to cell. While Excel is in Edit mode you can also can move the insertion point by clicking the I-beam pointer ( ) where you want to insert text.
1
1..
Click cell B3 to make it active.2
2..
Press <Delete> to clear the contents of the active cell.The contents of cell B3—the label “location”—is deleted, or cleared, from the cell. Move on to the next step to add a better description for this label.
3
3.
Type Destination and press <Enter>.You can clear the contents of several cells at once by first selecting the cells and then pressing the <Delete> key.
4
4.
Select the cell range G3:G10 by clicking cell G3, holding down the mouse button and dragging it to cell G10.Now clear the selected cell range (G3:G10).
5
5..
Press the <Delete> key.The contents of the cells in the selected range are deleted.
Figure 2-2
Pressing the <Delete> key clears the contents of the selected cell or cell range.
Figure 2-3
Typing replaces the contents of a cell.
Press <Delete> to clear the contents of the active cell.
Selecting a Cell Range
Press
Type any text Figure 2-2
Chapter Two: Editing a Worksheet
63
Quick Reference
To Clear a Cell’s Contents: 1. Select the cell.
2. Press the <Delete> key.
To Edit a Cell’s Contents: 1. Select the cell.
2. Click anywhere in the
Formula bar.
3. Edit the cell’s contents
(use the arrow, <Delete> and <Backspace> keys).
4. Press <Enter> when you’re finished editing the cell.
To Edit a Cell’s Contents In-Place:
1. Double-click the cell you
want to edit.
2. Edit the contents of the
cell in-place.
3. Press <Enter> when you’re finished editing the cell.
You don’t have to clear a cell’s contents before replacing them—just type in the new entry for the cell.
6
6.
Click cell A1 to make it active, then type Reimbursable Mileage Report and press <Enter>.The original content of the cell, the label “Mileage” is replaced with the new label “Reimbursable Mileage Report” as shown in Figure 2-3.
7
7.
Click cell C3.This cell label needs to be changed from “Starting” to “Beginning.” There are several different methods you can use to edit the contents of a cell. The first is to select the cell you want to edit and then click the formula bar.
8
8..
Click in the formula bar after the word “Starting.”Notice that the status bar at the bottom of the Excel screen changes from “Ready” to “Edit” indicating Excel is in Edit mode. The blinking vertical line ( ) that appears in the Formula bar is called the insertion point. Once Excel is in Edit mode you can move the insertion point in the formula bar to edit any area by either pressing the arrow keys or by moving the I-beam pointer ( ) where you want to place the insertion point and clicking.
9
9..
Press the <Backspace> key.Excel deletes one letter to the left of the insertion point.
1
10..
Press and hold the <Backspace> key to delete the word “Starting”, then type Beginning, and press <Enter>.Another method you can use to edit a cell entry is to edit inside of the cell instead of in the Formula bar, by double-clicking the cell.
1
11..
Double-click cell D3.The insertion point appears directly in the cell so that you can edit the cell’s entry.
1
122..
Type ing, so the cell reads “Ending” and press <Enter>.You can edit cells that contain values and formulas just like cell entries with labels.
1
13..
Click cell E2, type Cost Per Mile, press <Tab> or <→> to move to cell F2, type .32, and then press <Enter>.1
14..
Click cell F4 and click anywhere in the formula bar to enter Edit mode. Or double-click cell F4 to enter Edit mode.As you can see, a formula is entered in this cell. You want to edit the formula in this cell so that it references whatever value is in cell F2 rather than the fixed value of .30, currently used in the formula.
1
155..
Delete the 0.3 text in the formula of cell F4.Now that you’ve deleted the fixed value used in the formula, create a reference to cell F2 to use the value in that cell.
1
166..
Click cell F2.Excel automatically enters the cell reference, F2, to the formula in cell F4. The formula should now read =E4*F2.
1
177..
Press <Enter> to confirm the cell entry.The cell should now read 28.8.
1
188..
Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar.Editing a Cell Entry with the
Formula Bar
Editing a Cell Entry in Place