When entering and editing data in a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet application, the user needs to know how to select one or more cells. Highlighting is used to indicate a range to which a command or function should be applied.
Instructions
Step 1
Start Excel application, a new sheet will be automatically created with the cursor in cell A1. Any cell where you place the cursor will be considered selected. Now the commands and functions you specify will apply only to the selected cell.
Step 2
To select a range of cells, place the mouse cursor in the cell from which the selection will start, press and hold the left mouse button, move the pointer to the cell where the selection will end. Release the mouse button. The selected range will appear in a rectangular frame.
Step 3
This operation can be performed not only with the mouse, but also using the keyboard. Place the cursor in the starting cell of the selected area, press and hold the Shift key, move around the sheet using the cursor keys (arrow keys). When you're done with the selection, release the Shift key.
Step 4
The alternative to the Shift key is the F8 function key. Place the mouse cursor in the desired cell and press the key to activate the selection mode. In this case, in the status bar (a small panel under the work area), the inscription "Expand the selection" will appear. Use the arrow keys to indicate the range you want, then press F8 again.
Step 5
Hot keys are used to quickly select cells in the "Expand Selection" mode. The combination of Ctrl, Shift and End allows you to select the entire table from the beginning to the end, and a part from the active cell to the beginning of the table is selected with the Ctrl, Shift and Home keys.
Step 6
Another option for selecting cells using the mouse: place the cursor in the first cell of the range, press the Shift key and, while holding it, left-click on the cell that the selection should end with. Release the Shift key.
Step 7
If you need to select several non-adjacent cells at the same time, press the Ctrl key, and without releasing it, use the mouse to select the cells that should be included in the range.
Step 8
The same can be done by activating the "Add to selection" mode. It is toggled on and off by the Shift and F8 keyboard shortcut and displayed in the status bar. Select cells in this mode with the mouse.
