Basics of Cells in Excel & Google Sheets: Insert, Delete, Drag & Drop, Fill Handle, Exercises of Cell Biology

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Microsoft Office Virtual Learning

Cell Basics

April 30, 2020

Lesson: April 30, 2020

Objective/Learning Target:

Students will learn how to insert and delete cells and cell

content, drag and drop cells, use the fill handle and use the

copy and paste function

Video Tutorial

Excel

https://youtu.be/6mSKsaquTAM

Google Sheets

https://youtu.be/HLp6nbp8VIc

Understanding Cells

Every spreadsheet is made up of thousands of rectangles, which are called cells. A cell is the intersection of a row and a column. Columns are identified by letters (A, B, C), while rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3).

Each cell has its own name—or cell address—based on its column and row. In this example, the selected cell intersects column C and row 10, so the cell address is C10. Note that a cell's column and row headings become darker when the cell is selected.

You can also select multiple cells at the same time. A group of cells is known as a cell range. Rather than a single cell address, you'll refer to a cell range using the cell address of the first and last cells in the cell range, separated by a colon. For example, a cell range that included cells A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 would be written as A1:A5.

Cell Range A1:A8 Cell Range A2:B

Excel

To input or edit cell content, you'll first need to select the cell.

1. Click a cell to select it. In our example, we'll select cell D9.
2. A border will appear around the selected cell, and the column heading and row heading will be highlighted. The cell will remain selected until you click another cell in the worksheet.

Sheets

To input or edit cell content, you'll first need to select the cell.

1. Click a cell to select it.
2. A blue box will appear around the selected cell.

Select a Cell

Select a Cell Range

Excel

Sometimes you may want to select a larger group of cells, or a cell range.

1. Click and drag the mouse until all of the adjoining cells you want to select are highlighted. In our example, we'll select the cell range B5:C18.
2. Release the mouse to select the desired cell range. The cells will remain selected until you click another cell in the worksheet.

Sheets

Sometimes you may want to select a larger group of cells, or cell range.

1. Click and drag the mouse until all of the cells you want to select are highlighted.
2. Release the mouse to select the desired cell range.

Delete Cell Content

Excel

1. Select the cell(s) with content you want to delete. In our example, we'll select the cell range A10:H10.
2. Select the Clear command on the Home tab, then click Clear Contents.
3. The cell contents will be deleted.

● You can also use the Delete key on your keyboard to delete content from multiple cells at once. The Backspace key will only delete content from one cell at a time.

Sheets

1. Select the cell you want to delete.
2. Press the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard. The cell's contents will be deleted.

Copy and Paste Cell Content

Excel

Excel allows you to copy content that is already entered into your spreadsheet and paste that content to other cells, which can save you time and effort.

1. Select the cell(s) you want to copy. In our example, we'll select F9.
2. Click the Copy command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+C on your keyboard.
3. Select the cell(s) where you want to paste the content. In our example, we'll select F12:F17. The copied cell(s) will have a dashed box around them.
4. Click the Paste command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+V on your keyboard.
5. The content will be pasted into the selected cells.

Sheets

It's easy to copy content that is already entered into your spreadsheet and paste this content to other cells.

1. Select the cells you want to copy.
2. Press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac) on your keyboard to copy the cells.
3. Select the cell or cells where you want to paste the cells. The copied cells will now have a box around them.
4. Press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac) on your keyboard to paste the cells.

Using the Fill Handle

Excel

If you're copying cell content to adjacent cells in the same row or column, the fill handle is a good alternative to the copy and paste commands.

1. Select the cell(s) containing the content you want to use, then hover the mouse over the lower-right corner of the cell so the fill handle appears.
2. Click and drag the fill handle until all of the cells you want to fill are selected. In our example, we'll select G13:G17.
3. Release the mouse to fill the selected cells.

Sheets

There may be times when you want to copy the content of one cell to several other cells in your spreadsheet. You could copy and paste the content into each cell, but this method would be time consuming. Instead, you can use the fill handle to quickly copy and paste content from one cell to any other cells in the same row or column.

1. Select the cell you want to use. A small square—known as the fill handle—will appear in the bottom-right corner of the cell.
2. Hover the mouse over the fill handle. The cursor will change to a black cross.
3. Click and drag the fill handle over the cells you want to fill. A dotted black line will appear around the cells that will be filled.
4. Release the mouse to fill the selected cells.

Using the Fill Handle to Continue a Series

Excel

The fill handle can also be used to continue a series. Whenever the content of a row or column follows a sequential order, like numbers (1, 2, 3) or days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), the fill handle can guess what should come next in the series. In most cases, you will need to select multiple cells before using the fill handle to help Excel determine the series order. Let's take a look at an example:

1. Select the cell range that contains the series you want to continue. In our example, we'll select E4:G4.
2. Click and drag the fill handle to continue the series.
3. Release the mouse. If Excel understood the series, it will be continued in the selected cells. In our example, Excel added Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 to H4:J4.

Sheets

The fill handle can also be used to continue a series. Whenever the content of a row or column follows a sequential order—like numbers (1, 2, 3) or days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)—the fill handle will guess what should come next in the series. In our example below, the fill handle is used to extend a series of dates in a column.

For More Resources:

Microsoft Excel:

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/excel2016/cell-basics/1/

Google Sheets:

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/googlespreadsheets/getting-started-with-google-sheets/1/