Selecting Cells

Most spreadsheet operations such as editing and formatting require that you select one or more cells before performing the operation. The most common method is to use the mouse to select a block of cells, rows, or columns though the keyboard can also be used. This section provides you with several techniques for selecting cells in a worksheet.

Identifying The Active Cell

Although many cells can be highlighted at once, only one cell can be edited at a time. The cell that has the focus is referred to as the active cell. The active cell is easily identified because it is shaded. Additional notes about the active cell are listed below:

• When you select and highlight a group of cells, the first cell you click on becomes the active cell.
• When you select an entire row or column, the first cell in the row or column becomes the active cell.

Tips For Selecting Cells With The Mouse

• To deselect all selected cells, click the left mouse button anywhere in the spreadsheet, or change the active cell using an arrow key or some other movement key.
• To select a large block of cells, first select one corner of the block and then use the scroll bars to scroll to the opposite corner. Hold down the SHIFT key and click on the cell at the opposite corner.
• To select all cells in a column or row, click the column header or row header. To select several adjacent columns or rows, click and hold the left mouse button and drag the pointer on the column letters or row numbers.

Tips For Selecting Cells With The Keyboard

The following keystrokes provide a variety of ways to change the active cell.

• The ARROW keys (UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT) move the active cell to an adjacent cell.
• The PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys move the active cell up or down by the number of rows visible in the window.
• The HOME key moves the active cell to the first cell in the current row.
• The END key moves the active cell to the last cell in the current row.
• The ENTER key moves the active cell down one row and clears the Edit Mode if data is being typed into the spreadsheet.
• The SHIFT + ENTER key moves the active cell up one row and ends the Edit Mode if data is being typed into the spreadsheet.
• The CTRL + HOME key moves the active cell to the first cell (upper left cell) in the worksheet.
• The CTRL + END key moves the active cell to the last cell (lower right cell) in the worksheet.
• The CTRL + UP ARROW key moves the active cell up to the first cell containing data if the current active cell is empty, or to the cell below the first empty cell if the current active cell contains data. Otherwise, CTRL + UP ARROW moves the active cell to the first row in the current column.
• The CTRL + DOWN ARROW key moves the active cell down to the first cell containing data if the current active cell is empty, or to the cell just above the first empty cell if the current active cell contains data. Otherwise, CTRL + DOWN ARROW moves the active cell to the last row in the current column.
• The CTRL + LEFT ARROW key moves the active cell left to the first cell containing data if the current active cell is empty, or to the cell just to the right of the first empty cell if the current active cell contains data. Otherwise, CTRL + LEFT ARROW moves the active cell to the first column in the current row.
• The CTRL + RIGHT ARROW key moves the active cell right to the first cell containing data if the current active cell is empty, or to the cell just to the left of the first empty cell if the current active cell contains data. Otherwise, CTRL + RIGHT ARROW moves the active cell to the last column in the current row.