Day 5 (Basic): Formatting Data in an Excel Worksheet
Topic: Font Formatting
1. Changing the Font Type and Size:
○ Select the cell(s) you want to format.
○ Go to the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.
○ In the Font group, click the dropdown arrow next to the Font box to select a
different font style (e.g., Arial, Calibri).
○ Adjust the font size using the dropdown next to the font style box.
2. Bold, Italics, and Underline:
○ Select the cell(s) or text to format.
○ In the Font group on the Home tab, click:
■ B for bold,
■ I for italics,
■ U for underline.
Topic: Background Color (Fill Color)
1. Applying a Background Color to Cells:
○ Select the cell(s) where you want to apply a background color.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Font group, click on the Fill Color icon (a paint bucket).
○ Choose a color from the dropdown palette.
Topic: Adding Borders
1. Inserting Borders Around Cells:
○ Select the cell(s) or range of cells.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Font group, click on the Borders icon (a square grid).
○ Choose the desired border style (e.g., All Borders, Top Border, Bottom
Border).
Topic: Formatting Currency Values
1. Applying Currency Format:
○ Select the cells containing numeric data.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Number group, click on the Currency dropdown (a $ symbol).
○ Select Currency from the list.
○ If you need to change the currency symbol (e.g., $, €, £), click More Number
Formats, then select the currency from the Symbol dropdown.
Topic: Formatting Percentages
1. Applying Percentage Format:
○ Select the cells with the values you want to display as percentages.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Number group, click the Percent Style button (a % symbol).
○ The numbers will automatically be formatted as percentages.
Topic: Using the Format Painter
1. Copying Formatting with Format Painter:
○ Select the cell that contains the formatting you want to copy.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Clipboard group, click on the Format Painter icon (a paintbrush).
○ Click on the cell(s) where you want to apply the copied formatting.
2. Applying Formatting to Multiple Areas:
○ Double-click the Format Painter icon to lock the formatting tool.
○ Now you can apply the same formatting to multiple areas by clicking on different
cells.
○ To stop, press ESC.
Topic: Creating Styles
1. Creating a Custom Style:
○ Select the cell(s) with the desired formatting.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Styles group, click Cell Styles.
○ Select New Cell Style at the bottom of the list.
○ Name the style and click OK.
2. Applying a Style:
○ Select the cell(s) where you want to apply the custom style.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Styles group, click Cell Styles and choose your custom style from the list.
Topic: Merging and Centering Cells
1. Merging Cells:
○ Select the cells you want to merge (e.g., for a title spanning multiple columns).
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Alignment group, click on Merge & Center to merge the cells and center
the text.
○ Other options in the Merge dropdown include Merge Across and Merge Cells
(without centering).
Topic: Conditional Formatting
1. Applying Basic Conditional Formatting:
○ Select the range of cells to apply conditional formatting.
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting.
○ Choose from the options like:
■ Highlight Cell Rules (e.g., Greater Than, Less Than, Between).
■ Top/Bottom Rules (e.g., Top 10 Items, Bottom 10%).
■ Data Bars, Color Scales, or Icon Sets for visual indicators.
2. Creating a Custom Conditional Formatting Rule:
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting and select New Rule.
○ Choose a rule type (e.g., Format cells based on their values, Use a formula to
determine which cells to format).
○ Define your conditions and formatting preferences, then click OK.
3. Managing Conditional Formatting Rules:
○ Go to the Home tab.
○ In the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting and choose Manage Rules.
○ This will open a window where you can edit, delete, or prioritize conditional
formatting rules.
