Microsoft Excel 
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TYPING TEXT OR NUMBERS INTO A WORKSHEET 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
Generally when you start a new spreadsheet 
project, the first task is to enter some headings 
into rows and columns. To type anything into a 
worksheet you need to make the cell into which 
you wish to enter the data active. This can be done 
in a number of ways but the most common is to 
click in it first before typing.  
Try This Yourself: 
 
Before you begin ensure 
that there is a blank 
workbook on the screen… 
 
Click in cell A3 to make 
this the active cell, type 
Garden Settings and 
press   
When you press  the 
next cell down 
automatically becomes 
the active cell. By the 
way, even though the text 
looks like it is in cells A3 
and B3 it really only is in 
cell A3 – since there is 
nothing in B3, Excel 
allows the spill over to be 
displayed giving the 
illusion it is in 2 cells… 
 
Type Pool Covers and 
press   
 
Repeat the above steps 
and enter the remaining 
text in column A as shown 
 
Click in cell B2 to make 
this the active cell, type 
UK 
and press   
When you press   the 
cell to the right becomes 
the active cell… 
 
Enter the remaining text in 
row 2 as shown 
 
For Your Reference… 
To enter text: 
1. Click the cell pointer on the desired cell and 
type the required information 
2. Press , an arrow key or  to 
confirm the data entry and to move the cell 
pointer to another cell 
Handy to Know… 

 You don’t have to use   or  to make 
adjacent cells active. You can simply use the 
mouse and click in the cells if you want or 
even press the arrow keys to move up, 
down, left, or right. 
1 
 2 
3 
4 
5 
For Your Reference… 
To save a new document: 
1. Click on the File Tab
 and select Save As 
2. Locate the storage folder in the Navigation 
pane 
3. Type a File name and click on [Save] 
Handy to Know… 
 In the exercise above we have named the 
workbook Garden Department Sales and 
filed it in C:\Course Files for Excel 2010. 
Each time you start Excel it will most likely 
assume you want to file your workbooks in a 
folder called Documents which is associated 
with the user name you use on the computer.