Formatting tables and cells in Excel involves various features and options to customize the appearance and behavior of your data. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use these formatting tools:
Merge & Center:
Select the cells you want to format.
Go to the "Home" tab in the Excel ribbon.
In the "Alignment" group, you'll see the "Merge & Center" button. Click the drop-down arrow next to it.
You can choose from options like "Merge & Center," "Merge Across," "Merge Cells," and "Unmerge Cells."
Select "Merge & Center" to merge the selected cells and center-align the text within them.
Format Cells:
Select the cells you want to format.
Right-click and choose "Format Cells" from the context menu or press Ctrl + 1.
The "Format Cells" dialog box will appear.
Number:
In the "Number" tab, you can select various number formats like General, Number, Currency, Accounting, Date, Time, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific, Text, Special, or Custom.
Alignment:
In the "Alignment" tab, you can control text alignment, text control, text direction, and orientation.
Font:
In the "Font" tab, you can change the font, font style, and apply font effects like bold, italic, underline, and more.
Border:
In the "Border" tab, you can choose different border styles, colors, presets, and border placement.
Fill:
In the "Fill" tab, you can change the background color, fill effects, pattern color, and pattern style for the selected cells.
Conditional Formatting:
Select the cells you want to apply conditional formatting to.
Go to the "Home" tab.
In the "Styles" group, click "Conditional Formatting."
You'll find options like "Highlight Cells Rules," "Top/Bottom Rules," "Data Bars," "Color Scales," and "Icon Sets."
Highlight Cells Rules:
Options include greater than, less than, between, equal to, and text that contains.
Top/Bottom Rules:
You can apply formatting to the top or bottom 10 items.
Data Bars:
You can choose between gradient fill or solid fill data bars.
Color Scales:
Various color scales can be applied to highlight data based on values.
Icon Sets:
Different icon sets are available for indicating data direction, shapes, indicators, and ratings.
Format as Table:
Select the data range you want to format as a table.
Go to the "Home" tab.
In the "Styles" group, click "Format as Table."
Choose a table style from the available options or create a custom style.
Cell Styles:
Select the cells you want to format with a cell style.
Go to the "Home" tab.
In the "Styles" group, click the "Cell Styles" button.
You can choose from existing cell styles or create a new one.
Hide and Unhide Column:
To hide a column, select the column header, right-click, and choose "Hide."
To unhide a column, select the columns on both sides of the hidden column, right-click, and choose "Unhide."
Format:
To adjust row height, select the row(s), right-click, and choose "Row Height."
To autofit row height, double-click the row header.
To adjust column width, select the column(s), right-click, and choose "Column Width."
To autofit column width, double-click the column header.
Sort & Filter:
Select the data range you want to sort or filter, then go to the "Data" tab to use sorting and filtering options.
Clear:
Select the cells with formatting or content you want to clear, right-click, and choose "Clear Formats," "Clear Contents," or "Clear All."
Find & Replace:
Use the "Find & Select" button in the "Editing" group on the "Home" tab to find and replace text within your worksheet.
Remember that these steps may vary slightly depending on your Excel version, but the general concepts remain the same.