Format Cells

A spreadsheet, whether for presentation, sharing with other users or personal reference of the creator, will be more effective if formatted in an orderly and neat way.

It has been a practice for experienced users of Excel to arrange the format of the data in the spreadsheet. This process helps them and other persons who will use the spreadsheet to easily understand the data.

Other processes such as analysis, understanding and further manipulation of data can be done easily if the data are well arranged. Detailed formatting such as emphasizing the header of the column with bigger fonts and font style bold, setting the Border Outline and setting the Text Alignment to center are some of the most basic steps in Formatting the data.

Formatting the cells in the spreadsheet can be done in two ways.

1. Short cut for each process of formatting cells is readily available in the Home Ribbon. After highlighting the cells to be format the user can select immediately on the Home Ribbon the buttons to arrange the data or apply the effects or actions the user considers most effective.

With this step setting the format can be done easily at all the general ways of formatting cells are readily available.

2. The second step is by accessing the Format Cells. Highlight the cells that needs to be formatted, right click on any part of the cells inside the highlighted area then click Format Cells.

The Format Cells window will appear containing tabs of which each purpose for formatting the cells. The user will need to check each tab to set his required format for his data on the spreadsheet. Click OK and all the setting made will be applied.

Both ways are very useful for users in setting the format. They serve a different purpose as the first way will provide easier way of doing this with the shortcut available while the second way will provide detailed or complete option in setting the format.

Users vary in the method with the chose of doing the above mentioned processes. Some users may prefer the first method while others may think and consider the second. Which ever way from the two methods is not important, even if other users may say that there are other ways to format cells that are not mentioned above, what is important is that we need to respect on how other people do things as long as it can have the result wanted and intended for the spreadsheets.