Selecting Cells

Selecting Cells

A cell is the intersection of a column and a row. You must select a cell and make it active to work with it. A range is one or more selected cells that you can edit, delete, format, print, or use in a formula just like a single cell. The active cell has a dark border; selected cells have a light shading called a see-through selection. A range can be contiguous (all selected cells are adjacent) or noncontiguous (selected cells are not all adjacent). As you select a range, you can see the range reference in the Name box. A range reference lists the upper-left cell address, a colon (:), and the lower-right cell address. Commas separate noncontiguous cells. For example, B4:D10,E7,L24. You can click any cell to deselect a range.

Select a Cell

Click a cell to select it.

Select a Range

Click the first cell you want to include in the range.

Drag to the last cell you want to include in the range. The upper-left cell of a selected range is active and the others are highlighted.

Select a Noncontiguous Range

Click the first cell, or select the first contiguous range you want to include.

Press and hold Ctrl while you click additional cells and select other ranges.