- 1). Choose your spreadsheet program. The most popular is Excel from the Microsoft Office suite, but there are some free ones available, such as OpenOffice CALC. Once you have chosen your program, open it and create a new document. The program will ask you if you want to open a new worksheet or a new workbook. A worksheet is one document where you can enter your data. A workbook is made up several worksheets, each one with related data. For a simple spreadsheet, choose to open a new worksheet.
- 2). Choose a layout for the information you want to enter in the spreadsheet. Information can be raw data, such as numbers, or text, such as contact information. Each piece of information will need its own cell.
- 3). Add your information to the spreadsheet. When you have finished adding information, make some formatting changes to make the spreadsheet easier to read. Use bold text for column names, or make the font bigger or a different color. You can also change the background color of the cell, but make sure the text can still be read.
- 4). Try some simple calculations. If you have a column of numbers, click on the top number, hold down the "Shift" key, and click on the last number. In your toolbar, click on the "Sum" button to have the sum of all your selected numbers show up in the cell after the last number. You can also use the "Function" key to choose other calculations, such as multiplication, subtraction, or averages.
- 5). Add a heading to your spreadsheet. Right-click on the row number of the first row, and choose "Insert." You will see a new, blank row appear above the line you selected. Type your heading in the first cell. If your heading is longer than the first cell, select that cell, hold down the "Shift" key, and select the next two or three cells in the row. Right-click on your selection, and choose "Merge and Center." All the cells you've selected will merge into one big cell, and your text will center itself. You can also make formatting changes to your heading by changing the color or font size.
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