Set up a workbook

BECOME FAMILIAR WITH NEW FEATURES IN EXCEL 2019

Excel 2019 includes all the most useful capabilities included in previous versions of the app. If you’ve used an earlier version of Excel, you probably want to know about the new features introduced in Excel 2019. These include the following:

Funnel charts and 2D maps, which let users visualize data more effectively

New worksheet functions and data connectors for importing and summarizing data

The capability to publish Excel data to Power BI, the data visualization and dashboarding app from Microsoft

Enhancements to PowerPivot and Power Query, which enable users to import, process, and summarize millions of rows of data

CREATE WORKBOOKS

Any time you want to gather and store data that isn’t closely related to any of your other existing data, you should create a new workbook. A workbook is the basic Excel file, comparable to a Microsoft Word document or Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. The default new workbook in Excel has one worksheet, which is like a page in a Word document or a slide in a PowerPoint presentation. You can add more worksheets to help organize your data more effectively. When you start Excel, the app displays the Start screen.

The Start screen is part of the Backstage view, (which you can display from an open workbook by clicking the File tab on the ribbon) where you can manage your Excel workbooks and account settings and perform operations such as printing. You can click one of the built­in templates available in Excel 2019 or create a blank workbook. You can then begin to enter data into the worksheet’s cells or open an existing workbook.

After you start entering workbook values, you can save your work.

When you save a file, you overwrite the previous copy of the file. If you have made changes that you want to save, but you also want to keep a copy of the file as it was when you saved it previously, you can save your file under a new name or in a new folder.

You also can use the controls in the Save As dialog box to specify a different format for the new file and a different location in which to save the new version of the file. For example, if you work with a colleague who requires data saved in the Excel 97–2003 file format, you can save a file in that format from within the Save As dialog box.

If you want to work with a file you created previously, you can open it by displaying the Open page of the Backstage view.

After you create a file, you can add information to make the file easier to find. Each category of information, or property, stores specific information about your file. In Windows, you can search for files based on the author or title, or by keywords associated with the file.

In addition to setting property values on the Info page of the Backstage view, you can display the Properties dialog box to select one of the existing custom categories or create your own. You can also edit your properties or delete any that you no longer want to use.

When you’re finished modifying a workbook, you should save your changes and then close the file.

To create a new workbook

Do any of the following:

1. If Excel is not running, start Excel. Then, on the Start screen, double­click Blank workbook.
2. If Excel is already running, click the File tab of the ribbon, click New to display the New page of the Backstage view, and then double­click Blank workbook.
3. If Excel is already running, press Ctrl+N.

To save a workbook under a new name or in a new location

1. Click the File tab, and then click Save As.
2. On the Save As page of the Backstage view, navigate to the folder where you want to save the workbook
3. In the Save As dialog box, in the File name box, enter a new name for the workbook.

4. To save the file in a different format, in the Save as type list, click a new file type.
5. If necessary, use the navigation controls to move to a new folder.
6. Click Save.

Or

1. Press F12.
2. In the Save As dialog box, in the File name box, enter a new name for the workbook.
3. To save the file in a different format, in the Save as type list, click a new file type.
4. If necessary, use the navigation controls to move to a new folder.
5. Click Save.

To open an existing workbook

1. Click the File tab, and then click Open.

Or

Press Ctrl+O.

1. On the Open page of the Backstage view, perform any of these actions:

1. Click a file in the Recent list.
2. Click another location in the navigation list and select the file.
3. Click the Browse button, and then use the Open dialog box to find the file you want to open, click the file, and click Open.

To define values for document properties

1. Click the File tab and, if necessary, click Info.
2. On the Info page of the Backstage view, in the Properties group, click the Add a property text next to a label.
3. Enter a value or series of values (separated by commas) for the property.
4. Click a blank space on the Info page to finish adding properties.

To create a custom property

1. Click the File tab and then, if necessary, click Info.
2. In the Properties group, click Properties, and then click Advanced Properties.
3. In the filename Properties dialog box, click the Custom tab.

Or

In the Name box, enter a name for the new property.

1. Click the Type control’s arrow, and then click a data type.
2. In the Value box, enter a value for the property.
3. Click Add.
4. Repeat steps 4–7 to add more properties. When you are finished, click OK.

To close a workbook

1. Do either of the following:
   1. Display the Backstage view, and then click Close.
   2. Press Ctrl+W.

MODIFY WORKBOOKS

You can use Excel workbooks to record information about specific business activities. Each worksheet within that workbook should represent a subdivision of that activity. To display a particular worksheet, just click the worksheet’s tab (also called a sheet tab) on the tab bar (just below the grid of cells). You can also create new worksheets when you need them.

When you create a worksheet, Excel assigns it a generic name such as Sheet2, Sheet3, or Sheet4. After you decide what type of data you want to store on a worksheet, you should change the worksheet’s name to something more descriptive. You can also move and copy worksheets within and between workbooks. Moving a worksheet within a workbook changes its position, whereas moving a worksheet to another workbook removes it from the original workbook. Copying a worksheet keeps the original in its position and creates a second copy in the new location, whether within the same workbook or in another workbook.

After the worksheet is in the target workbook, you can change the worksheet’s position within the workbook, hide its tab on the tab bar without deleting the worksheet, unhide its tab, or change the sheet tab’s color.

If you determine that you no longer need a particular worksheet, such as one you created to store some figures temporarily, you can delete the worksheet quickly.

To display a worksheet

1. On the tab bar in the lower­left corner of the app window, click the tab of the worksheet you want to display.

To create a new worksheet

1. Next to the tab bar in the lower­left corner of the app window, click the New Sheet button (the plus sign).

To rename a worksheet

1. Double­click the tab of the worksheet you want to rename.
2. Enter a new name for the worksheet.
3. Press Enter.

To move a worksheet within a workbook

1. Right ­click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to copy, and then click Move or Copy.
2. In the Move or Copy dialog box, use the items in the Before sheet area to indicate where you want the new worksheet to appear.
3. Click OK. Or

1. On the tab bar in the lower­left corner of the app window, drag the sheet tab to the new position in the worksheet order.

To move a worksheet to another workbook

1. Open the workbook to which you want to move a worksheet from another workbook

1. In the source workbook, right­click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to move, and then click Move or Copy.
2. In the Move or Copy dialog box, click the To book arrow and select the open workbook to which you want to move the worksheet.
3. In the Before sheet area, indicate where you want the moved worksheet to appear.
4. Click OK.

To copy a worksheet within a workbook

1. Right­click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to copy, and then click Move or Copy.
2. In the Move or Copy dialog box, select the Create a copy check box.
3. In the Before sheet area, indicate where you want the new worksheet to appear.
4. Click OK. Or

1. Hold down the Ctrl key and drag the worksheet’s tab to the desired position in the worksheet order.

To copy a worksheet to another workbook

1. Open the workbook to which you want to add a copy of a worksheet from another workbook.
2. In the source workbook, right­click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to copy, and then click Move or Copy.
3. In the Move or Copy dialog box, select the Create a copy check box.

4. Click the To book arrow and select the open workbook in which you want to create a copy of the worksheet.
5. In the Before sheet area, indicate where you want the new worksheet to appear.
6. Click OK.

To hide a worksheet

1. Right­click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to hide, and then click Hide.

To unhide a worksheet

1. Right­click any visible sheet tab, and then click Unhide.
2. In the Unhide dialog box, click the worksheet you want to redisplay.
3. Click OK.

To change a sheet tab’s color

1. Right ­click the sheet tab whose color you want to change and point to Tab Color.

2. Click a color from the color palette.

Or

Click More Colors, use the tools in the Colors dialog box to pick a color, and then click OK.

To delete a worksheet

1. Right­click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to delete, and then click Delete.
2. If Excel displays a confirmation dialog box, click Delete.