Cells, rows & ranges

Every cell has an address

Columns run vertically and use letters: A, B, C and onward. Rows run horizontally and use numbers: 1, 2, 3 and onward. A cell’s address puts the column letter first, then the row number.

Cell B3 sits in column B, row 3. In the shop list below, it contains the number of pens: 12. Clicking a cell selects it; the selection is called the active cell. Selecting a cell alone does not change its value.

A range describes a group of cells

A colon means “from this cell through that cell,” including both ends. The range B2:B4 includes B2, B3 and B4. The range A1:C4 includes every cell in the rectangle between A1 and C4: four rows by three columns.

The colon is different from a comma. In SUM(B2:B4), you supply one continuous range. In SUM(B2,B4), you supply only two separate cells, leaving out B3. You will use these references in formulas soon.

Select and move with confidence

1. Click a cell once to select it.
2. Use the arrow keys to move one cell at a time.
3. To select a range, drag from its first cell to its last. You can also select the first cell, hold Shift and select the last.
4. In Excel, type an address such as B3 or a range such as A1:C4 in the Name Box, then press Enter to select it.

To change an existing value, select the cell and start typing to replace it. To edit part of the contents instead, use the formula bar or enter the cell’s edit mode. Press Escape to cancel an unfinished edit.

Columns continue after Z

After column Z, Excel continues with AA, AB and so on. The address AA10 still follows the same rule: column first, row second. The dollar signs you may see in references such as $B$2 control copying behavior, which we’ll cover in the next part of the beginner course.

When you write a range for analysis, think about whether its heading belongs in the calculation. For a total of units, use B2:B4 rather than the heading in B1.