Cells and Ranges
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Rows, columns, cells, and cell addresses, and how to select cells, ranges, and multiple ranges. Then finish a membership list in the Chapter 1 project.
Everything in Excel happens in cells. Before you can format, copy, or calculate, you need to know how the grid is organized and how to select exactly the cells you want. In this lesson, you'll learn rows, columns, cells, and cell addresses, and how to select single cells, ranges, and several ranges at once. At the end, you'll build your first small workbook in the Chapter 1 project.
Open the Excel sandbox and follow along.
Rows
A row is a line of cells going across the sheet. Rows are numbered 1, 2, 3… down the left side.
Click a row number to select the whole row.
Columns
A column is a line of cells going down the sheet. Columns are lettered A, B, C… across the top. After Z come AA, AB, AC…, then BA, and so on.
Click a column letter to select the whole column.
Here's an easy way to remember which is which: columns hold up a building, so they go up and down. Rows of seats in a cinema go across.
Cells
A cell is one box, where a row and a column meet. Each cell holds one thing: a piece of text, a number, a date, or a formula.
The cell you've clicked is the active cell. It has a thick border, and anything you type goes into it.
Cell address
Every cell has an address (also called a cell reference): its column letter followed by its row number.
| Cell | Address |
|---|---|
| Column A, row 1 | A1 |
| Column C, row 7 | C7 |
| Column AB, row 120 | AB120 |
The column always comes first. C7 is right; 7C isn't an address. You'll use addresses all the time in formulas, like =B2+B3.
Select cells
| To select | Do this |
|---|---|
| One cell | Click it, or move to it with the arrow keys |
| A whole row | Click the row number |
| A whole column | Click the column letter |
| The whole sheet | Press Ctrl + A, or click the corner box above row 1 and left of column A |
| A cell far away | Type its address in the Name Box and press Enter |
Select ranges
A range is a rectangle of cells. It's written as the top-left cell and the bottom-right cell, with a colon in between:
A1:C3is 3 columns by 3 rows: 9 cells.B2:B10is part of column B: 9 cells.A1:D1is part of row 1: 4 cells.
To select a range:
- Drag: click the first cell, hold the mouse button, and drag to the last cell.
- Shift + click: click the first cell, then hold Shift and click the last cell.
- Shift + arrows: hold Shift and press the arrow keys.
- Name Box: type the range, like
B2:D6, and press Enter.
Ranges are everywhere in Excel. =SUM(B2:B10) adds up a range, a chart is drawn from a range, and formatting is applied to a range. Learning to read and select ranges is one of the most useful skills in the whole course.
Multiple selections
Sometimes you need cells that aren't next to each other, like two separate columns.
- Select the first range.
- Hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac).
- Select the next range. Both stay selected.
Now formatting, like bold, applies to every selected range at once.
Some actions, such as copy, only work on a single rectangle. If Excel says it can't do something with a multiple selection, do each range separately.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Mixing up rows and columns | You select or format the wrong cells | Rows are numbers, columns are letters |
Writing a range without a colon, like A1C3 | Excel doesn't understand it | Use a colon: A1:C3 |
| Releasing Ctrl between ranges | The first range is deselected | Hold Ctrl the whole time you add ranges |
| Clicking a cell while a range is selected | The range disappears | Re-select the range |
| Typing with a range selected | Only the active cell gets the text | That's normal; type cell by cell, or use fill later |
Exercise
Click Reset in the sandbox header for an empty sheet. Then do each task and press Check.
Chapter project
Put Chapter 1 together. You'll finish a small club membership workbook: add headings, fill in data at the right addresses, add a total, and save.
Club membership list
What to remember
- Rows are numbered and go across; columns are lettered and go down.
- A cell is where a row and column meet; its address is column then row, like C7.
- A range is a rectangle, written with a colon: A1:C3.
- Select ranges by dragging, with Shift + click, with Shift + arrows, or by typing in the Name Box.
- Hold Ctrl to select several separate ranges.
That's the end of Chapter 1. In Chapter 2, you'll enter text, numbers, and dates, and move around the sheet quickly.