Understanding the Interface in Excel
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
A tour of the Excel screen: the ribbon, formula bar, Name Box, worksheet area, status bar, and the difference between workbooks and worksheets.
The Excel screen has lots of parts: tabs, boxes, letters, numbers, and tabs at the bottom. Each one has a simple job, and once you know them, you'll always know where to look. In this lesson, you'll tour the Excel screen and learn the difference between a workbook and a worksheet.
Open the Excel sandbox and follow along. The sandbox screen is laid out like Excel.
The parts of the screen
| Part | Where it is | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Ribbon | The top | Holds every command, grouped into tabs |
| Name Box | Left, under the ribbon | Shows the address of the selected cell; type an address to jump there |
| Formula bar | Right of the Name Box | Shows, and lets you edit, what's really in the selected cell |
| Worksheet area | The middle | The grid of cells where you work |
| Sheet tabs | Bottom left | One tab per worksheet in the workbook |
| Status bar | The very bottom | Quick facts about the selection, like its sum and count |
Ribbon
The ribbon holds Excel's commands, organized into tabs, then groups, then buttons, just like in Word:
| Tab | What you'll find there |
|---|---|
| File | New, Open, Save As, and Print |
| Home | Clipboard, fonts, alignment, number formats, cell styles, sort and filter |
| Insert | Charts, pictures, links, and comments |
| Formulas | Functions such as SUM, and named ranges |
| Data | Sorting, filtering, and data validation |
| View | Freeze panes, gridlines, and headings |
You'll spend most of your time on Home. Hover over any button to see its name.
Formula bar
The formula bar shows what's really inside the selected cell.
- For a typed value, it shows the value, like
250. - For a formula, the cell shows the result (
10), but the formula bar shows the formula (=B2+B3+B4).
You can also edit a cell in the formula bar: click the cell, click in the formula bar, change the contents, and press Enter. It's useful for long text and long formulas.
When a number looks wrong, click the cell and read the formula bar. It tells you whether the cell holds a typed number or a formula, and which cells that formula uses.
Name Box
The Name Box is the small box on the left of the formula bar. It shows the address of the selected cell, such as C7.
It's also a shortcut: click in the Name Box, type an address like D20, and press Enter. Excel jumps straight there and selects that cell. Type a range like A1:C5 to select a whole block.
Worksheet area
The worksheet area is the grid:
- Column headings (A, B, C…) run across the top.
- Row headings (1, 2, 3…) run down the left side.
- The active cell has a thick border. That's where your typing goes.
A worksheet is huge: more than a million rows and over 16,000 columns in Excel. You'll only ever use a small corner of it.
Status bar
The status bar at the bottom gives quick facts. Select a few cells with numbers, and it shows things like their Sum, Average, and Count, without you writing a formula.
Need a quick total, but don't want to add a formula? Select the numbers and glance at the status bar. It's the fastest way to check a sum.
Workbook
A workbook is the whole Excel file, like Budget.xlsx. Think of it as a ring binder.
Worksheet
A worksheet (or just sheet) is one grid inside the workbook, like one page in the binder. A workbook can hold many worksheets: for example, one sheet per month, or one for data and one for a summary.
| Workbook | Worksheet |
|---|---|
| The file you save and open | One grid inside the file |
Example: Budget.xlsx | Example: January, February |
| Holds one or more worksheets | Holds cells, formulas, and charts |
Sheet tabs
The sheet tabs at the bottom show every worksheet in the workbook by name. A new workbook starts with Sheet1.
- Click a tab to switch to that sheet.
- Click the + button next to the tabs to add a new sheet.
- Double-click a tab to rename it. You'll learn more about managing sheets later.
Active worksheet
The active worksheet is the one you're looking at. Its tab is highlighted. Anything you type, and any formatting you apply, goes into the active worksheet.
If data seems to have disappeared, check the sheet tabs. You may simply be looking at a different sheet.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Confusing the cell's display with its contents | You think a formula is a typed number | Click the cell and read the formula bar |
| Typing in the Name Box by accident | Excel jumps to a different cell, or names a cell | Press Esc, then click back in the grid |
| Working on the wrong sheet | Data goes into the wrong place | Check the highlighted sheet tab |
| Confusing workbook and worksheet | You save a "sheet" and can't find it | Remember: you save the workbook, which holds the sheets |
| Can't see the formula bar | You can't check formulas | Turn it on from the View tab |
Exercise
Click Reset in the sandbox header for an empty workbook. Then do each task and press Check.
What to remember
- The ribbon holds commands in tabs; Home is used most.
- The Name Box shows the selected cell's address and jumps to any address you type.
- The formula bar shows what's really in a cell, including formulas.
- The status bar shows quick sums and counts of the selection.
- A workbook is the file; a worksheet is one grid inside it.
- Sheet tabs switch between worksheets; the highlighted one is the active worksheet.
In the next lesson, you'll create, open, and save workbooks, and learn which file format to choose.