10 Minute Guide to Excel for Windows 95

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Working with Worksheets

This lesson teaches you how to add worksheets to and delete worksheets from workbooks. You will also learn how to copy, move, and rename worksheets.

Selecting Worksheets

By default, each workbook consists of 16 worksheet pages whose names appear on tabs near the bottom of the screen. You can insert new worksheet pages or delete worksheet pages as desired. One advantage to having multiple worksheet pages is that you can copy and move worksheets within a workbook or from one workbook to another. Another advantage is that you can keep separate pages of data more organized. Before we get into the details of inserting, deleting, and copying worksheets, you should know how to select one or more worksheets. Here's what you need to know:

Inserting Worksheets

To insert a new worksheet in a workbook, perform the following steps:

1. Select the worksheet before which you want the new worksheet inserted. For example, if you select Sheet4, the new worksheet (which will be called Sheet17 because the workbook already contains 16 worksheets) will be inserted before Sheet4.

2. Open the Insert menu.

3. Select Worksheet. Excel inserts the new worksheet, as shown in Figure 7.1.

Figure 7.1
Excel inserts the new worksheet before the worksheet you selected.


Timesaver Tip: Shortcut Menu A faster way to work with worksheets is to right-click on the worksheet tab. This brings up a shortcut menu that lets you insert, delete, rename, move, copy, or select all worksheets. When you choose Insert from the shortcut menu, Excel displays the Insert dialog box. Click the Worksheet icon and click OK to insert a new worksheet.

Deleting Worksheets

If you plan on using only one worksheet, you can remove the 15 other worksheets to free up memory. Here's how you remove a worksheet:

1. Select the worksheet(s) you want to delete.

2. Open the Edit menu.

3. Click on Delete Sheet. A dialog box appears, asking you to confirm the deletion.

4. Click on the OK button. The worksheets are deleted.

Moving and Copying Worksheets

You can move or copy worksheets within a workbook or from one workbook to another. Here's how:

1. Select the worksheet(s) you want to move or copy. If you want to move or copy worksheets from one workbook to another, be sure to open the target workbook.

2. Open the Edit menu, and choose Move or Copy Sheet. The Move or Copy dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 7.2.

3. To move the worksheet(s) to a different workbook, select the workbook's name from the To Book drop-down list. If you want to move or copy the worksheet(s) to a new workbook, select [new book] in the To Book drop-down list. Excel will create a new workbook and then copy or move the worksheet(s) to it.

4. In the Before Sheet list box, choose the worksheet before which you want the selected worksheet(s) to be moved.

5. To copy the selected worksheet(s) (rather than move), select Create a Copy to put an check mark in the check box.

6. Select OK. The selected worksheet(s) are copied or moved, as specified.

Figure 7.2
The Move or Copy dialog box asks you where you want to copy or move a worksheet.

Moving within a Workbook by Dragging and Dropping

An easier way to copy or move worksheets within a workbook is to use the Drag & Drop feature. First, select the tab of the worksheet(s) you want to copy or move. Move the mouse pointer over one of the selected tabs, click and hold the mouse button, and drag the tab where you want it moved. To copy the worksheet, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging. When you release the mouse button, the worksheet is copied or moved.

Moving between Workbooks by Dragging and Dropping

You can also use the Drag & Drop feature to quickly copy or move worksheets between workbooks. First, open the workbooks you want to use for the copy or move. Choose Window Arrange and select the Tiled option. Click on OK to arrange the windows so that a small portion of each one appears on-screen. Select the tab of the worksheet(s) you want to copy or move. Move the mouse pointer over one of the selected tabs, click and hold the mouse button, and drag the tab where you want it moved. To copy the worksheet, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging. When you release the mouse button, the worksheet is copied or moved.

Changing the Worksheet Tab Names

By default, all worksheets are named Sheet and are numbered starting with the number 1. So that you'll have a better idea of the information each sheet contains, you can change the names that appear on the tabs. Here's how you do it:

1. Select the worksheet whose name you want to change.

2. Right-click on the tab and select Rename from the shortcut menu. Or double-click on the worksheet's tab. Excel shows you the Rename Sheet dialog box, as shown in Figure 7.3.

3. Type a new name for the worksheet, and click on the OK button.

Figure 7.3
Excel lets you give your worksheets more meaningful names.


In this lesson, you learned how to insert, delete, move, copy, and rename worksheets. In the next lesson, you will learn how to print your workbook.


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