Input Data Into a Cell
You can type whatever content you want in a cell, including numbers, text, a date, a time or other alphanumeric data.
A cell can also contain a formula.
A formula is easy to spot, as it always starts with the equal sign (=). We’ll go into more detail about formulas later.
For now, let’s have a look at how to enter (or type) data into a cell. 😃
To enter data into a cell, you don’t need to do anything special. You just select the cell where you want your data to appear and type away!
Enter Text
In this example, you're going to enter the word Excel into cell C3.
Select cell C3, your destination cell.
Type the word Excel.
To confirm your input, press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Once you've confirmed with the Enter key, the cell below C3 will then automatically become active.
See, now the active cell is C4.
Enter a Number
Type “2019” into cell C4.
Select cell C4.
Input the number 2019.
Confirm with the Enter key on your keyboard or the Enter icon.
Enter Alphanumeric Data
Type “Excel 2019” into cell C5:
Select cell C5.
Type Excel 2019.
Confirm with the Enter key on your keyboard or the Enter icon.
Enter a Date
To enter a date, you need to use Excel’s date format.
Now enter a date into cell C6:
Select cell C6.
Input 01/04/2021.
Confirm with the Enter key on your keyboard or the Enter icon.
Enter a Time
To enter a time, you need to use Excel’s time format.
Let’s put 12 p.m. into cell C7:
Select cell C7.
Input 12:00.
Confirm with the Enter key on your keyboard or the Enter icon.
So, there you have it! Now you know how to enter different types of data. Did you notice that textual and alphanumeric data is always aligned on the left of the cell by default, and numeric data, dates and times are aligned on the right?
Delete Data
To delete data in Excel, there are two different methods you can use:
Select the cell containing the data you want to delete.
Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Or
Click on the Clear icon in the Editing group.
Modify Data
When you enter some data and you make a mistake, you don't need to delete everything. You can correct your input in the formula bar.
You just need to:
Select the cell containing the data you want to modify.
Click in the formula bar.
Make your correction(s).
Hit the Enter key on your keyboard to confirm.
Watch the Video Tutorial
Watch a step-by-step recap of everything described in this chapter in the tutorial below:
Let’s Recap!
When you're inputting data, confirm using the Enter key on your keyboard or the
icon on the formula bar.There are a number of different data types: text, numeric, alphanumeric, date and time.
Text and alphanumeric data are aligned on the left by default.
Numeric data, dates and times are aligned on the right by default.
Now you know how to create and modify data. Amazing! Join me in the next chapter and discover the different ways to copy data.
