Your genius-level guide to Excel excellence Excel Portable Genius covers the key features of Microsoft Excel in a concise, fast-paced, portable format that provides the perfect quick and easy-to-follow reference for novices and experienced users alike. Written by seasoned tech expert and trainer Lisa A. Bucki, it answers the nine key questions Excel users are most likely to face in their work and adds some hot tips and advice on this incredibly useful—but sometimes difficult-to-learn—program's lesser-known features. Build formulas to perform powerful calculations Format data to make it easy to find interpret and to highlight key results Sort and filter to organize or display specific information Chart data to pinpoint changes and identify trends Communicate results by printing and sharing Complete with a comprehensive index and extensive illustrations complementing straightforward instructions, this is the ideal guide to mastery of the world's most popular spreadsheet program.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments vii Introduction xiv Chapter 1 How Do I Start Using Excel? 2 Starting and Exiting Excel 4 Taking a Look Around 5 Reviewing key screen features 5 Workbooks versus worksheets 8 Changing views 8 Zooming 10 Working with Files 11 Creating a blank file 11 Exploring templates 12 Opening an existing file 13 Switching to another file 14 Making Your First Cell Entries 16 Moving around the sheet 16 Text and values 17 Dates and times 19 Number formatting on the fly 20 Making Selections 21 Understanding cells and ranges 22 Selecting a range 22 Selecting a row or column 23 Working with Sheets 24 Adding, renaming, and jumping to a sheet 25 Moving or copying a sheet 26 Saving and Closing a File 27 Chapter 2 How Do I Make Changes to My Sheet? 30 Cell Editing Basics 32 Making changes 32 Commenting when editing 33 Clearing cell contents 33 Using Undo and Redo 34 Spell-checking your work 35 Copying or Moving a Range 35 Using Paste Special 37 Using Auto Fill and Filling Series 38 Inserting and Deleting Rows, Columns, and Cells 41 Creating Range Names 44 Using the Name box 45 Using the New Name dialog box 46 Assigning multiple range names at once 47 Deleting a range name 48 Using Find and Replace 50 Freezing Rows and Columns On-Screen 51 Chapter 3 How Do I Add Up the Numbers with Formulas? 54 Entering a Basic Formula 56 Typing the formula 56 Cell and range references in formulas 57 Using the mouse to save time 58 Dealing with minor errors 60 Learning More About Operators 60 Understanding Order of Precedence 63 How order of precedence works 63 Using parentheses in formulas 64 Making a Cell or Range Reference Absolute Rather Than Relative 66 Changing the reference type in a formula 66 How referencing works when filling, copying, or moving a formula 67 Showing Formulas in Cells 69 Using Other Formula Review Techniques 70 Chapter 4 When Do I Need to Include a Function? 72 Understanding Functions 74 Using AutoSum on the Home or Formulas Tab 74 Typing a Function in a Formula 77 Using the Formulas Tab to Insert a Function 79 Choosing from the Function Library 79 Using Insert Function to find a function 82 Using Range Names in Formulas 83 Reviewing Some Essential Functions 84 Chapter 5 How Do I Use Formatting to Enhance My Worksheet? 90 Changing the Number or Date Format 92 Using number formats 94 Using date and time formats 96 Using special and custom formats 96 Changing Cell Formatting 99 Applying font formatting 100 Applying alignment formatting 103 Working with Borders and Shading 105 Using Styles 107 Clearing Formatting 109 Understanding Themes 109 Reviewing elements of a theme 109 Changing themes 110 Changing theme colors, fonts, and effects 111 Working with Column Width and Row Height 113 Using Conditional Formatting to Highlight Information 115 Chapter 6 How Do I Use Graphics in Excel? 118 Inserting Simple Graphics 120 Shapes 120 Pictures 122 Icons 126 Selecting and Formatting Graphics 127 Adding text to shapes 128 Changing styles 129 Changing sizing and position 132 Working with layering, alignment, and rotation 134 Inserting WordArt 136 Combining and Creating Your Own Graphics 138 Creating and Working with SmartArt 141 Adding a SmartArt graphic 141 Editing and rearranging shapes 143 Changing the graphic type and formatting 144 Deleting a Graphic 145 Adding a Background Image 146 Chapter 7 How Do I Manage Lists of Information? 148 Arranging a List in Excel 150 Cleaning Up Data 152 Using Flash Fill 152 Using Text to Columns 155 Removing duplicates and consolidating 157 Sorting, Filtering, and Subtotaling Lists of Information 159 Sorting and filtering a list 160 Subtotaling a sorted list 162 Understanding Excel’s Table Feature 163 Converting a range to a table 164 Importing or connecting to a list of data 166 Changing table styles 168 Resizing a table 169 Renaming a table 170 Sorting and Filtering a Table 170 Using Table Calculations 170 Adding a calculated column 171 Adding a total row 173 Converting a Table Back to a Range of Regular Cells 174 Chapter 8 How Do I Present My Data in Charts? 176 Charts and Their Role in Your Workbooks 178 Chart Types 179 Creating a Chart 180 Changing the Chart Type and Layout 184 Formatting Chart Elements 186 Changing the Charted Data 189 Moving a Chart to Its Own Sheet and Deleting a Chart 190 Using Special Charts: Sparklines, PivotTables, and Maps 192 Chapter 9 How Do I Print and Share My Content? 194 Creating Headers and Footers 196 Changing Page Settings 199 Margins 199 Orientation and paper size 200 Scaling 201 Changing Sheet Settings 201 Adding print titles 201 Controlling whether gridlines and other features print 203 Working with Page Breaks 203 Setting a print area 204 Viewing and moving breaks 204 Previewing a Printout and Printing 206 Other Ways to Share Information 207 Exporting a PDF 208 Using OneDrive 209 Index 212