To start Excel using the Windows Start menu

01. To start Excel using the Windows Start menu

• Click on the Start button, point to Programs, following by Microsoft Office and click on Microsoft Office Excel 2003.

            Note: For previous version of Office - Click on the Start button, point to Programs and click on                     

            Microsoft Excel.

• Immediately you will see the screen shown below. In the right hand side of the screen, the Getting Started task pane provides help to you.

·                     If you are not using it at the moment, click on the Close icon to close it.

·                     The Microsoft Office Excel 2003 screen elements:

By default, Microsoft Excel workbook contains 3 blank worksheets, which are identified by tabs displaying along the bottom of the screen.

02. To enter text into a worksheet

·         Select the cell in which you want to enter the text and then type in the text.

·         Text entries are left aligned by default.

03. To enter numbers into a worksheet

·         Select the cell in which you want to enter a number and type in the number.

·         If you want to enter a negative number, type a minus sign in front of it or enclose it in parentheses (bracket), e.g. -15 or (15).

·         To indicate decimal places, you type a full stop such as 125.89.

·         The numbers will be right aligned by default.