Excel Formatting Options

Excel's Formatting options is a way to make your spreadsheets easier to read and to understand the important data. This Series of Tutorials and Articles takes you through the basics of using Excel's formatting features to improve the look and effectiveness of your spreadsheets.

1) Formatting Numbers in Excel

Number formatting involves adding percent symbols ( % ), commas ( , ), decimal places, and dollar signs( $ ) to a spreadsheet. This article gives you an overview of where to find Excel's number formatting options and how to use them.

2) Excel Formatting Tools Part 1

Part One of this two part tutorial covers a number of formatting tools available in Excel:

• number formatting
• changing cell colors
• adding text formatting

3) Excel Formatting Tools Part 2

Part Two of this tutorial covers:

• changing the alignment of text in cells
• adding a range name
• adding formulas
• using the NOW function to add the current date to the spreadsheet.

4) Adding Headers and Footers to Excel Spreadsheets

In Excel spreadsheets, headers and footers are lines of text that print at the top (header) and bottom (footer) of each page in the spreadsheet. They contain descriptive text such as titles, dates, and/or page numbers and are used to add information to a printed spreadsheet.

5) How to Use Microsoft Excel's Format Painter

To quickly copy formatting from one cell or group of cells to another part of the spreadsheet use the format painter in Excel. This feature is very useful when extending a spreadsheet and you need to format the newly added cells to match the original ones.

6) Changing the Sheet Tab Color of Excel Spreadsheets

In Microsoft Excel 2003 it is possible to color code the tabs of worksheets. Changing the tab color of worksheets containing related information can make it easier to navigate through very large spreadsheets.

7) How to Use Excel's AutoFormat Option

To quickly apply a number of Excel's Formatting features to a spreadsheet you can use one of the 17 AutoFormat styles available. These styles combine a number of formatting options that will instantly give your spreadsheets a professional look.