Basics - editing cells

One thing that Rod and I notice with novice users of Excel is that they sometimes forget to hit enter when they are finished entering data in a cell or editing a cell.

How to enter data in an empty cell

1. If the cell is empty, just start typing. Notice that as you are typing, there is a blinking, vertical cursor (highlighted below) to the right of the data you are entering.
   
   
   
   The active cell border is a bit thinner and the fill handle in the lower right hand corner has a bite taken out of it. Here is a zoomed in view that compares a cell being edited and a cell that isn't.

   A cell being edited

   A cell not being edited

2. When you are finished entering data in the cell, press the Enter key. This is what it looks like (below):
   
   

How you can tell that you haven't pressed the Enter key

When our students tell us that they can't do what we are asking them to do, the first thing that Rod and I suspect is that they haven't pressed the Enter key after they have finished entering data in a cell. When you are still in the act of editing a cell, there is a lot that you cannot do in Excel, because Excel thinks you are still in a data entry mode. Refer to the two images below and compare them.

Editing a cell, and right-clicking within the cell. Notice also that most toolbar items are disabled.

Right-clicking in a cell that is not being edited. Notice also that most toolbar items are enabled.