Format Cells Dialog Box

For a complete list of formatting options, right-click on highlighted cells and choose Format Cells from the shortcut menu or click on the arrow in the bottom right corner of the Number group on the Home tab.

• Number tab - The data type can be selected from the options on this tab. Select General if the cell contains text and numbers, or a different numerical category if the cell is a number that will be included in functions or formulas.
• Alignment tab - These options allow you to change the position and alignment of the data within the cell.
• Font tab - All of the font attributes are displayed in this tab including font face, size, style, and effects.
• Border - This tab allow you to add borders to a cell.
• Fill - This tab allow you to add shading and background colors to a cell.
• Protection - This tab allows you to lock or hide a cell.

Dates and Times

If you enter the date "January 1, 2003" into a cell on the worksheet, Excel will automatically recognize the text as a date and change the format to "1-Jan-01". To change the date format, select the Number tab from the Format Cells dialog box. Select "Date" from the Category box and choose the format for the date from the Type box. If the field is a time, select "Time" from the Category box and select the type in the right box. Date and time combinations are also listed. Press OK when finished.

Styles

The use of styles in Excel allow you to quickly format your worksheet, provide consistency, and create a professional look. Select the Home tab and select style from the Styles group. There are many preset styles to choose from as well as different color schemes associated with each.

Comma - Adds commas to the number and two digits beyond a decimal point. Comma [0] - Comma style that rounds to a whole number. Currency - Formats the number as currency with a dollar sign, commas, and two digits beyond the decimal point. Currency [0] - Currency style that rounds to a whole number. Normal - Reverts any changes to general number format. Percent - Changes the number to a percent and adds a percent sign. Style Dialog Box Create your own styles from the Style Dialog Box. Highlight the cell(s) you want to add a style to. Select Format|Style... from the menu bar. Modify the attributes by clicking the Modify button. Check all the items under Style includes that the style should format. Click Add to preview the formatting changes on the worksheet. Highlight the style you want to apply to the paragraph and click Apply. Create a New Style Select the cell on the worksheet containing the formatting you would like to set as a new style. Click the Style box on the Formatting toolbar so the style name is highlighted. Delete the text in the Style box and type the name of the new style. Press ENTER when finished.

Format Painter

A handy feature on the standard toolbar for formatting text is the Format Painter. If you have formatted a cell with a certain font style, date format, border, and other formatting options, and you want to format another cell or group of cells the same way, place the cursor within the cell containing the formatting you want to copy. Click the Format Painter button on the Home tab and in the Clipboard group (notice that your pointer now has a paintbrush beside it). Highlight the cells you want to add the same formatting to.

To copy the formatting to many groups of cells, double-click the Format Painter button. The format painter remains active until you press the <Esc> key to turn it off.