Module 01: Get comfortable in Excel
Enter and correct data without changing its meaning
Practice safe text and number entry, correction, cancellation, and undo on a three-row inventory.
Windows desktop: Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Microsoft 365. Mac/web menus and shortcuts differ. No dynamic arrays required.
Useful first: Find your way around a workbook, cells, and ranges
- Choose text for identifiers and numbers for quantities.
- Distinguish replacing a cell from editing part of its content.
- Cancel or undo a mistake while keeping every record aligned.
Small data. A result you can check.
Data only. In a blank Entry sheet, format A2:A4 as Text before pasting at A1. Opening this TSV directly can allow automatic type conversion.
View the raw practice data
Code Item Quantity Unit price Status 00123 Lamp 3 18 Open 00124 Tary 5 7 Review 00125 Hook 2 4 Open
01Decide what each field means before pasting
Create a blank sheet named Entry with Code, Item, Quantity, Unit price, and Status columns. Code is an identifier: 00123 must remain different from 123. Quantities and prices are numeric.
Before entering the sample, select A2:A4 and choose Home > Number Format > Text. Then paste the tab-separated sample at A1. The code column should show five characters on each data row. Setting Text after zeros have disappeared does not recover the original identifiers; re-enter them from the preserved source instead.
| Row | Code | Item | Quantity | Unit price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 00123 | Lamp | 3 | 18 | Open |
| 3 | 00124 | Tary | 5 | 7 | Review |
| 4 | 00125 | Hook | 2 | 4 | Open |
02Replacing and editing are different actions
Select C2, type 4, and press Enter to replace 3. Correct B3 by clicking its formula-bar text or pressing F2, replacing Tary with Tray, and confirming. The code and price must not move.
While editing, arrow keys move within the content. Finish or cancel before navigating. If your keyboard intercepts F2, click the formula bar instead.
03Practice recovery before using a real file
Select E3, start typing Closed, and press Esc before confirming. Review should remain. Next, select E3 outside edit mode and press Delete: the content clears, but the worksheet cell and its formatting remain. Press Ctrl+Z immediately to restore Review.
Clearing is different from deleting a cell and shifting neighbors. The 00124 record must still contain Tray, quantity 5, price 7, and status Review.
- Use Esc for an uncommitted edit.
- Use Undo for a change already committed.
- Verify the whole row after a correction, not just the edited word.
04Check types as well as appearances
Keep codes as text but quantities numeric. Do not enter '4 pcs' in a quantity cell; use a separate unit field. Decimal punctuation follows your locale.
Newer automatic-conversion settings are unnecessary here. Do not assume those settings exist in every Excel 2016 or 2019 installation.
Correct the sample and prove that the same records still occupy the same rows.
- Prepare A2:A4 as Text, then paste the sample at A1.
- Replace C2 with 4 and correct B3 from Tary to Tray.
- Try an edit in E3, cancel it with Esc, then clear E3 with Delete and immediately undo.
- Save and inspect A2:E4.
Show the worked answer
C2:C4 are numeric 4, 5, and 2: eleven units in total.
B3 is Tray, and E3 is Review.
A2:A4 remain the text identifiers 00123, 00124, and 00125.
Check your work- No field shifted into another row.
- Codes retain all five characters.
- The corrected text and quantity are saved.
One question before you move on.
Ready for the next step?
Mark this lesson when you can explain the idea and reproduce the practice result.
Your checklist stays on this browser.Reference notes
These lessons use original examples. Check Microsoft’s documentation for details and platform-specific options.
- Enter data manually in worksheet cells
- Edit cell contents
- Clear cells of contents or formats
- Keeping leading zeros and large numbers
Prepared September 13, 2026 · Column Harbor editorial team. Menu locations and available functions can vary by Excel version.