Excel 2013 Getting Started with Excel

Introduction

Excel 2013 is a spreadsheet program that allows you tostore, organize, and analyze information. While you may think that Excel is only used by certain people to process complicated data, anyone can learn how to take advantage of Excel's powerful features. Whether you're keeping a budget, organizing a training log, or creating an invoice, Excel makes it easy to work with different kinds of data.

Getting to Know Excel 2013

Excel 2013 is very similar to Excel 2010. If you've previously used Excel 2010, Excel 2013 should feel very familiar. But if you are new to Excel, or have more experience with older versions, you should first take some time to become familiar with the Excel 2013 interface.

The Excel Interface

When you open Excel 2013 for the first time, the Excel Start Screen will appear. From here, you'll be able to create a new workbook, choose a template, or access your recently edited workbooks.

• From the Excel Start Screen, locate and select Blank workbook to access the Excel interface.
  
  The Excel Start Screen

To Add an Existing Bookmark to a Folder:

You can also move any previously saved bookmarks into a folder.

1. From the Bookmark Manager, click and drag a bookmark into the the desired folder.
   Moving a bookmark to a folder
2. The bookmark will appear in the folder.
   Viewing the bookmark in the folder
3. You can open the bookmark from Bookmark Manager or the Other bookmarks folder on the Bookmarks bar.
   Accessing a folder from the Bookmarks bar

To Move a Folder:

You can move entire folders between the Bookmarks bar and Other bookmarks folders.

1. Click and drag a folder to move it.
   
   Moving a folder
2. Moving a folder to the Bookmarks bar folder will place it directly on the Bookmarks bar.
   Viewing the folder in the Bookmarks bar

To Delete Bookmarks and Folders:

If you no longer use certain bookmarks or folders, you can always delete them.

• To delete a bookmark, right-click the bookmark and then select Delete. You can also press theBackspace or Delete key on your keyboard.
  Deleting a bookmark
• To delete a folder, right-click the folder and then select Delete. You can also press the Backspace orDelete key on your keyboard.
  Deleting a folder

You cannot delete the Bookmarks bar or Other bookmarks folders.

To Search for a Bookmark:

If you're looking for a specific bookmark but can't remember where it's saved, you can search for it.

• Type an address or search term into the search bar and press Enter. Any bookmarks matching the search will appear.

Searching for a bookmark

Managing Bookmarks

To Open the Bookmark Manager:

1. Click the Chrome menu in the top-right corner of the browser, hover the mouse over Bookmarks, then select Bookmark manager from the drop-down menu.
   Opening the Bookmark manager
2. The Bookmark Manager will appear. From here, you can organize your bookmarks into folders, delete bookmarks and folders you no longer use, and search for bookmarks you can't find.
   The Bookmark Manager

To Create a Folder:

If you have a lot of different bookmarks about one topic, you might consider creating a folder to keep them organized. New folders can be added either to the Bookmarks bar folder or the Other bookmarks folder.

1. Click the folder where you wish to add a new folder. In this example, we'll create a folder to help organize some recipes in the Other bookmarks folder.
   A selected folder
2. Click Organize and then select Add folder from the drop-down menu.
   Adding a folder
3. The new folder will appear. Type a name for the folder and press Enter. In our example, we'll typeRecipes.
   Naming a folder
4. The new folder will be created.
   

The Other bookmarks folder will also appear on the Bookmarks bar for easy access to all of your Bookmarks.

Accessing the Other bookmarks folder in the Bookmarks Bar

To Add a New Bookmark to a Folder:

You can add new bookmarks directly to a folder when saving a bookmark.

1. Click the Star in the Omnibox to save the current page as a bookmark.
2. Select the desired folder from the drop-down menu and then click Done.
   Adding a new bookmark to a folder

Bookmarks

To Add a Bookmark:

You can save any page you're currently viewing as a bookmark.

1. Click the Star in the Omnibox to save the current page as a bookmark. Alternatively, you can pressCtrl+D on your keyboard.
   
   Adding a bookmark
2. A dialog box will appear. Click Done.
   
   Saving a bookmark
3. The bookmark will be saved to the Bookmarks bar.

To Use the Bookmark Bar:

By default, any page you bookmark in Chrome will be saved to the Bookmarks bar, which will appear every time you open the New Tab page.

1. Click the New Tab button or press Ctrl+T on your keyboard.
   
   Creating a new tab
2. The New Tab page will appear. The Bookmarks bar will appear just below the Omnibox. Click a bookmark to navigate to that page.
   The Bookmarks bar on the New Tab Page

If you prefer, the Bookmarks bar can appear below the Omnibox at all times. Just click the Chrome Menu, hover the mouse over Bookmarks and then select Show Bookmarks bar.

Showing the Bookmarks bar at all times

To Install an Extension:

1. Navigate to the Chrome Web Store.
2. Select Extensions in the left navigation pane.
   Clicking Extensions
3. A page of different extensions will appear. To add an extension, hover the mouse over the icon and then click Add to Chrome. In this example, we'll add an extension that allows us to share on Google Plus.
   Adding an extension
4. A dialog box will appear. Click Add to continue.
   Installing an extension
5. The extension will be installed. The extension's icon will appear in the top navigation bar. Note that some extensions work in the background and will not appear in the navigation bar.
   An installed extension 
6. To use an extension, click the icon while viewing any page. In this example, the extension allows us to share a page on Google Plus without navigating to another page.
   Using an extension

To Remove an Extension:

1. Click the Chrome menu in the top-right corner of the browser and then select Settings.
2. The Settings tab will appear. Select Extensions in the left navigation pane. 
   Navigating to Extensions
3. A list of installed extensions will appear. Hover the mouse over an extension and then click the Trash can icon to delete it.
   Removing an Extension
4. A dialog box will appear. Click Remove to confirm.
   Clicking Remove
5. The extension will be removed from Chrome.

Customizing Chrome

Choosing Your Startup Options

To Choose a Homepage

By default, Chrome will show the New Tab page whenever you start the browser. If you'd like to see a specific website every time you open your browser, like a news site or weather forecast, you can set that site as your homepage. 

1. Click the Chrome menu in the top-right corner of the browser and then select Settings.
   Accessing the Settings tab
2. The Settings tab will appear. Locate and click the checkbox next to Show Home button.
   
   The Settings tab
3. By default, Chrome will open the new tab page whenever you click the home button. To choose a new homepage, click Change.
   
   Choosing a homepage and showing the Home button
4. A dialog box will appear. Select Open this page: and then type a web address. In our example, we'll type www.cnn.com.
5. Click OK to continue.
   
   Saving the homepage
6. The homepage will appear whenever you start Chrome. Click the Home button  in the navigation bar to visit your homepage at any time.
   The Home button and homepage

If there are certain sites that you open every time you start your browser, like your email or calendar, you can pin each page as a tab. Pinned tabs will open automatically whenever you open Chrome. Review our lesson on Browsing with Chrome to learn more about pinning tabs.

Several pinned tabs

To Set Google Chrome as the Default Browser:

If you would like to use Chrome as your only web browser, you can set it as the default browser on your computer. If you click a link in another program on your computer, like an email client, it will open in Chrome.

1. Click the Chrome menu in the top-right corner of the browser and then select Settings.
2. The Settings tab will appear. Locate and select Make Google Chrome my default browser. Any link you open on your computer will now open in Google Chrome.
   Setting Chrome as the default browser

Browsing History

Like all browsers, Chrome saves details and cookies from every website you visit, which you can view from the History tab. Chrome uses some of this information to decrease load times for sites you visit regularly. Chrome also allows you to search your history to find a previously viewed page and to delete your historyfor the sake of privacy. 

To View Your Browsing History:

1. Click the Chrome menu in the top-right corner of the browser and then select History.
   Accessing the History tab
2. The History tab will appear with your full browsing history. The history includes every site you've viewed in the last few weeks. The list is sorted by date, so the most recent history appears at the top of the page.
   Viewing the History tab
3. If you can't remember the exact address or name of a webpage you've visited before, you can trysearching the history. Enter a search term or website into the search bar and then click Search history.
   Entering a search term
4. A list of results will appear. If you wish to return to a website, simply click the link.
   Viewing search results