How to Enter and Format Data in Excel

✍️ How to Enter and Format Data in Excel | Beginner’s Guide 2025

📌 How to Enter and Format Data in Excel | Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide 2025 | Beginner Tutorial 2025

✅ Introduction

Entering and formatting data are the most basic, yet essential tasks in Microsoft Excel. Whether you’re creating a list, calculating totals, or building reports, mastering data input and formatting will set a solid foundation for advanced Excel skills.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn:

📝 How to enter data into Excel cells
🎨 How to format text, numbers, dates, and currency
⚙️ Best practices for clean and professional spreadsheets

🔡 How to Enter Data in Excel

🧩 Step-by-Step:

Open your Excel workbook.
Click on a cell (e.g., A1).
Type your data (text, number, or date).
Press Enter to move down or Tab to move right.

You can enter:

Text: Names, labels, headings (e.g., “Employee Name”)
Numbers: Quantities, salaries, marks (e.g., 25000)
Dates: 01/01/2025
Formulas: Start with = like =A1+B1

✏️ Editing & Deleting Data

To edit: Double-click a cell or press F2
To delete: Select the cell and press Delete
Use Ctrl + Z to undo and Ctrl + Y to redo

🎨 How to Format Data in Excel

Formatting helps make your data more readable and professional. Let’s explore key formatting options.

🔤 1. Text Formatting

Use the Home tab for:

Bold, Italic, Underline
Font & Font Size
Font Color
Wrap Text to show long text inside a cell
Merge & Center to merge multiple cells and center text

📸 [Insert screenshot of Home tab’s font section]

🧾 2. Number Formatting

You can apply different formats to numbers:

Format Type	Example Value	Description
General	1000	Default format
Number	1,000.00	Adds commas and decimal points
Currency	₹1,000.00	Shows currency symbol
Percentage	75%	Converts decimal to percent
Date	16/06/2025	Formats as short or long date

🧭 How to apply:

Select cell → Go to Home tab → Use the Number dropdown
Or right-click → Format Cells → Choose format type

📐 3. Alignment & Borders

Align text: Left, Center, Right
Use Wrap Text to show full content in a cell
Add Borders for neat table structure
Change Cell Fill Color for highlighting

📸 [Insert screenshot of cell alignment and border options]

⚡ Excel Tip: AutoFill & Flash Fill

AutoFill: Drag the bottom right corner of a cell to fill a series
Example: Type “Jan” → Drag down to auto-fill “Feb”, “Mar”…
Flash Fill (Ctrl + E): Automatically formats data based on a pattern
Example: Extract first names from a full name column

🚫 Common Mistakes to Avoid

Typing numbers with commas (Excel might read as text)
Mixing date formats (01-01-25 vs. 01/01/2025)
Leaving empty rows between data (affects sorting & filtering)
Using inconsistent formatting (colors/fonts that reduce readability)

🧪 Try This Practical Exercise:

Create a table like this:

Name	Age	Join Date	Salary
Rahul Sinha	28	01/01/2022	₹25,000
Sneha Roy	32	12/05/2021	₹30,000

🎯 Format:

Bold headers
Center-align Age
Format Join Date as Short Date
Format Salary as Currency

📥 [Optional: Insert Downloadable Excel File – “Data Entry Format Practice.xlsx”]

🧾 Summary

Data entry in Excel starts with selecting a cell and typing
You can enter text, numbers, dates, and formulas
Use Home tab or Format Cells dialog for applying styles
Formatting makes your data clear, organized, and visually appealing

👉 What’s Next?

➡️ Next Step 4: Excel Rows, Columns, and Cells Explained
🔁 Previous

Step 1: What is MS Excel (Introduction to MS Excel)
Step 2: Understanding Excel Workbook & Worksheet

Learn MS Excel