Enter, fill and edit cells

What you can do#

Each cell can hold text, a number or a formula. Select a cell to enter a value, or use the formula bar to inspect and edit its contents. A displayed date, percentage or currency amount is a formatted value, so check both its contents and number format when a result looks unexpected.

Range selection is the basis for filling, clearing, copying and formatting. Insert or delete rows and columns when the structure changes, and use sheet operations to keep related work together. Fill operations repeat values or extend patterns; Flash Fill can help with supported text patterns, but its results should be inspected.

Try it#

Keep each kind of information in a separate column. For example, separate a contact name from a numeric amount instead of combining them in one cell. This makes later sorting, filtering and formulas more reliable. Save before restructuring a large imported sheet.

1. Enter descriptive column headings in the first row.
2. Add several data rows and inspect their values in the formula bar.
3. Select a range before applying fill, copy or clear operations.
4. Check the first and last rows after a bulk edit.