MS-Excel / Getting Started

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Selecting Commands from the Ribbon

Make sure that Excel 2007 is running and an empty Sheet1 worksheet is active on your computer monitor.

1. Press the Alt key.
   Note the access-key letters that now appear on the Office button, Quick Access toolbar options and the Ribbon Tabs.

   If you prefer selecting Excel commands from the keyboard, you will probably want to memorize the following access keys for selecting the seven tabs:

   Home tab: Alt+H
   Insert tab: Alt+N
   Page Layout tab: Alt+P
   Formulas tab: Alt+M
   Data tab: Alt+A
   Review tab: Alt+R
   View tab: Alt+W
   

2. Type W to display the contents of the View tab and then type VG to remove the check mark from the Gridlines check box in the Show/Hide Group.
   
   
3. Click the Gridlines check box to select it again and redisplay the gridlines in the worksheet.
   As you may have noticed, the Ribbon takes up quite of bit of screen space that is otherwise used to display worksheet data. You can take care of this by setting Excel to minimize the Ribbon each time you select one of its commands to display only the tab names.
   
   
4. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button (the button with the line and downward-pointing triangle at the end of the Quick Access toolbar) and then click the Minimize the Ribbon option at the very end of this menu.
   Excel immediately minimizes the toolbar to display only the seven tab names. As long as this option is selected on the Customize Quick Access toolbar menu (indicated by a check mark in front of its menu option), Excel continues to reduce the Ribbon to its tab names any time after you select one its commands.
   
   Keep in mind that you can expand the Ribbon to display all the command buttons on the currently selected tab any time that the Ribbon is minimized simply by double-clicking the tab or pressing Ctrl+F1.
   
   
5. Click Data on the minimized Ribbon. Excel expands the Ribbon to display all of the Data tab command buttons.
   
   
6. Click anywhere in the worksheet area to minimize the Ribbon once again.
   The only problem with this minimized Ribbon arrangement is that the temporarily expanded Ribbon covers the first three rows of the worksheet. This makes it very difficult to work with data at the top of the worksheet. For that reason, as well as to help you get comfortable with unfamiliar Ribbon commands, you will work with the Ribbon expanded at all times in all remaining exercises in this workbook.
   
   
7. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button and then click the Minimize the Ribbon option to deselect this option by removing its check mark. Then, click the Home tab to displays its command buttons.
   The Ribbon now remains fully displayed at all times as you select any of its tabs and command buttons without ever obscuring any part of the worksheet display.