Selecting Cells, Blocks, Columns, and Rows

A quick way to enter a series of column headings is to select the block of cells that will contain them and then begin typing. If, for example, your headings will be in cells B3 through E3, you can select that range of cells and then type your first heading. Press ENTER, and you’re automatically taken to the second cell in the range, and so on. By selecting the block of cells, you’re telling Office 2010 Excel where you’re going to be working. The order you selected the cells in indicates the direction the entries will follow.

There are other reasons to select individual cells and blocks of cells, of course. You click in a particular cell to make it the active cell, at which point you can enter content or make a correction.Selecting blocks of cells enables you to apply formatting to several cells at once or to make a large-scale deletion. If you need to cut or copy content from your worksheet, selecting the cells that contain that content is the first step in the process.

Selecting a Block of Cells

To select a block of cells, click in the first cell in the range of cells you want to select. Press and hold the mouse button and then drag up or down and left or right through the adjoining cells you want to include in your selection, as shown here. This range (from A4 through G10) was started in A4 and ended at G10. Because the selection began in A4, that cell remains white.

You can also select cells using the SHIFT key. Activate the first cell in the intended block of cells and then press SHIFT. With SHIFT pressed, click the arrow keys, and the selection will grow,following the direction of the arrow keys you press. When your selection is complete, release SHIFT and don’t press the arrow keys again until you’re ready to move away from and deselect the range.