Before you can format, delete or copy anything in Excel, you need to tell it exactly what you mean by selecting the right cells. By the end of this page you will be able to select a single cell, a block, a whole row or column, and the entire sheet.
Clicking any cell selects just that one, shown by a bold border around it. Most of the time, though, you want to work with several cells at once, for example to make a whole table bold, or to delete a block of figures together. Excel gives you several ways to select more than one cell, and each is suited to a different situation.
- Click here first
- Shift+click here to select the block
- Click a heading to select a whole column
To select a rectangular block, click on the cell in one corner and, keeping the mouse button held down, drag to the opposite corner, then let go. If you prefer not to drag, click the first cell, then hold Shift and click the last cell in the block; Excel selects everything in between as if you had drawn a rectangle between them. To pick out cells that are not next to each other, hold Ctrl and click each one individually; every cell you click stays selected alongside the others.
Try it yourself
Click cell A1, then drag down to A5 and across to C5.
This selects a rectangular block, which is the most common way to select a range of related figures.
Click A1 again, then hold Shift and click C5.
This gets the same rectangular block without dragging, useful when the block is large or off screen.
Click A1, then hold Ctrl and click C1, then E1.
This selects three separate cells that are not touching, which dragging alone cannot do.
Click directly on the column heading letter, such as B, then on the row number, such as 3.
Clicking a heading selects the entire column or row in one click, useful for formatting or deleting a whole line of data.
Press Ctrl+A while a cell inside your data is selected.
Ctrl+A selects everything connected in that block of data, or the whole sheet if you press it again from an empty cell.
Words people use
Selection is a small skill but it underpins nearly everything else in Excel, from formatting to formulas to charts. Getting comfortable with drag, Shift+click and Ctrl+click will make every later lesson feel more natural.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can select a block of cells by dragging.
- I can select a block using Shift+click instead of dragging.
- I can select separate, non-touching cells with Ctrl+click.
- I can select a whole row, column, or the entire sheet.