Excel parts means knowing all the basic commands, buttons, and built-in features shown in the Excel window.
In this Excel tutorial, we will introduce you to different parts of an Excel window.
In the following image, you can see the basic parts of an Excel window at a glimpse.
Click on the image for a clearer view
After reading this article, you will learn-
- Basic parts of Excel window
- Excel ribbon structure
- Different cursors used in Excel
- Common Excel dialog boxes
- Status Bar commands
- Different contextual menus, and
- Different task panes.
Note: We have worked with Office 365 in this article.
⏷ What Is an Excel Workbook?
⏷ Basic Parts of Excel Window
⏷ Excel Ribbon Structure
⏷ Different Types of Excel Cursors
⏷ Common Excel Dialog Boxes
⏷ Excel Status Bar Options
⏷ Contextual Menus in Excel
⏷ Different Types of Task Panes
What Is an Excel Workbook?
An Excel workbook is an Excel file. It holds one or more worksheets where you can type in, save, and work with data as you like. It’s like a digital page where you can store and organize data, perform calculations, and create charts or graphs.
Click on the image for a clearer view
Once you launch the Excel application, you will find:
- Option to open a fresh blank workbook
- Recent workbooks you have been working on
- The workbooks that other people have shared with you
- A bunch of ready-made Excel templates
- Excel Account settings
- Feedback section, and
- Excel options to customize worksheets and workbooks.
What Are the Basic Parts of the Microsoft Excel Window?
When you open an Excel workbook, you will find the following parts: cells, rows, columns, title bar, quick access toolbar, control buttons, ribbon, tabs and groups on ribbon, formula bar, name box, scroll bar, sheet tab, status bar, zoom slider, and view buttons. These are the parts of an Excel window.
Click on the image for a clearer view
Worksheet: After opening an Excel workbook, we get a window of Excel to perform any required operation that is the worksheet.
Cell: The cell is the shortest part of Excel. Usually, a cell is denoted by the combination of row and column headings. Cell A1 means that the cell is located in the first column and first row. Cell numbers are unique.
Active Cell: When we click on any cell, it becomes the active cell. The address of the active cell is shown in the Name Box at the upper left corner of the sheet.
Row: Row is the horizontal collection of cells and is denoted by a number. On the left side of the sheet, you can see the row bar that indicates all rows. Excel has 1,048,576 rows in total.
Column: The column is the vertical collection of cells and is denoted by alphabetic characters. You will have a bar on the upper side of the worksheet consisting of alphabetic characters starting from A, that is the column bar. Each character of this bar indicates individual columns. Excel has 16,384 columns in total.
Title Bar: The Title bar is the horizontal bar that contains the name of the Excel file and is located at the top of the workbook.
Quick Access Toolbar: The Quick Access Toolbar or QAT is a customized toolbar, located at the left-upper side of the workbook. We gather all the frequently used commands here so that there is no need to search for them.
Control Buttons: Control buttons are located at the upper-right side of the workbook and are used for control purposes like minimizing, maximizing, and closing.
Ribbon: The Ribbon is the key interface in Excel that organizes and contains various commands. It is divided into tabs, each housing groups of related commands. It was first introduced in Excel 2007 and is available in all the latest versions including Excel 365.
Formula Bar: Formula bar is located below the ribbon. We can insert, modify, and delete any value or formula in Excel from this bar. We can also see the formula of any cell in this bar.
Name Box: The Name Box is on the left side of the Formula Bar. We can see the address cell or name of a range from this box. We can also go to the desired cell or select the range by inserting the cell reference or name in this box.
Scroll Bar: The scroll bar is used to navigate the Excel worksheet in 4 directions. There are two scroll bars: the horizontal scroll bar for left and right, and the vertical scroll bar for up and down directions.
Sheet Tab: The sheet tab contains the names of all available sheets on the workbook. We can also create new sheets from there. It is also called the leaf bar. It is located at the bottom left corner of a workbook above the Status Bar.
Status Bar: The status bar is a horizontal bar located at the bottom of the workbook. It indicates the current status of the selected cell and other mathematical calculations like sum, average, count, etc.
Zoom Slider: It refers to the zoom adjustment of Excel workbooks that ranges from 10% to 400%. It is located at the bottom-right corner of the Excel workbook.
View Buttons: This button refers to different ways to present the workbook in Excel. There are three modes: Normal, Page Layout, and Page Break Preview.
How Is the Excel Ribbon Structured?
Excel ribbon has the following basic components: Tabs, Command Groups, Command Buttons, and Dialog Box Launcher.
Tab: A tab is an entity that organizes a similar group of commands in Excel. Each tab stands for a specific purpose. Like, the Insert tab is used to insert tables, illustrations, charts, maps, sparklines, etc. in the dataset.
Command Groups under Each Tab: Under each tab, there are multiple command groups to do specific tasks. Example: The Font group under the Home tab is dedicated to font size, color, style, and other font-related tasks.
Command Buttons under Each Group: These are different buttons under each command group. Each command button performs a specific task. Example: the Font Color button sets the color of the font.
Dialog Box Launcher: The dialog box launcher is a small arrow symbol located at the bottom-right side of any command group. Some command groups contain more commands than shown in the Ribbon. The dialog launcher shows the other commands related to each group in a pop-up window.
What Are the Different Types of Cursors Used in Excel?
The cursor is the small icon that moves in your worksheet as the indicator of the mouse.
To do different tasks, there are different cursors in Excel: selection mode, autofill, I-beam, mouse pointer, move cells, copy cells, row/column selection, and resize cursors.
1. Selection Mode Cursor
It is the most common cursor we get after opening an Excel file. Also, when we hover the cursor over a cell or select a cell, the cursor looks like this.
2. AutoFill Cursor
It is a small plus sign when hovering the cursor to the right-bottom corner of a cell. To expand a series or formula to the rest of the cells, we use this cursor.
3. I-Beam Cursor
When a cell is in edit mode and we can insert data in a cell, that time cursor turns into a serifed capital letter I shape. This is called an I-beam cursor.
4. Mouse Pointer Cursor
It appears when we place the outside of the worksheet. Like: ribbon, status bar, etc. It can select any option of these sections.
5. Move Cells Cursor
It looks like a four-directional arrow sign. And appears when we place the cursor at the edge of our selection range. Then drag the cursor to another location to move the selected data.
6. Copy Cells Cursor
Place the cursor on the edge of the selection area, then press and hold the Ctrl button. You will see a small plus icon with the mouse pointer which is Copy Cells cursor. Using this cursor, you can copy, move, and do other activities.
7. Cursor to Select Row/Column
It appears when you place the mouse in the column or row bar and turn it into a down or right arrow. This is used to select the whole column or row.
8. Cursor to Resize Column/Row
It appears when we place the course at the border of two columns or rows, the cursor will turn into a two-directional arrow. This is used to resize the width or height of a column or row respectively.
What Are the Common Excel Dialog Boxes?
Now, you will learn about the different types of dialog boxes commonly used in Excel in the section below.
1. Clipboard Dialog Box
We get this dialog box from the Clipboard group of the Home tab. Our copied data is shown in this dialog box.
2. Format Cells Dialog Box
We can avail of this dialog box from the Font, Number, or Alignment group of the Home tab. We can customize the data format like category, size, color, style, alignment, add a border, fill color, etc. from this dialog box.
3. Find and Replace Dialog Box
Pressing Ctrl + F or H will get this dialog box. You can also get this box: Home > Editing > Find & Select > Find or Replace. From the Find tab, you can search for any data, and from the Replace tab you can replace the existing data with new one.
4. Sort Dialog Box
Select data > Home > Editing > Find & Select > Custom Sort to get this dialog box. You can sort data in multi-level and multiple categories from this dialog box.
5. Advanced Filter Dialog Box
To get this dialog box, go to Data > Sort & Filter > Advanced. You can select both the data and criteria range and apply the advanced filter from this box.
6. Page Setup Dialog Box
You will get this dialog box in the Page Layout tab. Click on the dialog box launcher of groups Page Setup, Scale to Fit, or Sheet Options for that. You can customize page orientation, scaling, paper size, margin, header, footer, print area, page order in printing, etc. from this box.
7. Insert Function Dialog Box
You can open the Insert Function dialog box by clicking on the fx sign beside the Formula Bar. You will get the list of Excel functions based on different categories and use them.
8. Data Validation Dialog Box
Go to Data > Data Tools > Data Validation to get this dialog box. Applying data validation, you can control the entry of data in a cell.
9. Consolidate Dialog Box
You will get this dialog box by following: Data > Data Tools > Consolidation. It summarizes information from multiple worksheets into a master worksheet.
10. PivotTable and PivotChart Wizard
Go to Insert > Charts > PivotChart drop-down > PivotChart & PivotTable to get this dialog box. Select a table or range as source data and another location to place the pivot table and chart in the workbook.
11. Insert Chart Dialog Box
Click on the dialog box launcher of the Charts group of the Insert tab. You can select the desired chart from the recommended options or all charts list.
12. Hyperlink Dialog Box
To get this box, click on the Link feature of the Link group under the Insert tab. You can link any file (Image, document, etc.), web page, sheets of the existing workbook, and email address.
Click on the image for a clearer view
13. Conditional Formatting Dialog Box
Follow Home > Styles > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules to get this dialog box. We can create, edit, delete, and duplicate conditional formatting rules from this box.
Click on the image for a clearer view
14. Name Manager Dialog Box
To avail of this dialog box, go to Formulas > Defined Names > Name Manager. We can create, edit, and delete names from here. We can also modify the reference of shown names from here.
What Are Excel Status Bar Options?
The status bar is the horizontal bar at the bottom of the workbook. By default, this bar shows some real-time status of the workbook. Like: Cell Mode, Macro recording, Accessibility, mathematical calculations, View buttons, and Zoom Slider.
Click on the image for a clearer view
The Cell Mode indicates different modes of cells like ready, edit, enter, and point.
When the Macro Recording icon is active, Excel records all the actions and converts them into VBA so that we can use it later.
The Accessibility Checker checks is a tool that checks the usability of each worksheet and suggests how to fix them.
The mathematical calculations section shows the average, count, sum, and other calculations by selecting the desired cells only.
- Right-click over the Status Bar.
- The Customize Status Bar menu will appear. Then, check the desired option from the menu to appear in the Status Bar.
Do not worry if the status bar is not showing sum, count, or any other option those are available in this menu. Just check that option and you will see that in the status bar.
You can hide or unhide the status bar easily by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+F1.
What Are the Contextual Menus in Excel?
The Context Menu appears when we right-click on any object like a cell, chart, shape, or command in Excel. This pop-up menu lists a range of options and saves space keeping itself hidden. Following is the cell’s context menu.
1. Context Menu That Appears After Right-Clicking on Cells
You will get this context menu by right-clicking on a cell. Options of this context menu related to data of a cell like: copy, cut, paste, sort, filter data, insert, delete, format cells, etc.
2. Context Menu of Ribbon
We get this context menu by right-clicking on the ribbon. The features of this menu are related to QAT and ribbon.
We get two types of context menus from the ribbon.
- Right-click on the Tab or blank space of the ribbon.
- Right-click after placing the mouse over a ribbon command.
3. Context Menu of Sheet Tab
Hover the mouse over any sheet name of the Sheet Tab and get this menu. This menu consists of options like insert, delete, rename, move, copy sheets, etc.
4. Context Menu of Chart
Hover the cursor over a chart and right-click on get this menu. We can change the fill color, outline color, chart type, data, etc. of a chart from this menu.
5. Context Menu of Shape
Right-click on a shape to get this context menu. We can modify texts, points, links, size, and other properties of shape from this menu.
6. Context Menu of Pivot Table
Right-click on any cell of the pivot table without having any filter symbol and get this menu. You can modify the font style, color, size, and format of data and show different mathematical calculations and other options related to the pivot table from this menu.
What Are Different Types of Task Panes in Excel?
Task Pane is a supporting tool of Excel. It provides additional functionality for the present task. Usually, a Task pane is shown in a rectangular box. Each task pane shows different functionality. Like: selecting any option, inserting a value, etc.
You will learn about different types of task panes and their usage from the discussion below.
1. Accessibility Checker
This task pane checks the accessibility of the workbook and suggests how to make the workbook more accessible after fixing disabilities.
Click on the Accessibility Checker icon on the left side of the Status Bar and the task pane will be located on the right side of the workbook.
2. Clipboard
We get this task pane from the Clipboard group of the Home tab and shows on the left side of the workbook. Our copied data is listed here and we can paste or delete them from the Clipboard.
There is also an Options button at the bottom of the taskbar with other features.
3. Navigation
Click on the Navigation feature of the View tab to get this task pane. In this pane, we get all the elements like table, image, chart, PivotTable, and dataset of each worksheet of the workbook.
4. Format Chart Task Pane
We will get this by right-clicking on a chart. This task pane shows all the properties of the chart for customization.
5. Analyze Data
Select a range of data and click on the Analyze Data feature of the Home tab to get this task pane. From this pane, we can see different insights of the dataset and we can ask any question regarding the dataset. Previously it was called Ideas.
6. Smart Lookup
We get this task pane from the Smart Lookup option of the Review tab. This task pane shows definitions, images, web pages, and related information of the selected data after searching.
7. Translator
This task pane shows the translation of the inserted word or sentence. We can get this pane by clicking on the Translate option under the Review tab.
8. Thesaurus
This task pane shows the synonyms, and antonyms of inserted words in Excel. Click on the Thesaurus option of the Proofing group under the Review tab from this task pane.
9. Watch Window
You will be able to see all the details of a cell in this task pane like the workbook name, sheet name, value, formula, etc. of the selected cell. Click on the Watch Window option of the Formulas tab for this pane.
10. Data Selector
The Data Selector task pane appears when you change the data type of the inserted data from the Data Types group under the Data tab. This task pane shows suggestions based on your data type selection.
That’s all from our side regarding different Excel parts and components. We hope that after reading this article, you will have a clear idea of the different parts of Excel. The worksheet, ribbon, formula bar, and QAT are considered to be the most crucial components to work with in Excel. Proper navigation and efficient utilization of these components will lead a user to organize, manipulate, and use data perfectly and you will get the knowledge of all of them from this article. If you have further queries, please write them in the comment section.
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