How to Use Google Sheets: Beginner's Guide

Google Sheets is a web-based spreadsheet app equivalent to Microsoft Excel. If you've never used Sheets (or Excel, for that matter), you may need some help getting started. In this beginner's guide, we will show you how to use Google Sheets. From adding sheets to entering and formatting data, here you'll find the basics you need to start using Google Sheets.

How Do You Use Google Sheets?

Getting Started

When you get to the Google Sheets home page, sign in with your Google account. You will then open a workbook containing sheets.

• If you want to get a quick start on your project, you can pick a template from the top. You'll see options like budget, schedule and timeline.

If you prefer to start with a blank workbook, select Blank at the top left.

• Once the workbook opens, the first thing to do is name it. By default the name is "Untitled spreadsheet", which you'll see at the top left. Select that text, enter your own and press Enter or Return to save.

If you start with a template, you'll see its name instead. You can keep this name or select it and enter your own text.

• Everything you do in Google Sheets is saved automatically; you don't need to worry about pressing a Save button.

With every change you make to your sheet, you'll see a short message at the top indicating the time of the last edit and that your sheet was saved to Drive.

• To return to the main Google Sheets screen at any time, select the Google Sheets logo next to your workbook's name in the top left corner. You'll then see all the workbooks you've created in a list. Select one to open it.

Adding Sheets to a Workbook

Below your workbook you'll see the spreadsheet tabs. This lets you create multiple sheets and keep them all in the same workbook. By default, each one is named Sheet1, Sheet2 and so on, but you can rename any sheet you create to something more meaningful and give it a color.

• To add a new sheet, select the Plus sign at the bottom left.
• When the new sheet appears on the right, you can rename it. Double-click the default sheet name, or select the Arrow to the right of the name and choose Rename from the menu.
• Enter the new sheet name and press Enter or Return.
• You can also use the menu to apply a color to your sheet's tab. This is useful for spotting particular sheets at a glance.

Select the Arrow next to the name, hover your cursor over Change color and choose the color you want to use.

• You can create up to 200 sheets in your workbook. To switch to a different sheet, just select the tab at the bottom.

When you have many sheets filling the tabs at the bottom, you can use the Arrows displayed at the bottom right to move between them.

Entering Data in Google Sheets

After you've set up your workbook and sheets, you can start entering your data.

• Entering data into your spreadsheet is as simple as selecting a cell, typing in the cell and pressing Enter or Return.

You'll see the cell highlighted, making it the active cell. In addition to seeing the content in the cell itself, you'll see it in the Formula bar at the top.

• Another way to enter data into your sheet is to paste it from somewhere else. You might have a note, report or other item containing the text or numbers you want to add.

Copy it from that location, select the cell in Google Sheets where you want the data, and do one of the following to paste:

1. Select Edit > Paste from the menu.
2. Right-click and select Paste .
3. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V on Windows or Command + V on Mac.

You'll also see the Paste special option in the Edit and Shortcut menus. This lets you paste values, formatting or formulas, along with a few advanced options.

Formatting Your Data

One thing you'll find yourself doing with your Google Sheets data is formatting it. This ranges from formatting a number as currency to applying bold to make text stand out.

• Select a cell or range of cells containing the data you want to format. To select a range, drag your cursor across the cells to highlight them.
• Either open the Format menu or take advantage of the handy toolbar at the top of the sheet.
• Choose the format you want to use, and you'll see your data update right away.
• You can choose from number, font or cell formatting directly from the toolbar. Hover your cursor over a toolbar button to see the tooltip with its description.

Doing Basic Calculations

The main feature of a spreadsheet app is its ability to perform calculations. Google Sheets gives you a handful of common calculations such as sum, average and count right in the toolbar.

• Select the cells you want to calculate. Note: for some functions and formulas, instead of selecting a group of cells first, you'll select the cell where you want the result and build the formula there.
• Select the Functions dropdown arrow in the toolbar and choose a calculation from the top. Here, we'll add up our total values using the Sum function.
• When the formula appears in your sheet, confirm the cells for the calculation and press Enter or Return.
• The formula result is displayed beneath our selected cells. If you select this cell, you'll see the formula in the formula bar.
• For additional calculations and actions to use with formulas, you can explore the other options in the Functions dropdown menu.

Exploring the Menu Options

As a new Google Sheets user, you may want to take some time to explore the tabs in the menu and what each one offers. So far we have mentioned the edit and format menus, but as you can see, there is more.

File : email, share, import, settings and print

Edit : copy, paste, paste special, delete, undo and redo

View : Show gridlines or the formula bar, freeze columns or rows, and group columns or rows.

Insert : Add cells, columns, rows, charts, images, links and comments.

Format : Format numbers, text, alignment and wrapping, and apply conditional formatting.

Data : Sort, filter, protect and use data validation.

Tools : spelling, autocomplete, notification rules and accessibility

Extensions : Get, manage and access add-ons.

Help : Search the menus, get help, view a list of functions and see keyboard shortcuts.

You'll also see the Comment and Share buttons at the top right of your Google Sheet, which you can use if you plan to collaborate with others. You can also access your Google account with your Profile icon.

There is much more to Google Sheets than you see here. But this beginner's guide will give you a good start with the basics of how to use Google Sheets.

For More Tech News;

• Instagram Reels Posting Times 2022!
• How Can You Mute Yourself in Zoom?
• 5 Ways to Improve Your Computer's Gaming Performance!
• How Do You Connect a Keyboard and Mouse to Steam Deck?
• What Is Microsoft DirectStorage? What Are the DirectStorage Requirements?
• What Is BIOS? What Is It Used For? How Do You Configure It?
• What Are Google Drive's Features? 2022
• How Do You Update Apps on a Samsung Smart TV?
• How Do You Transfer WhatsApp Messages From Android to iPhone?
• How Do You Fix the Netflix Black Screen Problem? 2022