Workbook and worksheets in excel

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Learn about worksheets and spreadsheets in Excel and Google Sheets

Updated on April 26, 2020

A worksheet or sheet is a single page in a file created with an electronic spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. A workbook is the name given to an Excel file and contains one or more worksheets. When you open an electronic spreadsheet program, it loads an empty workbook file consisting of one or more blank worksheets for you to use.

Instructions in this article apply to Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010; Excel for Mac, Excel Online, and Google Sheets.

Worksheet Details

You use worksheets to store, manipulate, and display data.

The primary storage unit for data in a worksheet is a rectangular-shaped cell arranged in a grid pattern in every sheet. Individual cells of data are identified and organized using the vertical column letters and horizontal row numbers of a worksheet, which create a cell reference, such as A1, D15, or Z467.

Worksheet specifications for current versions of Excel include:

• 1,048,576 rows per worksheet
• 16,384 columns per worksheet
• 17,179,869,184 cells per worksheet
• A limited number of sheets per file based on the amount of memory available on the computer

For Google Sheets:

• 256 columns per sheet
• 400,000 cells for all worksheets in a file
• 200 worksheets per spreadsheet file

Worksheet Names

In both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, each worksheet has a name. By default, the worksheets are named Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3, and so on, but you can change these names.

Workbook Details

• Add worksheets to a workbook using the context menu or the New Sheet/Add Sheet icon (+) next to the current sheet tabs.
• Delete or hide individual worksheets in a workbook.
• Rename individual worksheets and change worksheet tab colors to make it easier to identify single sheets in a workbook using the context menu.
• Select the sheet tab at the bottom of the screen to change to another worksheet.

In Excel, use the following shortcut key combinations to switch between worksheets:

• Ctrl+PgUp (page up): Move to the right
• Ctrl+PgDn (page down): Move to the left

In Google Sheets, the shortcut key combinations to switch between worksheets are:

• Ctrl+Shift+PgUp: Move to the right
• Ctrl+Shift+PgDn: Move to the left

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Object Hierarchy | Collections | Properties and Methods

Learn more about the Workbook and Worksheet object in Excel VBA.

Object Hierarchy

In Excel VBA, an object can contain another object, and that object can contain another object, etc. In other words, Excel VBA programming involves working with an object hierarchy. This probably sounds quite confusing, but we will make it clear.

The mother of all objects is Excel itself. We call it the Application object. The application object contains other objects. For example, the Workbook object (Excel file). This can be any workbook you have created. The Workbook object contains other objects, such as the Worksheet object. The Worksheet object contains other objects, such as the Range object.

The Create a Macro chapter illustrates how to run code by clicking on a command button. We used the following code line:

Range(«A1»).Value = «Hello»

but what we really meant was:

Application.Workbooks(«create-a-macro»).Worksheets(1).Range(«A1»).Value = «Hello»

Note: the objects are connected with a dot. Fortunately, we do not have to add a code line this way. That is because we placed our command button in create-a-macro.xlsm, on the first worksheet. Be aware that if you want to change things on different worksheets, you have to include the Worksheet object. Read on.

Collections

You may have noticed that Workbooks and Worksheets are both plural. That is because they are collections. The Workbooks collection contains all the Workbook objects that are currently open. The Worksheets collection contains all the Worksheet objects in a workbook.

You can refer to a member of the collection, for example, a single Worksheet object, in three ways.

1. Using the worksheet name.

Worksheets(«Sales»).Range(«A1»).Value = «Hello»

2. Using the index number (1 is the first worksheet starting from the left).

Worksheets(1).Range(«A1»).Value = «Hello»

3. Using the CodeName.

Sheet1.Range(«A1»).Value = «Hello»

To see the CodeName of a worksheet, open the Visual Basic Editor. In the Project Explorer, the first name is the CodeName. The second name is the worksheet name (Sales).

Note: the CodeName remains the same if you change the worksheet name or the order of your worksheets so this is the safest way to reference a worksheet. Click View, Properties Window to change the CodeName of a worksheet. There is one disadvantage, you cannot use the CodeName if you reference a worksheet in a different workbook.

Properties and Methods

Now let’s take a look at some properties and methods of the Workbooks and Worksheets collection. Properties are something which an collection has (they describe the collection), while methods do something (they perform an action with an collection).

Place a command button on your worksheet and add the code lines:

1. The Add method of the Workbooks collection creates a new workbook.

Workbooks.Add

Note: the Add method of the Worksheets collection creates a new worksheet.

2. The Count property of the Worksheets collection counts the number of worksheets in a workbook.

MsgBox Worksheets.Count

Result when you click the command button on the sheet:

Note: the Count property of the Workbooks collection counts the number of active workbooks.

In Microsoft Excel, files are organized into workbooks and worksheets. In this tutorial, we’ll define these two terms; take a look at how to open, close, and save workbooks; and discuss rearranging and copying worksheets.

Excel workbooks

A workbook is just a fancy name for a Microsoft Excel file. These two terms — «workbook» and «file» — can be used interchangably. Throughout these tutorials, we’ll use the term «workbook», since it’s Excel-specific.

Like many other computer programs, Excel allows you to open and close workbooks, as well as save them to your computer. All of these functions are accomplished using the File menu, which you may also be familiar with from other programs you’ve used.

To access the File menu, click the green tab marked «File» on the top left of your screen:

Once you click this button, Excel will open up something called the backstage view. The backstage view is used to manipulate files, and contains functionality that will allow you to Save, Open, Close, and Print your workbooks:

These buttons function much like they do with other programs. If you’re not familiar with file manipulation in other programs, here are some instructions for some of the more common tasks you’ll want to perform:

• Start a new workbook
  • Click the green «File» button on the top left of your screen
  • Click the «New» tab on the left-hand navigation bar
  • Select the type of file you want to create (usually «Blank Workbook») and press the «Create» button
  • Shortcut: Try pressing Ctrl + N on Windows or ⌘ + N on a Mac
• Open a workbook
  • Click the green «File» button on the top left of your screen
  • Click the «Open» icon on the left-hand navigation bar
  • Navigate through your computer’s folders to the file you want to open, then click «Open»
  • Shortcut: Try pressing Ctrl + O on Windows or ⌘ + O on a Mac
• Close a workbook
  • Click the green «File» button on the top left of your screen
  • Click the «Close» icon on the left-hand navigation bar
  • Bear in mind that Excel can have multiple workbooks (files) open at once; pressing the «Close» icon will only close the current workbook, and will keep all other workbooks open
  • Shortcut: Try pressing Ctrl + W on Windows or ⌘ + W on a Mac
• Save a workbook
  • Click the green «File» button on the top left of your screen
  • Click the «Save» icon on the left-hand navigation bar
  • Navigate through your computer’s folders to the location in which you’d like to save your workbook, then click «Save»
  • Shortcut: Try pressing Ctrl + S on Windows or ⌘ + S on a Mac
• Print a workbook
  • Click the green «File» button on the top left of your screen
  • Click the «Print» tab on the left-hand navigation bar
  • Edit the settings that appear until the preview in the right-hand pane appears as you would like it to print, then press the «Print» button
  • Shortcut: Try pressing Ctrl + P on Windows or ⌘ + P on a Mac

Excel worksheets

Each workbook contains a number of different worksheets, which are tabs into which you can input data. Worksheet tabs appear at the bottom of each workbook, like in this screenshot:

Notice that each worksheet has its own name; by default, a workbook will open up with three worksheets, called Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3, respectively. But you’re free to add, delete, and rename these worksheets as you see fit.

You can navigate between worksheets by clicking on one of these tabs, like in the screenshot below. You can also use hotkeys to do it: Ctrl + PgUp or PgDn on Windows, or Fn + ⌘ + or on a Mac.

Right-click a worksheet tab to bring up the worksheet options menu, which will allow you to manipulate the worksheets in your workbook. Here, you can Insert, Delete, Rename, Move, Copy, or Hide a worksheet, as well as a few other features (like changing the color of a worksheet tab).

Here are some more detailed instructions on accomplishing each of these tasks:

• Add a worksheet
  • Right click the name of any worksheet tab
  • Click «Insert…»
  • Ensure «Worksheet» is selected and press «OK»
• Delete a worksheet
  • Right click the name of the worksheet you would like to delete
  • Click «Delete»
• Rename a worksheet
  • Right click the name of the worksheet you would like to rename
  • Click «Rename»
  • Type the new name of the worksheet on your keyboard, then press Enter to commit
• Move a worksheet
  • Right click the name of the worksheet you would like to move
  • Click «Move or Copy»
  • If you would like to move the worksheet to another position in the same workbook, click the name of the worksheet before which you would like to move it
  • If you would like to move the worksheet to another workbook, select the new workbook from the «To book:» menu, then click the name of the worksheet before which you would like to move it
  • Bear in mind that if you move a worksheet to another workbook, it will be erased from the current workbook
  • Press «OK»
• Copy a worksheet
  • Right click the name of the worksheet you would like to copy
  • Click «Move or Copy»
  • If you would like to copy the worksheet to another position in the same workbook, click the name of the worksheet before which you would like to copy it
  • If you would like to copy the worksheet to another workbook, select the new workbook from the «To book:» menu, then click the name of the worksheet before which you would like to copy it
  • Press «OK»
• Hide a worksheet
  • Right click the name of the worksheet you would like to hide
  • Click «Hide»
  • This will make the worksheet invisible and remove it from the tab list at the bottom of your screen
• Unhide a worksheet
  • Right click the name of any worksheet
  • Click «Unhide…»
  • Select the name of the worksheet you would like to unhide, then press «OK»

That’s it! You can now work with Excel files, save and open workbooks, and manipulate worksheets. Questions or thoughts on any of the above? Let us know in the Comments section below.

Comments

After you become familiar with Excel 2019’s basic menus and functionality, it’s time to enter data into a worksheet and see the way Excel works with it. When you hear «spreadsheet» in discussions about Excel, you generally think of an Excel file. However, Microsoft makes a distinction between worksheets and workbooks. As you work with multiple Excel files, you’ll need to know the difference between the two properties.

Worksheets vs. Workbooks

It might seem like an insignificant distinction, but when you start working with formulas and linked files, understanding the difference between a worksheet and a workbook is important in Excel. When you create a new Excel file, you make a new workbook. A workbook is synonymous with an Excel file.

After you create a workbook, Excel 2019 automatically creates a new sheet. You can see the name of the sheet at the bottom-left of the opened workbook window.

(An Excel workbook with one worksheet)

The default name of the worksheet is «Sheet1» as you can see in the image above. Excel allows you to create several worksheets within one workbook. Each sheet can be used to store data organized by type, and each sheet within the workbook can reference others within the workbook. For instance, you could have two sheets within a workbook named «CustomerOrders.» One sheet has customer shipping information and the second sheet has order information. A worksheet with customer orders can reference the worksheet with customer shipping data to determine the address to send product.

Notice the «+» image next to the sheet in the image. Click it and a new sheet is created with the next numerical value in the name. The first sheet’s default name is «Sheet1.» When you create a new sheet, the next sheet name is «Sheet2.» Each worksheet in an Excel 2019 workbook must be given a unique name, even if you keep the default names applied to your worksheets.

You don’t have to keep the default name. You can change a worksheet’s name. Double-click «Sheet1» on the first worksheet tab and notice that Excel prompts you for a new name. Type any name in the text box, and it’s applied to your worksheet. This new name is stored as the worksheet’s name. Since you can only have unique worksheet names, you must give each of your worksheets its own name.

Entering Data in a Worksheet

With your worksheet set up, you can enter data in cells. Excel 2019 has several different formatting tools, so this section just describes some basics of entering data and working with alphanumeric values versus calculations and numbers.

With a worksheet opened, enter the following data into cell A1 and B1: 

5

10

Remember that the «A» label indicates the first column, and «B» is the label for the second column. Since both cells use the row number «1,» you know that data should be entered into the first row.

(Data entered into cells A1 and B1)

Now enter the value «001» into cell C1. Notice that Excel 2019 strips the zeros from the value and only displays «1» in the cell. This is because Excel attempts to determine the type of data entered into a cell and formats it appropriately. Unfortunately, Excel doesn’t always accurately determine the data type and displays numbers incorrectly. Microsoft provides a way for you to override the default behavior and force Excel to display values exactly how you enter them.

Go back to C1 and change your input from «001» to ‘001 (notice the single tick mark in front of the first zero). The single tick mark tells Excel to stop determining the data type and only display data exactly how it’s entered. Notice that now your spreadsheet displays 001 without Excel removing the zeros. Whenever you enter data that isn’t formatting properly, you can always add a single tick character to stop the default formatting.

Sometimes you just want to use a calculation in a cell. This can be convenient when you have several numbers that you can’t add without a calculator, so instead you can use Excel’s internal calculator to do it for you.

The equal sign ( = ) is the character used to indicate that you want to use a calculation in a cell. One of the main reasons to use Excel 2019 over any other type of software to store data is the ability to use formulas and calculations. You can perform the same actions in any other office software, so Excel is perfect for calculations from basic addition and subtraction to complex formulas using calculus. The hardest part of using Excel for these calculations is knowing how to translate a basic math equation to Excel «language.»

For basic calculations, you just need to add the equal sign at the beginning of your data entry. With your spreadsheet open, enter the following data into cell D1: 

=4+3

In the above example, we just want to add two numbers 4 and 3. You can calculate any number of values, so you aren’t limited to just two numbers.

(Cell D1 with a calculation to add two numbers 4 and 3)

In the image above, notice that the value «7» displays although the value entered was «=4+3» in cell D1. When Excel 2019 performs a calculation, it displays the result. Click the cell to see the calculation in the text field located under the menu.

You might make a mistake in your calculation. For instance, you might enter a letter instead of a number in the cell, and Excel picks up on the error. When you have an error in your equation, Excel 2019 displays a message since it can’t make a determination how to display results.

(Displayed text with an error in a math equation)

Notice that instead of a «3» entered, the character «a» was used in the math calculation. Because you can’t use a letter in a calculation, Excel doesn’t know how to treat it and displays «#NAME?» in the active cell. This display is how you know that there is an error in your calculation.

Referencing Other Cells in Calculations

Excel provides ways to dynamically calculate values in cells based on the values entered into those cells. This is done by entering values in cells and then using one separate cell to display results. Delete all values entered into your current spreadsheet. Re-enter 5 into A1 and 10 into B1, the same values and cells used in the previous example.

Suppose that you want to use the values in A1 and B1 to perform a calculation that you display in C1. You can reference the two values using their A1 and B1 labels. In cell C1, enter the following calculation:

=A1+B1

(Calculations using two external cells)

With calculations using cells other than the active one, notice that you still use the equal sign to tell Excel that you want to perform a calculation, but instead of using static numbers, you use the cell name. When you reference cells by name, you can now add new data and the referencing cell will automatically recalculate the results. Using the same spreadsheet, now change the number «5» in A1 to «10.»

(Changes in entered values are recalculated in C1)

Now that the value «5» was changed to «10,» Excel detects the change and recalculates the equation. In this example, the value 20 is now shown in cell C1. Notice that no changes were made to the text entered into C1. It still remains the same, and still references the same cell labels. However, now the value displayed is updated to the latest calculations. What’s convenient about Excel 2019 is that this action is done automatically. You don’t need to click any buttons or manually update results. Enter new values into your spreadsheet, and all of your formulas and equations update dynamically.

Dynamic updates and re-calculations have several benefits. For instance, suppose that you need to keep track of your expenses each month. To find out what you spend on utilities, groceries and gas, you need to have three different calculations. You can create an Excel spreadsheet with three cells that reference data in three other cells. As you enter different data each month, the calculations will be performed automatically as you enter new values.

Suppose that you have several cells that you want to use in your calculation and typing them could lead to typos. You can use your mouse to click each cell to include in your calculation. Using the same spreadsheet, enter the number «5» in cell F1. Then click C1, which is the cell that displays results of your calculation.

Add the plus character to the equation and then click F1 with your mouse. Notice that Excel automatically adds the cell label F1 to your calculation.

(A third cell added to an Excel calculation)

You can add several cells at a time in your calculation using the mouse. Add another plus character to the active cell and hold the CTRL keyboard key. Use your mouse button to highlight all cells that you want to use in the calculation.

(Multiple cells added to a calculation)

Notice that Excel uses the colon character to indicate a range of cells. In this example, the range F1 to H1 are added to the calculation. Any values entered into these cells will be added to the result. If no values are entered into these cells, Excel treats them as zero and no changes are made to results.

As you work with more data in Excel, you’ll use more formulas and calculations. They can then be used in your charts and graphs. Using the mouse, adding multiple cells at once to a calculation takes only a few seconds rather than typing each cell individually. Use these basic techniques to create simple spreadsheets that track your data.

The Three Types of Data

There are three types of data in Excel 2019: text, value, or formula.   This is the type of data you enter into cells. If Excel detects that the entry is a formula, it will calculate the formula and display the result in the cell. You can see the formula in the Formula Bar when the cell is active.

If it detects that it’s not a formula, Excel then decides if it’s text or value. Text entries are aligned to the left side of the cell. Values are aligned to the right. 

This is all important to know so you can make sure you are entering things correctly, and Excel 2019 is recognizing your entries as the correct data type.

About Text Data

Text entries are simply bits of data that Excel can’t classify as a formula or value. Most text entries are labels.   Labels are the names of columns and rows.

You can always tell if Excel is classifying your entry as text because text will be aligned to the left side of the cell.

About Values

Values are the building blocks of all formulas that you enter. Values are numbers that represent quantities, and they are numbers that represent dates. 

Values are aligned to the right side of the cell. 

If Excel cannot solve the values you add as a formula, it will assume they are values.

Adding Values

Let’s take a look at how to enter values into an Excel worksheet.

Negative values. If you need to add a negative value, enter a minus (-) sign before the value. You can also put in parentheses if you want. Excel will convert it to negative if you choose to use parentheses.

Dollar amounts. If you’re entering a value that’s a dollar amount, you can add dollar signs and commas just like you would if you were writing it by hand.

Decimal points. If you need to add a decimal point, use the period key on your keyboard.

Fractions. If you need to convert a fraction to a decimal, Excel can do that for you, so there’s no need to stress over it yourself. Simply type the fraction in using the slash key on the keyboard. Just make sure you leave a space after any whole numbers before typing in the fraction, as shown below.

Hit Enter on your keyboard. 

As you can see below, Excel classified the number as a value and aligned it to the right. However, it’s still a fraction. 

Click on the cell that contains the fraction, then take look at the Formula Bar.

Excel converted it to a decimal. 

Note: If you’re entering simple fractions such as 5/8 where a whole number isn’t present, you must enter a zero as the whole number. If you don’t, Excel 2019 thinks you’re entering a date.

About Formulas

In Excel, a formula is simply an equation that performs a calculation. It can be as simple as 5 + 2, or as complex as. You can perform calculations within a single cell or based on the values in two different cells, a range of cells, or even a range of cells across several different worksheets. A range of cells is defined as a block or group of cells that have been selected. If all this is confusing right now, don’t worry. It will become crystal clear very soon. 

For now, remember that whenever you enter a formula into Excel 2019, the formula must start with an equals sign: =. This might seem strange at first since ordinarily an equals sign comes at the end of an equation, but this lets Excel know right away that you want to perform a calculation. Again, whenever you want to add a formula in Excel, you always start with the equal sign, as shown below:

Once you’ve entered it into the cell, either hit Enter or the arrow key to go to another cell.

Excel performs the calculation and displays the answer in the cell.

Now whenever you click on the cell, the formula will appear in the Formula Bar.

Fixing Decimal Points

If you need to enter a bunch of numbers that use the exact same number of decimal places, you can use Excel’s Fixed Decimal setting so that Excel automatically adds the decimal point for you.

To do this, click the File tab to go to the Backstage area, then click Options.

Go to the column on the left, and click Advanced.

Go to Automatically Insert a Decimal Point and put a check in the box.

By default, it’s set to two places from the right. You can change this number if needed.

Entering Dates

Dates and times are values in a worksheet, not text. They are values because they can be used for formulations, such as how many days an employee worked last month. In saying that, Excel 2019 determines that you’re entering a date or time by the way you type it in.  

These are the ways you can type a time into Excel so that it recognizes it as a value:

• 5 AM or 5 PM

• 5 A or 5 P

• 5:46 AM or 5:46 PM

• 5:46:12 AM or 5:46:12 PM

• 17:46

• 17:46:12

Below are the date formats that Excel 2019 recognizes as values:

• May 1, 2019 or May 1, 19. It will appear in Excel as 1-May-19

• 5/1/19 or 5-1-19. It will appear as 5/1/2019

• 1-May-19 or 1/May/19 or 1May19. It will appear as 1-May-2019.

•  May-1 or May/1 or May1 will appear as 1-May.

Note: You only need to enter the last two digits of the year for this century if the last two digits are 00-29. Starting with 2030, you need to enter all four digits.

Entering Data into a Worksheet

Now that we’ve covered some of the very basics of data, it’s time to start actually entering information into Excel.   Entering information is as easy as clicking on a cell. When you click on a cell, the cell will be highlighted with a border as shown below.

Once it’s highlighted with border, you can type inside of it. When you’re finished entering information into one cell, you can click the mouse in another cell to type more information.  

However, moving and clicking your mouse each time you want to change cells becomes time consuming. Most people who use Excel 2019 want to move a little faster than that and save as much time as possible. That said, you can also use the following keys to navigate the spreadsheet as you enter information.

• Enter. Enters the data into the current cell, then moves the cursor to the next cell in the same column. In other words, using the example above, if we pressed ‘Enter’ it would move the cursor down to cell A2. We could then type in A2.

• Tab. Tab enters the data into the current cell, then moves one cell over in the same row. In this example, it would move to B1. 

• Arrows. You can navigate through columns or rows in the spreadsheet using the arrows. 

Entering Labels for Columns and Rows

Labels are used for things such as titles, headings, names, and for identifying columns that contain data. These are text values. 

Below we’ve created the beginning of a spreadsheet that will be used to calculate the sales for each employee by the month. 

As you can see, Excel recognized our entries as text values. Text values are always aligned to the left side of the cell.

Entering Repeated Labels

Now, let’s say we want to add the first name, William Barrett, twice in our spreadsheet. 

A method that you can use to quickly enter repeated labels is to use the Pick List feature. To use the Pick List feature, right click on the cell where you want the label to appear. Select ‘Pick from Drop-down List.’

When you click on Pick from Drop-down List, a dropdown menu will appear:

Select the label you want to appear by clicking on it.

For our example, we would scroll down until we found William Barrett, then we’d click on the name. The text label William Barrett is now entered in the cell.