What Are the Parts of a Spreadsheet Window?

A spreadsheet is a document with rows and columns of cells, into which you place text and numbers that are then used in calculations. Spreadsheets are commonly used for financial analysis and accounting.

Rows, Columns and Cells

A spreadsheet is divided into a grid of rows and columns. Rows go down the screen labeled with numbers, while columns go across labeled with letters. Where they intersect is called a "cell."

Menu Bar

The words across the top of the screen are menus that contains all the commands for the spreadsheet program. Many commands have a keyboard short cut listed next to their name in the menus.

Toolbars

Located beneath the menu bar, the main toolbar contains buttons for frequently used commands and serves as a shortcut to accessing menu commands. Additional function-specific toolbars may be available under the View menu, depending on the spreadsheet software.

Palettes

Like toolbars, palettes are another shortcut to certain commands. Palettes frequently feature commands that are likely to be used multiple times in succession, such as color or formatting choices that would be tedious to select constantly from a pull-down menu system.

Status Bar

The status bar in a spreadsheet, typically located along the bottom of the screen, houses commands such as zoom, print view and page layout options.

References

• Parts of a Typical Spreadsheet
• Introduction to Spreadsheets

Resources

• Microsoft Excel for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Macintosh
• iWorks Numbers Home Page