Opening Excel for the First Time
Excel is a grid for storing numbers and text, and doing calculations on them automatically.
A Giant Sheet of Paper
Think of Excel as squared paper that can do the maths for you. You type into the squares, and Excel adds up, sorts and charts whatever you put there.
- Open the app — From the Start menu or a search
- Pick blank or template — Start empty or from a design
- Start typing — The grid is ready straight away
How to do it
Start menu ▸ type Excel ▸ press Enter ▸ Blank workbook
You can also press the Windows key and type exce — Windows finds it before you finish typing.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Start menu | Where every installed program lives |
| Search box | Fastest way to find Excel |
| Blank workbook | An empty grid to start with |
| Recent list | Files you opened before |
What You See When It Opens
Start menu ▸ Excel ▸ Blank workbook ▸ cell A1 is selected
| Part of the screen | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Ribbon | All the buttons, grouped in tabs |
| Formula bar | Shows what is really inside a cell |
| The grid | Where your data goes |
| Sheet tabs | Move between pages of the file |
Result: The grid
The grid is where you work. Everything else is there to help you change it.
Do this
- Pin Excel to your taskbar so it is one click away
- Start with Blank workbook until you know the templates
- Save the file before you type much
Avoid
- Waiting for a blank grid — the Start screen comes first
- Opening from an email attachment and forgetting to save it
- Typing for an hour before naming the file
📌 Excel opens on the Start screen, not an empty grid. Click Blank workbook to get the sheet.
Practice
- Open Excel and create a blank workbook.
- Type your name in cell A1.
- Save the file to your desktop.
Quick quiz: Excel has just opened and you see a screen of template pictures. What do you click to get an empty sheet?
- Recent
- Blank workbook
- More templates
Show answer
Blank workbook — The Start screen always appears first. Blank workbook is the empty grid.
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