The function of an icon is displayed when the mouse pointer is passed over it. Editing avoids the need to re-type the entire contents of any cell. To go into edit mode either double-click on the cell or select the cell then press the F2 function key. In either case, a vertical bar is shown within the cell. This cursor can be positioned either by clicking or by using the left and right arrow keys.
Any text typed is inserted in the position shown by the vertical bar.
The Backspace key can be used to delete characters to the left of the vertical bar and the Delete key to delete characters to the right of the vertical bar. Press the Enter key when the editing is complete. It is very straightforward to create and format a spreadsheet in Excel. The following example illustrates some of the power of Excel. Make cell A1 the active cell by pointing to the cell and clicking the left mouse button.