Data Entry and Formatting in Excel

Data entry in Excel means typing text, numbers and dates into cells. Formatting means changing how that data looks, using fonts, borders, colours, and number styles like ₹ (currency) or % (percent). The order matters: enter your data first, then format it using the Home tab or the Format Cells box (Ctrl + 1). Clean data entry keeps your calculations correct, and good formatting makes the sheet easy to read.

Entering different kinds of data

Excel treats three kinds of data differently:

• Text — names, labels. Lines up on the left by default.
• Numbers — amounts, quantities. Lines up on the right, and can be calculated.
• Dates — like 19-Jul-2026. Excel stores these as special numbers so it can do date maths.

If a number sits on the left, Excel is treating it as text and won't calculate it. That's your clue something's off.

Fast, accurate data entry

• Press Tab to move right, Enter to move down.
• Select a range first, then type and press Enter to stay inside that range.
• Use Ctrl + ; to insert today's date.
• Double-click the fill handle to copy a value or pattern down a column.

Formatting the look (Home tab)

The Home tab has the everyday formatting tools:

• Font group — font, size, bold, italic, colour.
• Alignment group — left/centre/right, wrap text, merge (use sparingly).
• Number group — currency ₹, percent %, comma style, decimal places.

Select the cells first, then click the tool.

Number formats you'll use most

Open the full box with Ctrl + 1 for more options.

Borders and colours

• Borders: select cells ▸ Home ▸ Borders arrow ▸ All Borders. This turns a plain range into a readable table.
• Fill colour: Home ▸ Fill Color to shade a heading row.
• Font colour: Home ▸ Font Color for emphasis.

Keep it simple: a bold, shaded heading row and light borders are usually enough.

Worked example (a tidy stock sheet)

You enter Item, Quantity and Price for ten products. Then you:

1. Bold row 1 and give it a fill colour.
2. Select the Price column and click ₹ for currency.
3. Select the whole table and add All Borders.
4. Widen columns by double-clicking the line between column letters.

A plain list becomes a clean, professional sheet in under a minute.

Pro tips

• Format numbers as currency or percent instead of typing ₹ or % by hand, so they still calculate.
• Ctrl + 1 opens Format Cells for everything in one place.
• Use the Format Painter (paintbrush icon) to copy formatting from one cell to others.

Common mistakes

• Typing ₹ or % as text. ₹500 typed manually can't be summed. Use the currency format instead.
• Merging cells everywhere. Merged cells break sorting and formulas. Use them rarely.
• Numbers stored as text. If they won't add up, check the format is Number, not Text.

Key takeaways

• Enter text, numbers and dates first; Excel treats each differently.
• Numbers align right and can be calculated; text aligns left.
• Format with the Home tab or Ctrl + 1.
• Use currency/percent formats instead of typing symbols by hand.

Practice task

Enter a five-row table of items and prices. Format the price column as currency (₹), bold and shade the heading row, and add borders to the whole table. Then widen the columns to fit.

Master Excel from data entry to dashboards in the ADCA program at HCI.