Excel with Microsoft Excel

If you’ve ever opened Excel and thought, “OK, now what,” this is for you. We’ll build a tiny two-column sheet, enter a few values, total them up with AutoSum, format the numbers as currency, and sort the results. Most shortcuts here work whether you use a screen reader or not. When something is screen reader-specific, I call it out.

If you like having an official shortcut reference handy, the Keyboard shortcuts in Excel page is a good one.

Excel demystified

A blank Excel sheet is basically a giant grid. You put information into that grid, and Excel helps you organize it, calculate with it, and make it easier to read. If you ever played Battleship, that A1 style grid is the same idea. Think “table with superpowers,” and you’re on the right track.

Terms you should know

I don’t want to drown you in terminology, so I’ll keep this quick and simple. These are the basic terms you’ll need to use Excel like a boss.

Cell: One square in the grid. Example: B1.

Sheet: One grid of cells.

Workbook: A file that can contain multiple sheets.

Row: Cells left to right. Example: A1, B1, C1.

Column: Cells top to bottom. Example: A1, A2, A3.

Reference: A specific cell you move to or select, like C25.

Data range: A group of cells, like A1 through C10.

Formula: A calculation that uses one or more cells. Example: add up what you spent in a week.

Build a simple sheet

We’re going to make a simple two-column spreadsheet so you can focus on the concepts.

Start in a blank workbook. You should be on cell A1.

Type Snacks.

Press Tab. You’re now in cell B1.

Type Cost, then press Enter. You should now be in cell A2.

Moving around: use the Arrow keys to move cell by cell. To jump to a specific cell, use the Go To command: Control G or F5. Type a reference like A1, then press Enter. To select a range with Go To, type something like A2:B10, then press Enter. The colon matters, capitalization doesn’t.

Make your screen reader read row and column headers

Before you enter data, it helps to tell your screen reader where the headers are. In our example, the headers are in A1 and B1.

Go to cell A1 (Arrow keys, or Go To with Control G).

NVDA: To set column headers, press NVDA Shift C. To set row headers, press NVDA Shift R. The NVDA key is Insert or Caps Lock, depending on your settings.

JAWS: To set column headers, press JAWS key Control Alt C. To set row headers, press JAWS key Control Alt R. The JAWS key is Insert or Caps Lock, depending on your settings.

Once this is set, your screen reader can announce the header information as you move through the sheet, which is a lifesaver in larger spreadsheets.

Its Snack Time!

For the sake of this simple walkthrough, we’re only going to type in three different snacks along with their prices. So, let’s get started, I’m gettin’ hungry!

Go to cell A2. Type BBQ Chips, then press Enter.

In cell A3, type Cookies, then press Enter.

In cell A4, type Brownies, then press Enter.

Go to cell B2. Type 1.25, then press Enter.

In cell B3, type 1.5, then press Enter.

In cell B4, type 1.75, then press Enter.

Add a total with AutoSum

We’ll let Excel total the cost column so you can see a simple formula in action.

Go to cell B6.

Press Alt Equals, then press Enter. Excel inserts an AutoSum formula.

Arrow up to B6. You should hear 4.5.

Any time you change a value in the range above the total, Excel recalculates automatically.

Try it: go to A5, type another snack, press Tab, type a price in B5, then Arrow down to B6 and hear the new total.

Format numbers as currency

Right now Excel treats those numbers as plain values. Let’s format them as dollars.

Use Go To (Control G), type B2:B6, then press Enter to select the price range.

Press Control 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.

Tab to Category, Arrow down to Currency, then press Enter.

Now as you Arrow through the cost column, you should hear dollars and cents.

Sort the data

Sorting is where Excel starts to feel like magic.

Go to cell B2. Open the context menu with the Applications key, or Shift F10.

Arrow to Sort, or press O.

Choose Sort Largest to Smallest, then press Enter.

Now try alphabetic sorting. Go to cell A2, open the Sort menu again, and choose Sort A to Z.

FAQ

Do these steps work with JAWS and NVDA?

Yes. The Excel concepts and the Excel shortcuts in this post work the same. The only differences are the screen reader-specific commands, like setting row and column headers, which I list for both JAWS and NVDA.

What’s the fastest way to jump to a cell or select a range?

Use Go To. Press Control G or F5, type a cell like A1, then press Enter. To select a range, type something like A2:B10, then press Enter.

Why doesn’t my total update when I change a number?

Usually the total cell is summing a specific range, and your new value is outside that range. Put the total below your list, and keep new values above it. If needed, redo AutoSum in the total cell.

Do I have to type formulas by hand to do calculations?

Not at first. AutoSum, with Alt Equals, is a quick way to total a column. As you get comfortable, you can learn formulas like SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT.

How do I make Excel easier to navigate with a screen reader?

Setting row and column headers is a strong first step. Once headers are set, Arrow-key navigation becomes much more informative in larger sheets.

We’re Done!

Ok, you’ve made it! Hopefully you now have a much better idea of using Excel in a personal or professional setting. There’s of course much more to Excel, but I’ll leave you with this much for now. May all of your spreadsheets be error free!

Qapla!