Microsoft Excel course

Excel Lesson 4

Accessible Formatting and Number Formats

First-time setup and success checks

Lesson goal in plain language: Apply meaningful formatting and number formats while keeping the worksheet usable with screen readers and magnification.

Prepare before step 1

  1. Open the correct application, website, or device screen and wait for its name to be announced.
  2. Open Excel manual and review the matching procedure if any command or term is unfamiliar.
  3. Use only fictional, public, disposable, or instructor-provided practice information. Make a copy before changing an important file.
  4. Read all numbered instructions once before performing them so you know the intended final result.

Commands used or referenced

Ctrl+B., Ctrl+1, Enter, F1, Alt+Q,, Insert+Spacebar,, Alt+Q

For a plus-sign command, hold the modifier key, press and release the final key, then release the modifier. For a sequence, press and release each key in order. Stop after every command and listen for the result.

Work and verify

  1. Perform one numbered instruction and stop. Identify the active window, focused control, selected item, cell, slide, message, field, or device area before continuing.
  2. Compare the result with the lesson goal. A sound alone is not enough; verify the name, state, value, location, permission, or content.
  3. If the result is wrong, press Escape once to leave an unexpected menu, identify focus again, and use Undo only when the change is safely reversible.
  4. Save or synchronize at natural stopping points. Use the required filename Excel-Lesson-4.xlsx.
  5. Complete the “Before submitting” checklist from top to bottom. Correct missing items before marking the lesson complete.
  6. Close and reopen the practice item, or return to it from the product’s main screen, to prove you can locate and verify the result independently.

Success standard: Explain what each major command did, show the finished result, and recover from one harmless focus or navigation error without another person naming the next key.

Goal

Apply meaningful formatting and number formats while keeping the worksheet usable with screen readers and magnification.

Skills practiced

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Open Excel-Lesson-3.xlsx.
  2. Select the header row from A1 through D1 and press Ctrl+B.
  3. Select the Unit Cost and Line Total values. Press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells.
  4. Choose Currency or Accounting with two decimal places, then press Enter.
  5. Add a Discount column in E1. Enter percentages such as 5%, 10%, and 0% in E2 through E6.
  6. Use Ctrl+1 to confirm the Discount cells use Percentage format.
  7. Add a Purchase Date column in F1 and enter valid dates for each item.
  8. Use Ctrl+1 to apply a clear date format.
  9. Do not merge cells. Keep one header for every column and one record per row.
  10. If you use color, also include text such as Approved or Review so color is not the only cue.
  11. Run Review, Check Accessibility by pressing Alt+Q, typing Check Accessibility, and choosing the command.
  12. Save the workbook as Excel-Lesson-4.xlsx.

JAWS help: Press Insert+Spacebar, then J, to search JAWS commands when you forget a keystroke. Ribbon KeyTips can differ slightly by Microsoft 365 update, so Alt+Q search is included where useful.

Your assignment

Format the expense worksheet with bold headers, currency, percentage, and date formats. Keep the structure accessible and do not merge cells.

Save the finished assignment as Excel-Lesson-4.xlsx.

Before submitting