Software & Apps MS Office All About the Status Bar in Excel and How to Use It The status bar can be a helpful tool in Excel by Ted French Writer Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs. our editorial process Ted French Updated on December 08, 2019 baona / Getty Images MS Office Excel Word Powerpoint Outlook Tweet Share Email The status bar, which runs horizontally along the bottom of the Excel screen, can be customized to display a number of options, most of which give the user information about the current worksheet, spreadsheet data, and on/off status of individual keys on the user's keyboard, such as Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock. These instructions apply to Excel for Microsoft 365, Microsoft Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010. Default Options Status bar defaults include the page number of the selected worksheet page and the number of pages in the worksheet when you are working in Page Layout or Print Preview. Other details shown by default include: Conducting mathematical and statistical calculationsChanging the magnification of the worksheetChanging the worksheet viewCell mode Right-click the status bar to open the status bar context menu. The menu lists available options — those with a checkmark beside them are currently active. Click an option in the menu to toggle it on or off. Calculation Options The default calculation options include finding the average, count, and sum for selected cells of data in the current worksheet; these options are linked to the Excel functions by the same name. If you select two or more cells containing number data in a worksheet the status bar displays: The average value of the data in the cellsThe number of cells selected (count)The total value of the data in the cells (sum) Although not active by default, options for finding the Maximum and Minimum values in a selected range of cells are also available using the status bar. Zoom and Zoom Slider One of the most-used options of the status bar is the zoom slider in the bottom right corner, which allows users to alter the magnification level of a worksheet. Next to it is zoom, which shows the current level of magnification. If you choose to display the zoom option but not the zoom slider, you can change the magnification level by clicking on zoom to open the dialog box, which contains options for adjusting magnification. Worksheet View Also active by default is the view shortcuts option. Shortcuts are next to the zoom slider, and the three default views are the normal view, page layout view, and page break preview. Cell Mode Another well-used option and one also activated by default is Cell Mode, which displays the current status of the active cell in the worksheet. The cell mode is on the left side of the status bar and displays as a single word denoting the current mode of the selected cell. These modes include: Ready: Indicates that the worksheet is ready to accept user input, such as data input, formulas, and formatting.Edit: Indicates, as the name states, that Excel is in editing mode. You can activate editing mode by double-clicking on a cell with the mouse pointer or by pressing the F2 key on the keyboard. If you're unable to activate edit mode by double-clicking or pressing F2, you need to enable edit mode by going to File > Options > Advanced. Under Editing options, select Allow editing directly in cells. Enter: Occurs when a user is entering data into a cell; this state is activated automatically by typing data into a cell or by pressing the F2 key on the keyboard twice in succession.Point: This occurs when a formula is being entered using a cell reference by mouse pointing or the arrow keys on the keyboard. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit