If you wish to perform a function on a group of cells, you must first select those cells by highlighting them. The exercises that follow teach you how to select. To select cells A1 to E1: Go to cell A1. Press the F8 key. This anchors the cursor. Note that "Extend Selection" appears on the Status bar in the lower-left corner of the window. You are in the Extend mode. Click in cell E7. Excel highlights cells A1 to E7. Press Esc and click anywhere on the worksheet to clear the highlighting. Alternative Method: Select Cells by Dragging You can also select an area by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse over the area. In addition, you can select noncontiguous areas of the worksheet by doing the following: Go to cell A1. Hold down the Ctrl key. You won't release it until step 9. Holding down the Ctrl key enables you to select noncontiguous areas of the worksheet. Press the left mouse button. While holding down the left mouse button,