Learn Excel: A Simple (But Complete) Guide

Here we are showing how to use Excel with easy steps. Below you can find an overview of all chapters. Want to learn Excel more? You can find related examples and features on the right side of each chapter. We make Excel easy for you.

Table of Contents

Excel Introduction

If you are a beginner to Excel, this is the perfect place to start. Microsoft Excel is one of the most used software applications of all time. Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Microsoft Excel. You can use Excel to enter all sorts of data and perform financial, mathematical or statistical calculations.

Range: A range in Excel is a collection of two or more cells. This chapter gives an overview of some very important range operations.
Formulas and Functions: A formula is an expression which calculates the value of a cell. Functions are predefined formulas and are already available in Excel

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Excel Basics

This section explains the basics of Excel.

Ribbon: Excel selects the ribbon’s Home tab when you open it. Learn how to use the ribbon.
Workbook: A workbook is another word for your Excel file. When you start Excel, click Blank workbook to create an Excel workbook from scratch.
Worksheets: A worksheet is a collection of cells where you keep and manipulate the data. Each Excel workbook can contain multiple worksheets.
Format Cells: When we format cells in Excel, we change the appearance of a number without changing the number itself.
Find & Select: Learn how to use Excel’s Find, Replace and Go To Special feature.
Templates: Instead of creating an Excel workbook from scratch, you can create a workbook based on a template. There are many free templates available, waiting to be used.
Data Validation: Use data validation in Excel to make sure that users enter certain values into a cell.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts allow you to do things with your keyboard instead of your mouse to increase your speed.
Print: This chapter teaches you how to print a worksheet and how to change some important print settings in Excel.
Share: Learn how to share Excel data with Word documents and other files.
Protect: Encrypt an Excel file with a password so that it requires a password to open it.

Excel Functions

Discover how functions in Excel help you save time. If you are new to functions in Excel, we recommend you to read our introduction to Formulas and Functions first.

Count and Sum: The most used functions in Excel are the functions that count and sum. You can count and sum based on one criteria or multiple criteria.
Date & Time: To enter a date in Excel, use the “/” or “-” characters. To enter a time, use the “:” (colon). You can also enter a date and a time in one cell.
Cell References: Cell references in Excel are very important. Understand the difference between relative, absolute and mixed reference, and you are on your way to success.
Logical: Learn how to use Excel’s logical functions, such as IF, AND, OR and NOT.
Text: Excel has many functions to offer when it comes to manipulating text strings.
Lookup & Reference: Learn all about Excel’s lookup & reference functions, such as VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MATCH, INDEX and CHOOSE.
Financial: This chapter illustrates Excel’s most popular financial functions.
Statistical: An overview of some very useful statistical functions in Excel.
Round: This chapter illustrates three functions to round numbers in Excel. ROUND, ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN.
Formula Errors: This chapter teaches you how to deal with some common formula errors in Excel.
Array Formulas: This chapter helps you understand array formulas in Excel. Single cell array formulas perform multiple calculations in one cell.

Data Analysis

This section illustrates the powerful features Excel has to offer to analyze data.

Sort: You can sort your Excel data on one column or multiple columns. You can sort in ascending or descending order.
Filter: Filter your Excel data if you only want to display records that meet certain criteria.
Conditional Formatting: Conditional formatting in Excel enables you to highlight cells with a certain color, depending on the cell’s value.
Charts: A simple Excel chart can say more than a sheet full of numbers. As you’ll see, creating charts is very easy.
Pivot Tables: Pivot tables are one of Excel’s most powerful features. A pivot table allows you to extract the significance from a large, detailed data set.
Tables: Master Excel tables and analyze your data quickly and easily.
What-If Analysis: What-If Analysis in Excel allows you to try out different values (scenarios) for formulas.
Solver: Excel includes a tool called solver that uses techniques from the operations research to find optimal solutions for all kind of decision problems.
Analysis ToolPak: The Analysis ToolPak is an Excel add-in program that provides data analysis tools for financial, statistical and engineering data analysis.

VBA

Excel VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is the name of the programming language of Excel.

Create a Macro: With Excel VBA you can automate tasks in Excel by writing so called macros. In this chapter, learn how to create a simple macro.
MsgBox: The MsgBox is a dialog box in Excel VBA you can use to inform the users of your program.
Workbook and Worksheet Object: Learn more about the Workbook and Worksheet object in Excel VBA.
Range Object: The Range object, which is the representation of a cell (or cells) on your worksheet, is the most important object of Excel VBA.
Variables: This chapter teaches you how to declare, initialize and display a variable in Excel VBA.
If Then Statement: Use the If Then statement in Excel VBA to execute code lines if a specific condition is met.
Loop: Looping is one of the most powerful programming techniques. A loop in Excel VBA enables you to loop through a range of cells with just a few codes lines.
Macro Errors: This chapter teaches you how to deal with macro errors in Excel.
String Manipulation: In this chapter, you’ll find the most important functions to manipulate strings in Excel VBA.
Date and Time: Learn how to work with dates and times in Excel VBA.
Events: Events are actions performed by users which trigger Excel VBA to execute code.
Array: An array is a group of variables. In Excel VBA, you can refer to a specific variable (element) of an array by using the array name and the index number.
Function and Sub: In Excel VBA, a function can return a value while a sub cannot.
Application Object: The mother of all objects is Excel itself. We call it the Application object. The application object gives access to a lot of Excel related options.
ActiveX Controls: Learn how to create ActiveX controls such as command buttons, text boxes, list boxes etc.
Userform: This chapter teaches you how to create an Excel VBA Userform.

Learn Excel with 300+ Examples

You can find related examples and features on the right side of each chapter. Below you can find 60 popular examples.

1. 1. Find Duplicates: This example teaches you how to find duplicate values (or triplicates) and how to find duplicate rows in Excel.
  2. Drop-down List: Drop-down lists in Excel are helpful if you want to be sure that users select an item from a list, instead of typing their own values.
  3. Vlookup: The VLOOKUP function is one of the most popular functions in Excel. This page contains many easy to follow VLOOKUP examples.
  4. Histogram: This example teaches you how to make a histogram in Excel.
  5. Regression: This example teaches you how to run a linear regression analysis in Excel and how to interpret the Summary Output.
  6. Percent Change: The percent change formula is used very often in Excel. For example, to calculate the Monthly Change and Total Change.
  7. Pareto Chart: A Pareto chart combines a column chart and a line graph. The Pareto principle states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
  8. Loan Amortization Schedule: This example teaches you how to create a loan amortization schedule in Excel.
  9. Random Numbers: Excel has two very useful functions when it comes to generating random numbers. RAND and RANDBETWEEN.
  10. Remove Duplicates: This example teaches you how to remove duplicates in Excel.
  11. If: The IF function is one of the most used functions in Excel. This page contains many easy to follow IF examples.
  12. Lock Cells: You can lock cells in Excel if you want to protect cells from being edited.
  13. Standard Deviation: This page explains how to calculate the standard deviation based on the entire population using the STDEV.P function in Excel and how to estimate the standard deviation based on a sample using the STDEV.S function in Excel.
  14. Count Unique Values: This example shows you how to create an array formula that counts unique values.
  15. Gantt Chart: Excel does not offer Gantt as chart type, but it’s easy to create a Gantt chart by customizing the stacked bar chart type.
  16. Countif: The powerful COUNTIF function in Excel counts cells based on one criteria. This page contains many easy to follow COUNTIF examples.
  17. Budget: This example shows you how to create a budget in Excel.
  18. Line Chart: Line charts are used to display trends over time. Use a line chart if you have text labels, dates or a few numeric labels on the horizontal axis.
  19. Transpose: Use the ‘Paste Special Transpose’ option to switch rows to columns or columns to rows in Excel. You can also use the TRANSPOSE function.
  20. Correlation: We can use the CORREL function or the Analysis Toolpak add-in in Excel to find the correlation coefficient between two variables.
  21. Time Sheet: This example teaches you how to create a simple timesheet calculator in Excel.
  22. Offset: The OFFSET function in Excel returns a cell or range of cells that is a specified number of rows and columns from a cell or range of cells.
  23. Pie Chart: Pie charts are used to display the contribution of each value (slice) to a total (pie). Pie charts always use one data series.
  24. Data Tables: Instead of creating different scenarios, you can create a data table to quickly try out different values for formulas. You can create a one variable data table or a two variable data table.
  25. t-Test: This example teaches you how to perform a t-Test in Excel. The t-Test is used to test the null hypothesis that the means of two populations are equal.
  26. Advanced Filter: This example teaches you how to apply an advanced filter in Excel to only display records that meet complex criteria.
  27. Frequency Distribution: Did you know that you can use pivot tables to easily create a frequency distribution in Excel? You can also use the Analysis Toolpak to create a histogram.
  28. Scatter Plot: Use a scatter plot (XY chart) to show scientific XY data. Scatter plots are often used to find out if there’s a relationship between variable X and Y.
  29. Anova: This example teaches you how to perform a single factor ANOVA (analysis of variance) in Excel.
  30. Compare Two Columns: To compare two columns, use IF, ISERROR and MATCH in Excel. You can display the duplicates or the unique values.
  31. Compound Interest: What’s compound interest and what’s the formula for compound interest in Excel? This example gives you the answers to these questions.
  32. Sumif: The powerful SUMIF function in Excel sums cells based on one criteria. This page contains many easy to follow SUMIF examples.
  33. Bar Chart: A bar chart is the horizontal version of a column chart. Use a bar chart if you have large text labels.
  34. Concatenate: Use the CONCATENATE function in Excel to concatenate (join) strings. Instead of using CONCATENATE, simply use the & operator.
  35. Freeze Panes: If you have a large table of data in Excel, it can be useful to freeze rows or columns. This way you can keep rows or columns visible while scrolling through the rest of the worksheet.
  36. Weighted Average: To calculate a weighted average in Excel, simply use SUMPRODUCT and SUM.
  37. Index and Match: Use INDEX and MATCH in Excel and impress your boss. Instead of using VLOOKUP, use INDEX and MATCH. To perform advanced lookups, you’ll need INDEX and MATCH.
  38. Delete Blank Rows: This example teaches you how to delete blank rows or rows that contain blank cells.
  39. Sumproduct: To calculate the sum of the products of corresponding numbers in one or more ranges, use Excel’s powerful SUMPRODUCT function.
  40. Subtract: There’s no SUBTRACT function in Excel. However, there are several ways to subtract numbers in Excel. Are you ready to improve your Excel skills?
  41. Percentage: Calculating percentages in Excel is easy. Percentage simply means ‘out of 100′, so 72% is ’72 out of 100’ and 4% is ‘4 out of 100’, etc.
  42. Contains Specific Text: To check if a cell contains specific text, use ISNUMBER and SEARCH in Excel. There’s no CONTAINS function in Excel.
  43. Pmt: The PMT function in Excel calculates the payment for a loan based on constant payments and a constant interest rate. This page contains many easy to follow PMT examples.
  44. Calculate Age: To calculate the age of a person in Excel, use DATEDIF and TODAY. The DATEDIF function has three arguments.
  45. Indirect: Use the INDIRECT function in Excel to convert a text string into a valid reference. You can use the & operator to create text strings.
  46. Multiply: To multiply numbers in Excel, use the asterisk symbol (*) or the PRODUCT function. Learn how to multiply columns and how to multiply a column by a constant.
  47. Goal Seek: If you know the result you want from a formula, use Goal Seek in Excel to find the input value that produces this formula result.
  48. CAGR: There’s no CAGR function in Excel. However, simply use the RRI function in Excel to calculate the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of an investment over a period of years.
  49. If Cell is Blank: Use the IF function and an empty string in Excel to check if a cell is blank. Use IF and ISBLANK to produce the exact same result.
  50. AverageIf: The AVERAGEIF function in Excel calculates the average of cells that meet one criteria. AVERAGEIFS calculates the average of cells that meet multiple criteria.
  51. Substring: There’s no SUBSTRING function in Excel. Use MID, LEFT, RIGHT, FIND, LEN, SUBSTITUTE, REPT, TRIM and MAX in Excel to extract substrings.
  52. Sum: Use the SUM function in Excel to sum a range of cells, an entire column or non-contiguous cells.
  53. Divide: There’s no DIVIDE function in Excel. Simply use the forward slash (/) to divide numbers in Excel.
  54. Remove Spaces: The TRIM function in Excel removes leading spaces, extra spaces and trailing spaces. Use the SUBSTITUTE function to remove all spaces or non-breaking spaces.
  55. Move Columns: To move columns in Excel, use the shift key or use Insert Cut Cells. You can also change the order of all columns in one magic move.
  56. Check Mark: To insert a check mark symbol in Excel, simply press SHIFT + P and use the Wingdings 2 font.
  57. Comparison Operators: Use comparison operators in Excel to check if two values are equal to each other, if one value is greater than another value, etc.
  58. Sparklines: Sparklines in Excel are graphs that fit in one cell. Sparklines are great for displaying trends.
  59. Split Cells: To split the contents of a cell into multiple cells, use the Text to Columns wizard, flash fill or formulas.
  60. Calendar: This example describes how to create a calendar in Excel (2021 calendar, calendar, etc). If you are in a hurry, simply download the Excel file.

Learn Excel: A Simple (But Complete) Guide