microsoft excel assignments for beginners

Excel Beginner Exercises

In this article, I’m going to walk you through a couple of Excel exercises that are perfect for beginners. We will slowly ramp up the difficulty from beginner to advanced so if things are too easy for you, just scroll down a bit.

Getting started with formulas

‘Formulas?!’ You may be thinking. ‘That’s way too advanced for a first Excel beginner exercise.’ It’s not really. Let me explain why: formulas and functions are the bread and butter of Excel. If you want to work with Excel, it is wise to at least know what a formula looks like and why a formula is handy. That’s why we’re starting with this. Don’t worry, they are really not as complicated as they sound.

So let’s jump into it. We will be calculating the result of 32+57. However, we won’t be doing that ourselves, we will be making Excel do the hard work for us.

To start with a formula in Excel, we have to fill in the equals sign = into a cell. After that, we add our formula, so 32+57 in this case. The resulting cell content becomes =32+57 .

Note: all of our exercises have a Show answer button in the top-right that you can click if you cannot figure out what the answer has to be. After clicking Show answer , you can click on the cell to see the formula that was used in the formula bar. You can also reset the editor back to its default contents using the Reset button.

I hope the number 89 is showing in cell A1 of the spreadsheet editor above. The cool thing about this is that you can substitute the + for a minus – and it will also work. Or you can use the asterisk * to multiply. Or the slash / to divide. You can try all of these different calculations in the editor above if you want.

And just like that, you have learned how Excel formulas work! You can now get rid of your calculator 😉

Using Excel beginner functions: SUM

Now that we’ve seen how to include formulas in Excel spreadsheets, we can get to the real deal: functions. Functions are basically formulas with names. It’s easiest to understand with an example:

The SUM function will sum the values that you give it. We can recreate the formula that we created in the exercise above ( =32+57 ), but using the SUM function. That would look like this:

=SUM(32,57)

If you write this in a cell, it will show 89 . Exactly as you may expect. But you can add more numbers (separated by commas) to the function: =SUM(32,57,1) will result in 90, for example.

In this next exercise, we will combine the SUM function with another interesting Excel feature: references. So what are references? Once again, an example will explain this very quickly. Look at the following formula:

=SUM(A1,A2)

What do you think the result will be? The answer is: it depends. That’s because the formula uses references to cells A1 and A2 .

We know the SUM function will sum the values that you give it, but in this case we give it references to cells. When you do that, it will instead sum the contents of the cells that you reference. So the result will be different depending on the values in cells A1 and A2 . If cell A1 contains 1 and cell A2 contains 2 , then the result will be 3 .

These references can be super handy because they update automatically if the contents of the cells change. Whenever you edit the value in cell A1 , the result of =SUM(A1, A2) will also automatically update! And that’s why references are so ridiculously useful.

Now, let’s get to the exercise. We will be using the SUM function to calculate our total monthly income after expenses.

Calculating income using SUM

I hope that wasn’t too difficult. Or if it was a little difficult, that when you looked at the answer, it made sense.

Note about the answer: if you looked at the answer to the above exercise, you saw a notation that you may not have seen before. =SUM(B2:B5) . The colon : is used to mean a cell range . In this case, that means cells B2 up to and including B5 . So it is equivalent to using =SUM(B2,B3,B4,B5) . In Excel, there are often multiple ways of solving the same problem. I’d encourage you to use the solution that is most intuitive to you.

A step up: Average

Calculating the average of a group of numbers is quite simple: you sum them all up and divide by how many number you have. For example, the average of the number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 is: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 divided by 5, because there are 5 numbers.

You could do this in Excel by typing =SUM(1,2,3,4,5)/5 into a cell. But there is an easier way. You can simply use the AVERAGE function. Let’s do so in an Excel exercise.

Note: you may have noticed by now that both of these functions are written in all-caps. That’s just the way function names in Excel are. So it may look like I’m screaming SUM at you, but that’s just how it is written.

More practical: Concatenate

We’ve seen functions that use numbers, now let’s look at another type of function: text functions. They are functions that take text as input or that result in text output (or usually both).

Before we get to the exercise, you need to know something about text in Excel formulas. Texts in Excel formulas are almost always surrounded by double quotes “. That’s just the way to let Excel know that it is a text.

Concatenate first and last names exercise

For the fourth of our Excel beginner exercises, we will be combining the contents of two cells. The first cell will have a first name, the second cell will have a last name in it. We would like to fill the third cell with the first name, then a space and then the last name.

We can do this using the CONCATENATE function. The CONCATENATE function looks like this: =CONCATENATE("text1","text2","text3") . If we would run this function, it would result in text1text2text3 . So it just combines the texts that you give it.

More Excel Exercises

That was it for our Excel beginner exercises. I hope you’ve learned something new today. If you just can’t get enough of these types of exercises, we have an Excel exercises page filled to the brim with exercises to dig your teeth into.

5 thoughts on “Excel Beginner Exercises”

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Helpful and clear for beginners.

Written with very clear instructions except with the CONCATENATE. Unfortunately I cannot figure this simple formula.

This is awesome

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How-To Geek

Excel for beginners: the 6 most important tasks to know.

Don’t stress, we’ll teach you what you need to know to get started.

Quick Links

Entering data in excel, managing spreadsheets, adding and removing columns and rows, formatting numbers, formatting fonts and cells, performing quick calculations.

If you've never spent time using Microsoft Excel, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. We'll teach you the basic tasks you need to know to use this popular spreadsheet application.

From entering data and formatting numbers to adding cell borders and shading, knowing these essentials will ease the stress of learning to use Excel.

You have two easy ways to enter data in the cells of an Excel sheet.

Related: All the Best Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

First, you can click the cell and type your data into it. Second, you can click the cell and type the data into the Formula Bar which is at the top of the sheet.

You can also copy data from another location and paste it in your sheet . Once you copy it, select the cell in your sheet and paste it by doing one of the following:

• Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac.
• Click "Paste" in the Clipboard section on the Home tab.
• Right-click the cell and pick "Paste" in the shortcut menu.

For more ways to paste like multiplying numbers as you do, look at our how-to on using Paste Special in Excel .

You can add many sheets to your Excel workbook. This is handy for handling projects that require separate spreadsheets.

Related: How to Change the Color of the Worksheet Tabs in Excel

To add a sheet, click the plus sign on the far-right side of the sheet tab row. This adds a spreadsheet to the right of the active one.

Alternatively, go to the Home tab, select the Insert drop-down box in the Cells section of the ribbon, and pick "Insert Sheet." This adds a spreadsheet to the left of the active one.

When you add a sheet, it has a default name of Sheet with a number. So, you'll see Sheet1, Sheet2, and so on. To rename a sheet, double-click the current name or right-click and pick "Rename." Then, type the new name and press Enter or Return.

To rearrange sheets, select one and drag it left or right to the spot where you want it. Then, release.

To color the tab for a sheet , right-click the tab, move to Tab Color, and select a color in the pop-out menu. This is a great way to spot certain sheets at a glance or color-code them for specific tasks.

To remove a sheet , right-click and choose "Delete." If the sheet contains data, you'll be asked to confirm that you want to delete the sheet and the data. Select "Delete" to continue or "Cancel" to keep the sheet.

You may discover that you need an additional column or row within your data set. Or, you might decide to remove a column or row you no longer need.

Related: How to Add and Remove Columns and Rows in Microsoft Excel

Add a Column or Row

You can insert a column or row a couple of different ways.

• Right-click a column or row and choose "Insert" from the shortcut menu. 
• Select a column or row and go to the Home tab. Open the Insert drop-down box in the Cells section and pick "Insert Sheet Rows" or "Insert Sheet Columns."

Both of the above actions insert a column to the left of the selected column or a row above the selected row.

Remove a Column or Row

To remove a column or row, you can use similar actions. To select a column, click the column header which is the letter at the top. To select a row, click the row header which is the number on the left.

• Right-click the column or row and choose "Delete" from the shortcut menu. 
• Select the column or row and go to the Home tab. Open the Delete drop-down box in the Cells section and pick "Delete Sheet Rows" or "Delete Sheet Columns."

For more, look at our tutorial for inserting multiple rows in Excel .

When you enter numbers in Excel , you can format them as ordinary numbers, currencies, decimals, percentages, dates, times, and fractions. 

Related: How to Use the Accounting Number Format in Microsoft Excel

Select a cell, go to the Home tab, and use the drop-down box in the Number section of the ribbon to pick the format. As you review the list of options, you'll see examples of how the data will appear. 

Pick the format you want, and you'll see your data update.

You can also choose the style for the number format you use. Click the small arrow on the bottom right of the Number section in the ribbon.

When the Format Cells box appears, go to the Number tab and select an option on the left.

On the right, you'll see a preview of the format with options below you can adjust. For example, you can choose the number of decimal places and how you want to display negative numbers .

After you make your selections, click "OK" to apply them to the value.

Along with formatting the data within a cell, you can format the cell itself. You may want to use a specific font style, apply a cell border , or add shading to a cell.

Related: How To Add and Change Cell Borders In Excel

Select the cell you want to change and head to the Home tab. You'll see several options in the Font section of the ribbon.

Font style and size : Use the drop-down boxes at the top to change the font style or size. You can also use the buttons to the right to increase or decrease the font size.

Bold, italics, and underline : Simply select one of these buttons to apply bold, italics, or underline to the font in a cell.

Border : Use the Border drop-down box to choose the type and style for the cell border.

Fill and font colors : Select the Fill Color drop-down box to pick a color for the cell or the Font Color box to pick a color for the font.

When you work with numbers in your sheet, it's common to perform calculations. Rather than delve into creating formulas in Excel, which is a bit more advanced, you can quickly add, average, or get the minimum or maximum number in a data set.

Related: 12 Basic Excel Functions Everybody Should Know

Go to the cell where you want to add the calculation. As an example, we'll sum the cells B2 through B6, so we pick cell B7.

Head to the Home tab and select the Sum drop-down box in the Editing section of the ribbon. You'll see the basic calculations you can perform. For our example, we select "Sum."

You'll then see Excel highlight the cells it believes you want to calculate. It also shows you the function and formula it'll use. Simply press Enter or Return to accept the suggestion and get the result.

Alternatively, you can start by selecting the cells you want to calculate. Then, choose the calculation from the Sum drop-down box. 

You'll see the result of the calculation below cells in a column or to the right of cells in a row.

As an Excel beginner, these basic tasks should get you off to a great start using the application. Once you master these actions, be sure to check out our additional Excel articles for things like creating a graph , using a table , and sorting or filtering data .

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Practice And Learn Excel Online For Free

Here you can practice dozens of Excel exercises with full solutions and explanations. If you are new to excel, please check out our  Excel Basics Tutorial!

The explanations can be found in the Answer tab in each of the exercises. Have fun 🙂

New! Excel Self Assessment – Test your Excel skills and understand what to learn next to be even better!

• Basic Math and Percentages Exercise

SUM Function

• SUM Tutorial and Practice
• SUM Function – Exercise 1
• SUM Function – Exercise 2
• SUM Function – Exercise 3

COUNT, COUNTA & COUNTBLANK Functions

• COUNT Tutorial and Practice
• COUNTA Tutorial and Practice
• COUNT & COUNTA Functions – Exercise 1
• COUNT & COUNTA Functions – Exercise 2
• COUNT, COUNTA & COUNTBLANK Functions – Exercise 3

AVERAGE Function

• AVERAGE Tutorial and Practice
• Average Function – Exercise 1
• Average Function – Exercise 2
• Average Function – Exercise 3

MIN/MAX Function

• MIN Tutorial and Practice
• MAX Tutorial and Practice
• MIN/MAX Function (combined with AVERAGE)
• MIN/MAX Function (combined with IF)

IF Function

• IF Tutorial and Practice
• IF Function – Exercise 1
• IF Function – Exercise 2
• IF Function – Exercise 3
• IF Function – Exercise 4

Nested IF Function

• Nested IF Tutorial and Practice
• Nested IF – Exercise 1

VLOOKUP Function

• VLOOKUP Tutorial and Practice
• VLOOKUP Function – Exercise 1
• VLOOKUP Function – Exercise 2
• VLOOKUP with Approximate Match – Exercise 3

HLOOKUP Function

• HLOOKUP Function – Exercise 1

SUMIF Function

• SUMIF Tutorial and Practice
• SUMIF Function – Exercise 1
• SUMIF Function – Exercise 2

COUNTIF Function

• COUNTIF Tutorial and Practice
• COUNTIF Function – Exercise 1
• COUNTIF Function – Exercise 2

SUMIFS Function

• SUMIFS Tutorial and Practice
• SUMIFS Function – Exercise 1
• SUMIFS Function – Exercise 2

COUNTIFS Function

• COUNTIFS Tutorial and Practice
• COUNTIFS Function – Exercise 1
• COUNTIFS Function – Exercise 2

Pivot Table

• Pivot tables Tutorial and Practice
• Pivot Table basics – Exercise 1

Practice Excel Exams and Tests

Want to test yourself? check out our Excel Practice Tests Page

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#1 Excel tutorial on the net

Welcome to Excel Easy

We offer a tutorial on how to use Excel. Below you can find an overview of all chapters. Want to learn much more about Excel? You can find related examples and features on the right side of each chapter. We make Excel easy!

[Read More]

Introduction

If you're an Excel beginner, 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.

1 Range : A range in Excel is a collection of two or more cells. This chapter gives an overview of some very important range operations.

2 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.

This section explains the basics of Excel .

1  Ribbon : Excel selects the ribbon's Home tab when you open it. Learn how to use the ribbon.

2 Workbook : A workbook is another word for your Excel file. When you start Excel, click Blank workbook to create an Excel workbook from scratch.

3 Worksheets : A worksheet is a collection of cells where you keep and manipulate the data. Each Excel workbook can contain multiple worksheets.

4 Format Cells : When we format cells in Excel, we change the appearance of a number without changing the number itself.

5 Find & Select : Learn how to use Excel's Find, Replace and Go To Special feature.

6 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.

7 Data Validation : Use data validation in Excel to make sure that users enter certain values into a cell.

8 Keyboard Shortcuts : Keyboard shortcuts allow you to do things with your keyboard instead of your mouse to increase your speed.

9 Print : This chapter teaches you how to print a worksheet and how to change some important print settings in Excel.

10 Share : Learn how to share Excel data with Word documents and other files.

11 Protect : Encrypt an Excel file with a password so that it requires a password to open it.

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.

1 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.

2 Logical : Learn how to use Excel's logical functions, such as IF, AND, OR and NOT.

3 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.

4 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.

5 Text : Excel has many functions to offer when it comes to manipulating text strings.

6 Lookup & Reference : Learn all about Excel's lookup & reference functions, such as VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MATCH, INDEX and CHOOSE.

7 Financial : This chapter illustrates Excel's most popular financial functions.

8 Statistical : An overview of some very useful statistical functions in Excel.

9 Round : This chapter illustrates three functions to round numbers in Excel. ROUND, ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN.

10 Formula Errors : This chapter teaches you how to deal with some common formula errors in Excel.

11 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.

1  Sort : You can sort your Excel data on one column or multiple columns. You can sort in ascending or descending order.

2 Filter : Filter your Excel data if you only want to display records that meet certain criteria.

3 Conditional Formatting : Conditional formatting in Excel enables you to highlight cells with a certain color, depending on the cell's value.

4 Charts : A simple Excel chart can say more than a sheet full of numbers. As you'll see, creating charts is very easy.

5 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.

6 Tables : Master Excel tables and analyze your data quickly and easily.

7 What-If Analysis : What-If Analysis in Excel allows you to try out different values (scenarios) for formulas.

8 Solver : Excel includes a tool called solver that uses techniques from the operations research to find optimal solutions for all kind of decision problems.

9 Analysis ToolPak : The Analysis ToolPak is an Excel add-in program that provides data analysis tools for financial, statistical and engineering data analysis.

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

1 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.

2 MsgBox : The MsgBox is a dialog box in Excel VBA you can use to inform the users of your program.

3 Workbook and Worksheet Object : Learn more about the Workbook and Worksheet object in Excel VBA.

4 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.

5 Variables : This chapter teaches you how to declare, initialize and display a variable in Excel VBA.

6 If Then Statement : Use the If Then statement in Excel VBA to execute code lines if a specific condition is met.

7 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.

8 Macro Errors : This chapter teaches you how to deal with macro errors in Excel.

9 String Manipulation : In this chapter, you'll find the most important functions to manipulate strings in Excel VBA.

10 Date and Time : Learn how to work with dates and times in Excel VBA.

11 Events : Events are actions performed by users which trigger Excel VBA to execute code.

12 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.

13 Function and Sub : In Excel VBA, a function can return a value while a sub cannot.

14 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.

15 ActiveX Controls : Learn how to create ActiveX controls such as command buttons, text boxes, list boxes etc.

16 Userform : This chapter teaches you how to create an Excel VBA Userform.

300 Examples

You can find related examples and features on the right side of each chapter at the bottom of each chapter . Below you can find 100 popular examples.

1  Find Duplicates : This page 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. A single factor or one-way ANOVA is used to test the null hypothesis that the means of several populations are all equal.

30 Compare Two Lists : This example describes how to compare two lists using conditional formatting.

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 CONCATENATE, CONCAT, TEXTJOIN or the & operator in Excel to concatenate (join) two or more text strings.

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 Merge Cells : Merge cells into one large cell to make clear that a label in Excel applies to multiple columns. Use CONCATENATE, TEXTJOIN or Flash Fill to merge cells without losing data.

41 Subtract : There's no SUBTRACT function in Excel. However, there are many ways to subtract numbers in Excel. Are you ready to improve your Excel skills?

42 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.

43 Contains Specific Text : To check if a cell contains specific text, use ISNUMBER and SEARCH in Excel. There's no CONTAINS function in Excel.

44 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.

45 Calculate Age : To calculate the age of a person in Excel, use DATEDIF and TODAY. The DATEDIF function has three arguments.

46 Wrap Text : Wrap text in Excel if you want to display long text on multiple lines in a single cell.

47 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.

48 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.

49 Subtotal : Use the SUBTOTAL function in Excel instead of SUM, COUNT, MAX, etc. to ignore rows hidden by a filter or to ignore manually hidden rows.

50 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.

51 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.

52 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.

53 Average : The AVERAGE function in Excel calculates the average (arithmetic mean) of a group of numbers.

54 Substring : There's no SUBSTRING function in Excel. Use MID, LEFT, RIGHT, FIND, LEN, SUBSTITUTE, REPT, TRIM and MAX in Excel to extract substrings.

55 Count Characters : Learn how to count the number of characters in a cell or range of cells and how to count how many times a specific character occurs in a cell or range of cells.

56 Sum : Use the SUM function in Excel to sum a range of cells, an entire column or non-contiguous cells.

57 Compare Two Columns : To compare two columns, use IF, ISERROR and MATCH in Excel. You can display the duplicates or the unique values.

58 Divide : There's no DIVIDE function in Excel. Simply use the forward slash (/) to divide numbers in Excel.

59 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.

60 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.

61 Hide Columns or Rows : Sometimes it can be useful to hide columns or rows in Excel. Learn how to hide a column, unhide all columns, hide cells, and much more.

62 Check Mark : To insert a check mark symbol in Excel, simply press SHIFT + P and use the Wingdings 2 font. You can also insert a checkbox in Excel.

63 Insert Row : To quickly insert a row in Excel, select a row and use the shortcut CTRL SHIFT +.

64 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.

65 NPV : The correct NPV formula in Excel uses the NPV function to calculate the present value of a series of future cash flows and subtracts the initial investment.

66 Bullet Points : This page illustrates 4 ways to insert bullet points in Excel.

67 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.

68 Box and Whisker Plot : This example teaches you how to create a box and whisker plot in Excel. A box and whisker plot shows the minimum value, first quartile, median, third quartile and maximum value of a data set.

69 Hyperlinks : Use the 'Insert Hyperlink' dialog box in Excel to create a hyperlink to an existing file, a web page or a place in this document. You can also use the HYPERLINK function.

70 Shade Alternate Rows : This example shows you how to use conditional formatting to shade alternate rows.

71 IRR : Use the IRR function in Excel to calculate a project's internal rate of return.

72 Time Difference : Calculating the difference between two times in Excel can be tricky. Times are handled internally as numbers between 0 and 1.

73 Quick Analysis : Use the Quick Analysis tool in Excel to quickly analyze your data. Quickly calculate totals, quickly insert tables, quickly apply conditional formatting and more.

74 Strikethrough : This example teaches you how to apply strikethrough formatting in Excel.

75 Today's Date : To enter today's date in Excel, use the TODAY function. To enter the current date and time, use the NOW function.

76 Sparklines : Sparklines in Excel are graphs that fit in one cell. Sparklines are great for displaying trends. Excel offers three sparkline types: Line, Column and Win/Loss.

77 Forecast : The FORECAST.LINEAR function in Excel predicts a future value along a linear trend. The FORECAST.ETS function in Excel predicts a future value using Exponential Triple Smoothing, which takes into account seasonality.

78 Slicers : Use slicers in Excel to quickly and easily filter pivot tables. Connect multiple slicers to multiple pivot tables to create awesome reports.

79 Split Cells : To split the contents of a cell into multiple cells, use the Text to Columns wizard, flash fill or formulas.

80 Calendar : This example describes how to create a calendar in Excel (2024 calendar, 2025 calendar, etc). If you are in a hurry, simply download the Excel file.

81 Xlookup : If you have Excel 365, use XLOOKUP instead of VLOOKUP. The XLOOKUP function is easier to use and has some additional advantages.

82 Flash Fill : Flash fill is a great Excel tool. Learn how to use flash fill to automatically extract data, combine data, and much more.

83 Square Root : The square root of a number is a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives the number. The SQRT function in Excel returns the square root of a number.

84 Absolute Reference : An absolute reference in Excel refers to a fixed location on a worksheet. When you copy a formula, an absolute reference never changes.

85 Randomize List : This article teaches you how to randomize (shuffle) a list in Excel.

86 Circular Reference : A circular reference in Excel occurs when a formula directly or indirectly refers to its own cell. This is not possible.

87 Running Total : This page teaches you how to create a running total (cumulative sum) in Excel. A running total changes each time new data is added to a list.

88 AutoFit : You probably know how to change the width of a column in Excel, but do you also know how to automatically fit the widest entry in a column?

89 PDF : This page teaches you how to convert an Excel file to a PDF file.

90 Dependent Drop-down Lists : This example describes how to create dependent drop-down lists in Excel.

91 Add or Subtract Time : Use the TIME function in Excel to add or subtract hours, minutes and seconds. To add up times in Excel, simply use the SUM function.

92 Frequency : The FREQUENCY function in Excel calculates how often values occur within the ranges you specify in a bin table.

93 Trendline : This example teaches you how to add a trendline to a chart in Excel.

94 Not Equal To : In Excel, <> means not equal to. The <> operator in Excel checks if two values are not equal to each other. Let's take a look at a few examples.

95 Weekdays : Use WEEKDAY, NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY to create cool weekday formulas in Excel. Are you ready to improve your Excel skills?

96 AutoFill : Use AutoFill in Excel to automatically fill a series of cells. This page contains many easy to follow AutoFill examples.

97 Entire Rows and Columns : This example teaches you how to select entire rows and columns in Excel VBA. Are you ready?

98 Combination Chart : A combination chart is a chart that combines two or more chart types in a single chart.

99 Copy a Formula : Simply use CTRL + c and CTRL + v to copy and paste a formula in Excel. Use the fill handle in Excel to quickly copy a formula to other cells.

100 Rank : The RANK function in Excel returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers. Use RANK.AVG to return the average rank if more than one number has the same rank.

Check out all 300 examples .

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How to Use Microsoft Excel for Beginners (25 Common Tasks)

Microsoft Excel is one of the most widely used applications worldwide. It is very popular with medium and small enterprises. But this article is for beginners. We will discuss how to use Microsoft Excel for beginners in detail. The below-discussed methods are applicable to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2013, 2016, 2019, 365 and so on.

How Beginners Will Create a Blank Microsoft Excel Workbook

First, we will show how beginners can create a new Microsoft Excel workbook. They can create a new workbook from an existing workbook or directly from the application.

Directly from Applications:

• First off, click on the Start button from the Desktop Taskbar .
• You see the list of installed applications.
• Now, find out the Excel icon and click on it.

From an Existing Workbook:

If you have an Excel workbook that is already opened, you can create a new one in the following process.

• Click on the File  tab.

• After that, click on the Blank workbook  option.

Keyboard Shortcut:

Just press Ctrl+N from an existing workbook and a new workbook will open.

Introduction to Excel Tabs / Ribbons: Home, Insert, Formulas, Data, Etc.

Beginners or new learners of Microsoft Excel will find Excel Tabs or Ribbons in the upper section of the worksheet in the Excel workbook.

This section contains all the operation tools of Excel.

We can customize the visibility of this section from Ribbon Display Options .

The Home Tab:

The Home tab contains all the basic features to make an Excel file. Like font, size, color, border, background color, alignment, number format, etc. It also contains cell height, width, sort, filter, find & replace, and other features.

The Insert Tab:

The Insert tab contains lots of features. Those are mainly the insertion of images, text boxes, equations, symbols, etc.

The Formulas Tab:

The Formulas tab is all about discussing different types of formulas used in Excel. One more thing formulas are made of Excel Functions . So, we will discuss different functions, Evaluate Formula and the Name Manager .

Excel Data Tab:

The Data tab discusses the features related to data customization. Like, as forming tables, group & ungroup data, data validation, consolidating, flash fill, etc.

How to Use Microsoft Excel for Beginners: 25 Common Tasks

Though Microsoft Excel has many advanced functions, even the facility of coding, we will try to cover the very common tasks for beginners in this section.

1. Customize Row and Column Format of an Excel Workbook

In this section, we will customize the format of the cell to present the data in a good manner.

📌 Steps:

• First, move the cursor to the upper leftmost corner of the dataset.
• Then, go to the Format section from the Cells  tab.
• After that, click on the Row Height option from the Format drop-down list.

• The Row Height window appears.
• Now, input the Row height here and then press the OK  button.

• We can see the cell height has been changed.
• We can also see the data of Cell B1 is not well fit. So, we need to adjust the width of this cell.
• Place the cursor at the border of columns B and C .
• Then, double-click the mouse left button.

• We can see the column is now well-fitted.

• Now, select the whole dataset by pressing Ctrl + A .
• Then, choose the Middle option from the alignment section.

• We will set the border of each cell. Select our dataset set first.
• Then, go to the Borders drop-down. Select the All Borders option from the drop-down list.

• Dataset is separated from the whole sheet now.

• Now, we will change the format of the heading of both columns.
• Select Range A1:B1 .
• First, select B for bold from the Font  section.
• Then, click on Center from the Alignment  section.

• After that, we will change the font and background color of those cells.

• We will get both options from the Font  section.

2. How to Apply a Number Format and Increase/Decrease Decimal Places in Excel

Microsoft Excel has different number formats for various purposes: Number, Currency, Date, Percentage, etc. Now, we will see how beginners can navigate these options in Microsoft Excel UI.

• First, we will see a field in the Number From this section, we can select the most common format.

• Click on the drop-down list.

We can see a list of formats here.

• We can also add decimal points to the dataset.

Two buttons are here for adding and removing decimal points.

The values showing in the Projected Revenue column must be in a certain currency with a specific decimal point. We need to format that column for that.

• Select Range B2:B13 .
• Then, press Ctrl +1 .

• Format Cells window appears.
• Choose Accounting from the Number  tab.
• Choose the currency from the Symbol drop-down list.
• Also, fix the Decimal  places.

• Finally, press the OK  button.

3. Use Excel Conditional Formatting to Analyze Data for Specified Criteria

In this section, we will introduce the Conditional Formatting of Excel. We can set different conditions like the highest value, lowest value, and other built-in conditions. We can also insert formulas to set criteria in conditional formatting.

The Conditional Formatting feature is available in the Home tab.

• First, select the data using the mouse.
• Then, click on the Conditional Formatting  button.
• Now, choose Between option from the Highlight Cells Rules .

We want to highlight the cells of the dataset between two values.

• A dialog box appears.
• Insert 1200 as the lowest and 1450 as the highest value.
• We can choose the highlighting color from the drop-down list.

Cells B6:B9 are highlighted with light red color.

4. How to Create, Design, and Use an Excel Table

In this section, we will introduce the Table format in Excel. The table has many advantages like filter, sort, etc. We can form a table from the Insert ribbon or by using a keyboard shortcut.

• First, select the whole dataset (or a cell inside the data).
• Then, go to the Insert tab and click on the Table  option.

We can also do this by pressing Ctrl + T .

• The Create Table dialog box is now being shown.

Our selected range is shown here. We can also mark the My table has headers option.

• Now, press OK .
• We can see the name of the table on the upper left side.

• We can see a drop-down symbol in each column of the table.
• We can avail of filter and sort features here.

• We can also avail of the sort and filter option in the Editing section of the Home  tab.

• Excel table has a dedicated tab named Table Design option in the ribbon section.

• The Table Design has some features which make the table very attractive.
• For example, we can get the total amount of a column by using the Total Row Just tick the Total Row option from the Table Style Options section.

After that, we can see a new addition to the dataset. This row shows the sum of that row.

• We can also have other options in the total row feature.
• Click on the drop-down button of this total row, and we can see more options like average, count, max, min, etc.

5. How to Copy Data and Paste in Excel

Many times while using Microsoft Excel, we may need to copy data and paste it into the desired location. In this section, we will show how to copy and paste from the Home tab.

• Move the cursor to Cell B2 .
• Click on the drop-down list in Copy  section.
• Select the Copy  options.

We can also press Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut.

• Now, click on the Paste  section.
• We will see a list of options.

• Look at the dataset.

Data has been copied and pasted to the dataset.

6. Apply Excel Fonts, Font Size, Font Color, Fill Color, Borders, and Others Commands

Here we will see how to customize the font section. We can choose the font type, size, style, color, background color, etc.

• Click on the arrow in the Font  section.
• Then, we will get the Format Cells window with the Font  tab.

We can also go there by keyboard shortcut Ctrl+ Shift+ F .

7. How to Insert or Delete Cells, Rows, Columns, and Sheets in Excel

Here, we will discuss how to insert and delete cells, rows, columns, and sheets from the workbook.

• We can see the Insert and Delete options in the Cells  section.

• Click on the drop-down of the Insert .

We can see options for inserting cells, rows, columns, and sheets.

• Similarly, we will get options in the Delete  section.

• We can also perform this from the Context Menu .
• Click on any row, column or cell and then press the right button of the mouse.

We will get the Insert and Delete options there.

• Another way to insert a new sheet, go to the bottom section of the dataset and click on the plus button.

8. Use Find & Select Feature in Excel

There is another interesting feature in the Home tab which is Find & Select feature.

• We will get this in the Editing section of the worksheet.

• Click on the Find & Select drop-down and will get a list.
• From this list, we can select the Find or Replace  options.

The advantage of the Replace option is that by this we can search for any item and replace that item as well.

• Click on Find or Replace any of the options and this below window will appear.

We will input anything in the Find what box for searching. We can also press Ctrl + F as the keyboard shortcut for Find and Replace. (To go to Replace directly, press Ctrl+H )

9. How to Easily Create a Chart in Microsoft Excel

Here, we will show how to create a chart in Excel.

• Select the dataset without the total row.
• Then, click on the Insert  tab.
• Now, click on the arrow button in the Charts  section.

• The Insert Chart window appears.
• Go to All Charts. After that, select our desired type of chart.

• We can see a chart with the dataset.

There is a dedicated tab named Chart Design added in the ribbon for the chart. We can customize the chart using this tab.

10. Adding Images or Shapes Using the Illustration Feature of Insert Tab

From the Illustration section, we can insert images, shapes, screenshots, etc.

• Go to Insert >> Illustration.

We get different options from the Illustration section.

• Click on the Picture drop-down to insert a picture.

We can see different source references to insert the image.

• After that, click on the Shapes drop-down to insert any shape.

We get different types of shapes like lines, rectangles, etc from here.

There are also other options, but those are the most commonly used elements.

11. How to Add Text Boxes in Excel Sheet

Now, we will discuss the Text box  feature of the Insert tab. To add a text box, just do the following.

• Go to Insert >> Text .

• Click on the drop-down symbol.

We get a list with different options.

• Just click on the Text Box field and a rectangular box will appear.
• Place that box anywhere you like.

We can also resize this rectangular box.

• Another feature is Header & Footer . Footer is usually used to present the page number at the bottom of each page. On the other hand, a Header is used to present any common text to all the pages.
• To avail of this feature, just click on the Header & Footer  section.

12. Inserting Equations and Symbols in Microsoft Excel

Here, we will discuss the Equation and Symbol features which are sub-sections of the Symbols field.

• Go to Insert >> Symbols .

• Now, click on the Equation drop-down.

We get a set of equations.

To insert a symbol-

• Click on the Symbol  section.
• We get a new window named Symbol .

We can select our desired symbols from this window.

13. Some of the Most Commonly Used Excel Functions

Well, Excel functions are most probably the most useful features of this awesome software. Here, we will see some most commonly used functions of Excel.

• SUM – It is the total of a series or a range of numbers.
• AVERAGE – It is the average of a series.
• IF – It is a conditional function. If the condition is fulfilled reply True otherwise, False .
• MIN -It determines the smallest number of a range.
• MAX -It determines the largest number of a range.
• COUNT -It counts the number of cells that contain data from the selection.
• COUNTA – This function counts all the cells from a selection with error and blank texts.
• COUNTBLANK  – This function counts all the blank cells from the selection.
• LEN – The LEN function is used to count the number of characters of a cell.
• TRIM – The TRIM function is used to remove unnecessary space between the words.
• PRODUCT -This function is used to multiply numbers.

Microsoft Excel 365 version has more than 450 functions.

14. How to Evaluate a Formula in Excel

When you use a formula in Excel collected from an external source, or you have created a formula, but it’s giving erroneous values in return, then you may want to investigate what is wrong with that formula. So, Microsoft Excel has an Evaluate Formula option in the Formula Auditing section of the Formulas tab.

It will show the steps of how a formula works. Just click on the Evaluate button repeatedly.

15. How to Define Names for a Range and Use Them in a Formula

A bit advanced level use of Microsoft Excel for beginners it is! But it’s really useful to define a name for a range of cells and use the name instead in a formula every time you refer to that specific range.

Name Manager is one feature that is used to group several cells.

• To avail of this feature first, select a range of cells.
• Then, choose Name Manager from the Formulas  tab.

• The Name Manager window appears.
• Click on the New  option.

• Now, put a name in the Name  box.
• We will see the selected range in the refers to  box.

• Now, move the cursor to any cell and write ‘ =mon ‘. We get a list of suggestions.
• Choose the marked Month  option.

• After that, press the Enter  button.

Look at the dataset now. We get the name of all months.

16. How to Create a List with Data Validation

In this section, we will discuss Data Validation . This feature will add a drop-down list from which we can select our desired item.

We will add a drop-down list here to select the month.

• First, add new cells for applying data validation.

In the month column, we will select the month value and the adjacent cell will show the Projected Revenue of the selected month.

• Move the mouse to Cell E2 .
• Go to the Data Validation option from the Data  tab.

• A new window named Data Validation  appears.
• Choose List from the Allow field.

• Select the range of months in the Source  field.

• Then, put the following formula based on the VLOOKUP function  to get value from the previous data collection.

• Click on the drop-down symbol for selecting Month .

• Look at the dataset now.

We get the revenue for the selected month from the drop-down list.

17. How to Consolidate Data in Microsoft Excel

In this section, we will show how to combine data from different sheets or workbooks into a single sheet. We will consolidate data by applying the Data Consolidation feature of the Data tab .

• We have data in 2 sheets, one for 2021 and another one for 2022 . In the third sheet will combine those sheets.

One thing that needs to be mentioned is that in both of the sheets data starts from the same location and also in the consolidation sheet data will be in the same location.

• Now move the cursor to Cell B2 and click on the Consolidate feature of the Data Tools .
• Then, the Consolidate window will appear.

• Choose the desired SUM operation from the Function field.

• After that, go to the Reference field.
• Choose the desired cells from the sheet 2021 . Then press the Add  button.

• After that, select the range from sheet 2022 .
• Finally, click on the OK  button.

• We can see the total in the 3rd  sheet.

18. How to Check Spelling and Get Workbook Data Statistics from Review Tab

After typing lots of words, it’s hard and not at all feasible to check the typing mistakes manually! Using the Spelling command, you can easily check for spelling corrections. It’s available in the Review tab.

There are several options in the Review tab. Of them, Spelling and Workbook Statistics are most commonly used.

• The Spelling feature checks the whole worksheet. Click on the Spelling command.
• A dialog box will appear for giving permission.
• Choose the Yes  option.

You can also avail of this feature by pressing  F7 .

• Then, another dialog box will show the status of the checking.

• Now, we will check the Worksheet Statistics. Click on that button.

A window appears showing the all information on the worksheet: last data cell, how many cells have data, number of tables, number of formulas used, number of sheets, etc.

19. Use of View Ribbon of Microsoft Excel

The View tab defines how the worksheet will look. We will explain the commonly used features of the View tab like Show , Zoom , and Freeze Panes .

• The Show section determines how a datasheet will look.
• We will avail of these features by putting a tick sign beside those options.
• The Formula Bar option stands for showing the formula bar. It also shows the Name Box .
• The Heading feature shows the row and column headings.
• The Gridlines option shows the gridline of the dataset.

• The Zoom feature is used for zooming in or out. Go to View >> Zoom. A dialog box appears to set the zoom level. Tick the desired zoom level, then press the OK  button.

• Sometimes we need to see a certain number of rows or columns appear all the time in the datasheet. That time, we choose the Freeze Panes  option.
• There are three options for freezing.

• We wanted to freeze the 1st column of the datasheet. We select the Freeze First Column  option.
• We can see the 1st column has been fixed.

20. How to Change Selection Direction After Pressing Enter Key

You can change the direction of the moving selection too. For that,

• Press  Alt+F+T  and the Excel Options window will appear.
• Now, go to the Advanced option and select the direction you want.

21. How to Expand Data in Column Using Fill Handle

In this step, we will show the use of the Fill Handle feature. This feature prohibits copying the same formula or a range manually in cells.

• We will apply the Fill Handle feature on Cell A2 . We want to get the rest of the month’s name in this column. We can see the Fill Handle icon at the bottom right corner of Cell A2 .

• Just drag the Fill Handle icon downwards and then look at the dataset now.

All the months’ names are showing now. This feature helps us a lot. No need to type all the month’s names one by one.

22. How to Apply a Formula for Mathematical Operation in Excel

Now, we will apply the Excel formula for mathematical calculation. We assume a 5% increment for every next month’s revenue.

• Go to Cell B3 and put in the following formula.

• Now, drag the Fill Handle  icon.

Look at the dataset now. Revenue based on our formula is showing.

23. How to Save & Print Excel Worksheet

How to save a file in Excel? Quite easy. Just do the following.

• If our file is new or we want to save an existing file newly, we need to apply the Save As  feature.
• Then, select the Save As  option.
• Put the name of the file in the marked section.
• Then, press the Save  button.

• Look at the top of the file.

The file was saved with a new name. After that, if we made any modification to this file, press the Ctrl + S button. After each modification saves the file.

• Now, we will show how to print a saved excel file.
• Go to File >> Print .
• Or we can press Ctrl + P , a keyboard shortcut for printing files.

We can see our desired file is proceeding with printing.

24. How to Use Excel AutoSave Feature

A devastating situation for beginners in Microsoft Excel is that they often forget to save the work for a long time and forget to save the file from time to time. This also happens to advanced-level users. It is a big mistake. Because if our file closes or crashes for any reason, our progress on this will be lost. Excel provides us with an autosave feature for that.

• Go to File >> Options >> Save.
• Set a time for Save AutoRecover information every…minutes option.

We can change the time. After this period, the file will save automatically.

25. Some Common Keyboard Shortcuts to Perform Some Frequent Tasks in Microsoft Excel

In the last part, we will show some most commonly used keyboard shortcuts for beginners in Microsoft Excel.

•  Ctrl +C  – Used to copy data.
•  Ctrl +X  – Used to cut data.
•  Ctrl + V  – Used to paste data.
•  Ctrl + 1  – Used for Cell Format.
•  F2  – Used to edit a cell.
•  F4 – Used to change the cell reference type.
•  Ctrl + T – Used to form table.

Download Practice Workbook

Download the following practice workbook to exercise while you are reading this article.

In this article, we described how to use Microsoft Excel for beginners from the root level. I hope this will satisfy your needs. Please give your suggestions in the comment box.

<< Go Back to Uses of MS Excel | Learn Excel

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Tags: Uses of MS Excel

Kawser Ahmed is a Microsoft Excel Expert, Udemy Course Instructor, Data Analyst, Finance professional, and Chief Editor of ExcelDemy. He is the founder and CEO of SOFTEKO (a software and content marketing company). He has a B.Sc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. As a Udemy instructor, he offers 8 acclaimed Excel courses, one selected for Udemy Business. A devoted MS Excel enthusiast, Kawser has contributed over 200 articles and reviewed thousands more. His expertise extends to Data Analysis,... Read Full Bio

Great post Kawser. And thank you for mentioning my Excel Resources page.

It’s my pleasure Rick. Nice to see you here and thanks for commenting!

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