Excel Tables: the format that makes filters, formulas and charts work on their own
Turn your data into an Excel table: filters, totals and formulas that expand on their own when you add rows. Step by step with examples, in 6 minutes.
Microsoft Excel · 43 guides
Excel like an expert
Formulas you can copy, tables that update themselves and reports people understand, in 3-to-8-minute guides with pictures. Pick a path or go straight to what you need.
If you only read three guides, make it these
Relative and absolute references ($A$1): why your formula breaks when you drag it
Lock a cell with $ so your formula doesn't go wrong when you drag it. Relative, absolute and mixed references, plus the F4 key, step by step.
XLOOKUP: find data in another table in seconds (and forget VLOOKUP)
Learn to use XLOOKUP to pull names, cities or prices from another sheet: exact match, lookups to the left, multiple columns and tiers. Step by step, with examples.
Learning paths
Guides in order for a concrete goal, with progress tracking.
Excel from scratch, no fear
For people who only open Excel to make lists. Basic formulas, tables, filters and charts, in short guides and in order.
The essential formulas
From SUM to XLOOKUP and FILTER: the functions that solve 90% of everyday work, with examples you can copy.
Reports and data analysis
From a list of thousands of rows to a clear report: clean data, pivot tables, charts, conditional formatting and a simple dashboard.
Excel for the office, freelancers and small business
Budgets, client lists, invoices and shared files: what you need to run a business or a department with Excel.
Excel + AI: formulas you understand
For people who ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude for formulas. AI suggests; you check, understand and decide.
All guides, by topic
Foundations nobody taught you
What makes Excel stop fighting you: tables, references, formats and shortcuts.
Relative and absolute references ($A$1): why your formula breaks when you drag it
Lock a cell with $ so your formula doesn't go wrong when you drag it. Relative, absolute and mixed references, plus the F4 key, step by step.
Excel Tables: the format that makes filters, formulas and charts work on their own
Turn your data into an Excel table: filters, totals and formulas that expand on their own when you add rows. Step by step with examples, in 6 minutes.
Fill handle and Flash Fill: type it once and let Excel complete the rest
Fill months, numbers, dates and formulas with the fill handle, and split names or combine data with Flash Fill. Step by step, in 4 minutes.
Sort and filter data in Excel without scrambling your rows
Sort by one or several columns, filter by region, amount or date and total only the visible rows, without mixing up each row's data. Step by step, in 5 minutes.
Freeze Panes: keep the header row visible when you scroll down
Lock the header row and the first columns so they stay visible while you scroll through long lists in Excel. Step by step, in just 3 minutes.
Number formats: dates, currency, percentages and leading zeros that don't vanish
Format currency, dates and percentages in Excel and keep the leading zeros in ZIP codes and IDs. Step by step, with real-world examples you can follow.
Paste Special: paste values only, transpose rows and columns, and calculate as you paste
Use Excel's Paste Special to paste values only, turn rows into columns and raise every price by 5% in one go. Step by step, with real-world examples.
The Excel keyboard shortcuts that actually save time
The Excel keyboard shortcuts that save the most time: move, select, sum, format and create tables without the mouse. Step by step, with handy tables.
Print in Excel without cutting anything off: print area, fit to one page and repeat headers
Set the print area, fit all columns on one page and repeat the header row on every sheet of paper. Step by step, with pictures, in 5 minutes.
Clean data: remove duplicates and extra spaces, and split text into columns
Split one field into two columns, strip extra spaces with TRIM and delete repeated rows with Remove Duplicates. Step by step, with pictures.
Formulas and functions without fear
IF, XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, dates and text: explained with examples you can copy.
Your first formulas: SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN and AutoSum
Write your first Excel formulas: add up a range with SUM, get the mean with AVERAGE, find the highest and lowest values and use AutoSum, step by step.
The IF function explained with examples (and nested IFs without getting lost)
Learn Excel's IF function with real examples: text results, calculations and nested IFs for more than two outcomes, without errors. Step by step with pictures.
Several conditions at once: IFS, AND, OR
Combine conditions in Excel with AND, OR and IFS: bonuses, free shipping, tiered commissions and expense approval. Step by step with real examples.
SUMIFS and COUNTIFS: sum and count with conditions
Learn to sum and count only the rows that meet several conditions (region, sales rep, dates, amounts) with SUMIFS and COUNTIFS. Step by step, with examples.
XLOOKUP: find data in another table in seconds (and forget VLOOKUP)
Learn to use XLOOKUP to pull names, cities or prices from another sheet: exact match, lookups to the left, multiple columns and tiers. Step by step, with examples.
VLOOKUP step by step (and its four classic mistakes)
Learn to use VLOOKUP to pull prices and names from another sheet, and avoid its four classic mistakes: FALSE, $, the left column and #N/A. Step by step.
INDEX and MATCH: flexible lookups that work in any version of Excel
Learn to combine INDEX and MATCH to look up to the left, by row and column and without errors, in any version of Excel. Step by step with examples.
Dates in Excel: TODAY, DATEDIF and NETWORKDAYS to work out ages, deadlines and due dates
Work out due dates, ages, length of service and working days in Excel with TODAY, DATEDIF, NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY. Copy-ready formulas, step by step.
Text functions: join, split and clean with CONCAT, TEXTJOIN, MID and TRIM
Join names, split codes and email addresses and clean up spaces with CONCAT, TEXTJOIN, LEFT, MID, SEARCH and TRIM. Step by step with copy-ready formulas.
Formula errors (#N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0!): what they mean and how to fix them
What the #N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0! and #NAME? errors mean in Excel, how to find the cause and how to fix them properly. Step by step with examples.
FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE: formulas that return whole lists
Use FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE to build filtered, sorted, duplicate-free lists that update themselves, and fix the #SPILL! error. Step by step with examples.
Defined names and LET: formulas you can understand at a glance
Name cells and ranges and use LET so your formulas read like a sentence, with no $ signs or repeated calculations. Step by step with an invoice example.
Analyze and present data
Pivot tables, charts, conditional formatting and drop-down lists for reports people understand.
Pivot tables in 5 minutes: summarize thousands of rows without writing formulas
Build your first Excel pivot table and get total sales by region and product without a single formula. Step by step with pictures and sample data.
Pivot tables in depth: group dates, % of total and calculated fields
Group dates by month, show % of total and month-over-month change, and add a margin calculated field to your pivot table. Step by step with pictures.
Slicers and timelines: button filters for your reports
Add slicers and timelines to your pivot tables to filter by region, product or month with one click. Step by step with pictures and worked examples.
Charts people understand: pick the right type and remove the clutter
Build Excel charts people get at first glance: choose the type for your question, fix the series and strip the clutter. Step by step with pictures.
Conditional formatting: let Excel highlight only what matters
Learn to use Excel conditional formatting to highlight sales, duplicates and key values with colors, data bars and icons. Step by step, in 5 minutes.
Conditional formatting with formulas: highlight whole rows, overdue dates and duplicates
Build formula-based conditional formatting rules to color whole rows, overdue invoices and duplicates, and finally understand the $ sign. Step by step.
Drop-down lists and data validation: stop people typing what they shouldn't
Create drop-down lists in Excel with Data Validation, add help and error messages, and restrict numbers, dates and duplicates. Step by step.
Goal Seek and What-If Analysis: how much do I need to sell to hit the target?
Use Goal Seek in Excel to find how much to sell or how much to borrow to reach a number, and compare scenarios. Step by step with real examples.
Subtotals and grouping rows: reports that collapse and expand
Add subtotals by region or customer in seconds and group rows so your Excel reports collapse and expand to show or hide the detail. Step by step with pictures.
A simple dashboard with a pivot table, a chart and a slicer
Build a sales dashboard in Excel with a PivotTable, a PivotChart, KPIs and a slicer that filters everything with one click. Step by step with pictures.
Checkboxes in Excel: forms, to-do lists and automatic counts
Insert checkboxes in Excel, count completed tasks, calculate the percent complete and strike through finished rows automatically. Step by step, with formulas.
Automate and collaborate
Power Query, macros, protection and teamwork: less copy-and-paste every month.
Power Query: import and clean data once, then refresh with one click
Learn to use Power Query in Excel to import and clean data just once, then repeat the whole cleanup with Refresh All. Step by step, with pictures.
Combine data from several sheets or files (and stop copy-pasting every month)
Combine data from several Excel sheets or files into one table with Power Query (From Folder, Append Queries) or with VSTACK. Step by step, with pictures.
Your first Excel macro: record a repetitive task and replay it with one click
Record your first Excel macro without coding: show Developer, record a task, save it as .xlsm and replay it with a shortcut. Step by step, with pictures.
Protect sheets and cells: allow typing only where it belongs
Unlock the input cells and protect the sheet in Excel so nobody deletes your formulas by mistake. Step by step, with an optional password and its limits.
Teamwork in Excel: co-authoring, comments, notes and version history
Edit an Excel workbook with your team at the same time: save it to OneDrive, leave comments with @mentions, use notes and restore older versions. Step by step.
Build a monthly budget that calculates itself
Build a monthly budget in Excel with income, expenses by category, a balance and a chart that update every time you log an expense. Step by step for beginners.
A self-grading multiple-choice quiz in Excel (drop-down lists and automatic score)
Build a quiz in Excel with a, b, c or d answers in a drop-down list, a hidden answer key and a score out of 10 that calculates itself. Step by step, with formulas.
Excel + AI
Let AI suggest the formula; checking and understanding it is your job.
Ask ChatGPT (or any AI) for formulas and check that they're right
Learn how to ask ChatGPT or any AI for Excel formulas, describe your sheet so it gets them right, and check that they work. Step by step, with real examples.
Copilot in Excel: what it can do today and how to ask
Learn to use Copilot in Excel to add formula columns, highlight, sort, summarize and build PivotTables, and how to check what it did. Step by step, with prompts.
Paste a ChatGPT table into Excel without everything ending up in one column
Copy a table from ChatGPT or another AI and paste it into Excel with each value in its own cell. If it all lands in column A, split it with Text to Columns.
Excel for the office, freelancers and small business
Budgets, client lists, invoices, shared and protected files: the essentials for running a business or a department with Excel.
See the path for the officeDo you use Excel like an expert?
12 questions about formulas, tables and analysis. Find your level and which guides to read first.
Excel glossary
The terms that appear in the Excel guides, explained in one or two sentences. Each one links to the guide where it's covered in depth.