Microsoft Excel - Excel from Beginner to Advanced (2026)

Learn to create Excel formulas with the equal sign to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, apply order of operations with parentheses, and anticipate cell references.

Explore how cell references power dynamic formulas in Excel by using A1 and B1 for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, with automatic recalculation as data changes.

Master the standard order of operations in Excel, using parentheses to control calculations and avoid unexpected results; perform multiplication before addition to predict outcomes.

Learn to write the SUM function in Excel, selecting ranges or typing a range like C3:C7, and see how salaries update automatically as values change.

Use AutoSum to total numbers in Excel by clicking the AutoSum button (Sigma) or pressing Alt + =, then verify the highlighted range before Enter; AutoSum creates the sum function.

Learn to use the average function in Excel to calculate the mean from a selected range, with automatic updates as values change.

Use the max function to find the highest value in a range by entering =max, opening the parentheses, and selecting the salaries; Excel updates automatically.

Use the min function in Excel to find the lowest value in a selected range, such as the lowest salary, and watch it recalculate automatically.

Learn to count salaries with the count function in an Excel table by selecting the salary column header, counting numeric cells, ignoring text and blanks, and auto-updating with new records.

Explore how the counta function counts non-empty cells in Excel, handling numbers, text, dates, or formulas, and compare it with count to tally complete records.

Learn how the total row in Excel tables automatically summarizes data with options like sum, average, count, count numbers, maximum, and minimum, and expands as your table grows.

Learn how relative references in Excel automatically adjust formulas when copied, using a sales table to compute totals (price times quantity) and the fill handle to propagate changes across rows.

Learn how absolute references keep a fixed cell, like tax rate in b10, across copied formulas by using f4 to insert dollar signs.

Master the if function in Excel, which tests a condition and returns values. Apply it to price data to classify products as expensive or affordable and see results update automatically.

Learn how to use the IF with AND in Excel to require multiple conditions for a bonus, such as salary at least $6,000 and performance at least 90.

Learn how the or function works with if in Excel, returning true when any condition is met, then classify items like banana or apple as fruit by filling down.

Discover how to use nested if in Excel to assign grades from excellent to needs improvement based on scores, and why condition order matters when copying the formula.

Replace nested ifs with the ifs function to classify scores into Excellent, Very Good, Good, or Needs Improvement using multiple conditions and a true catch-all.

Learn to count records with one or two conditions using countif and countifs in excel, applying them to the USA region and product A.

Use sumif for a single condition and sumifs for multiple conditions to compute totals like total sales in USA and total sales for product A in USA.

Learn to calculate averages with AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS using a sales table, filtering by region and product to produce single-condition and multi-condition results.

Use the left function to extract prefixes from text like employee ids. Learn to specify character count, apply formulas across rows with relative references, and use the fill handle.

Discover how the right function extracts characters from the end of a text, using employee IDs to pull the four-digit employee number and autofill across a list.

Master the mid function to extract middle characters in Excel, starting at a specified position and returning a chosen length, with department codes and employee IDs as examples.

apply the trim function to remove extra spaces from text, creating a clean version with a formula, and propagate it down the list using the fill handle.

Learn to combine first and last names into a single full name using Excel's concat function, including a space delimiter, and apply it to all rows with the fill handle.

Master the CONCAT function in Excel to merge first and last names from separate columns into a single full name, with a space between names and auto-fill down.

Learn how the today function automatically displays today's date, subtract hire dates to calculate days worked, and apply this to human resources, finance, and project deadlines.

Learn the now function in Excel, which returns the current date and time, unlike today. Use it to create timestamps, monitor workbook refresh times, and track precise completion moments.

Extract day, month, and year from dates using Excel's day, month, and year functions. Learn to group data by hire year or hire month and automate date breakdown for reports.

Master the edate function to add or subtract months from a starting date, automatically calculating contract renewal dates, probation end dates, and payment schedules using varying month durations.

Learn how the eomonth function returns the last day of a month from a start date and month offset, and compare it with edate for payroll and month end reporting.

Use lookup functions to retrieve data across multiple worksheets with XLOOKUP, matching customer IDs to return names from the customer database. See how editing IDs updates names automatically.

Master vlookup to retrieve customer names and cities from a lookup table, compare it with xlookup, and understand exact match, column index, absolute references, and limitations.

Learn how the filter function uses dynamic arrays to return a filtered table that spills into adjacent cells, enabling interactive reports and dashboards while preserving original data.

Use the sort function, a dynamic array tool, to create a non-destructive, sorted copy of your data, ranking records by salary or other columns with ascending or descending order.

Discover how the sortBy function overcomes the sort function's column-number limitation by sorting with actual columns, enabling multi-criteria sorting such as department then salary while keeping the original data unchanged.

explore how the unique function returns distinct values from a list, automatically updates as data changes, and supports dashboards, data validation lists, and category summaries.

Learn to generate numbers with the sequence function and spilled arrays, controlling rows, start values, and steps to create invoice numbers, calendars, and serial numbers.

Learn to improve data quality by applying data validation rules in Excel, restricting entries to whole numbers between 18 and 60, and preventing invalid data entry.

Create a drop-down list with data validation to enforce predefined department options (HR, IT, Finance, Sales), preventing invalid entries and ensuring data consistency.

Create drop-down lists from a range with data validation, making maintenance easier by referencing cells or converting to an Excel table so new items update automatically.

Explore pivot tables in Excel to quickly summarize data without altering the source. Drag fields to build region, salesperson, and product insights with pivot charts, slicers, and timelines.

Prepare clean source data with clear, unique headers and consistent data types, remove blanks, and convert to an Excel table for reliable pivot table analysis and automatic refresh.

Create your first pivot table from an Excel table to summarize regional sales, with fields placed in rows and values to calculate totals and explore different business questions.

Master pivot tables by adjusting the rows, columns, values, and filters areas to group sales data, perform sums and other calculations, compare categories, and filter regions.

Manipulate the values area to switch calculations among sum, count, average, max, and min without changing source data. Use pivot tables to answer different business questions with the same dataset.

Master sorting and filtering pivot tables in Excel to quickly identify top performers and focus on specific regions or categories without changing underlying calculations.

Group dates in pivot tables to reveal monthly, quarterly, and yearly trends. Learn to group by months, years, or quarters, and to ungroup to restore daily dates.

Create a pivot chart linked to a pivot table to dynamically visualize total sales by region, salesperson, or category, with filters updating both chart and table.

Learn to use slicers to filter pivot tables and pivot charts with a click, combining region and category filters and multi-select options for interactive dashboards.

Learn to filter pivot tables by dates with a timeline slicer, switching between months, quarters, years, and days to update pivot tables and pivot charts interactively.

Refresh a pivot table when new records are added by using the pivot table analyze refresh, right-click refresh, or refresh all; connected charts and slicers update automatically.

Design and format pivot tables to improve readability by choosing compact, outline, or tabular layouts, repeating item labels, and applying styles that adjust subtotals, grand totals, without changing data.