Excel

Below is a list of the Microsoft Excel tutorials that I’ve written. Many include step-by-step instructions. In some cases, there may be practice spreadsheets or video screencasts.

I’ve also been updating these articles to reflect the latest Excel version. Presently, I’m using Microsoft 365. However, you may see some tutorials that reflect older versions. All the screen snaps have been done on a Windows computer and reflect those commands.

If you don’t have Microsoft Excel, there are three options:

Get a Microsoft 365 (Subscription service)
Buy Microsoft Office 2019 (One time purchase)
Use the free version in your browser.

The free version does require you to have a Microsoft account. As you might expect of a free product, there are limitations. For example, you can open a workbook with macros, but you won’t be able to edit them.

I also did an article discussing the different Microsoft Office versions.

Microsoft also has an Excel Glossary that you can use.

Goal Seek dialog with change cell reference.

Excel Goal Seek Offers Quick Answers

Do you ever play the "what-if" game when you see Excel data? For example, how many more widgets would we need to sell to get our 20% bonus? In my case, I was trying to figure out many more voters we needed to win a ballot measure. Excel has a simple feature for these scenarios.
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How to Do VLOOKUP in Excel

One of the popular Excel tutorial requests is how do you look up a value on one Excel worksheet and use it on another Excel worksheet. For example, you need to translate a product number into a product name. One of my favorite Excel functions is the VLOOKUP function and it can help with this task. (Includes example spreadsheet and video.)
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Easy Formulas to Extract Text from Excel Cell

Excel is a great tool, but sometimes the spreadsheet files we get aren't ideal. A classic example is you're given a file that has one column that you'd really like to split into multiple ones. That was the scenario I faced when I got a large file with the street addresses in one field. Using the LEFT and RIGHT text formulas, I was able to have Excel extract text substrings into two new fields.
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How to Transpose Excel Columns to Rows

Everyone looks at data differently. Some people create Excel spreadsheets where the main fields go across horizontally in a row. Others put the data vertically. Sometimes these preferences lead to a scenario where you want to transpose Excel data. Transpose is an Excel function that allows you to convert Excel columns to rows without retyping the data. (Includes sample worksheet)
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How to Separate Names in Excel

Recently, a friend asked about fixing an Excel spreadsheet where the subscriber name was in 1 column. He wanted the name separated so he could send a personalized mailing. This is not the first time this question has arisen. The key to solving this problem is to parse or split the data using the Text to Columns feature. Includes workaround when you have middle names or initials too.
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Excel Slicers Make Data Analysis Easier

Microsoft Excel presents another way to filter data besides autofilters. It's called Slicers and they work with your Excel Tables or Excel Pivot Tables.
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PivotTable Field Name not valid error dialog

Solution: PivotTable Field Name is not Valid

Like many people, I have a love-hate relationship with software. It's great when it works, but it's so frustrating when you get a cryptic error message. And these messages seem to appear when you're short on time and patience
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How to Sort Excel by Color

Excel allows you to sort your columns and rows by lots of ways. One less obvious way is to sort items by color. This is handy if you apply a background color to a cell or different font color. This tutorial explains how to do the sort. You can also filter by color.
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Simple Methods to Copy Excel Formula Values

Recently I was watching an Excel product review and noticed the author copy Excel values from a formula into another column. This was fine, but then he deleted the column with the formula. Sound familiar? In this tutorial, Ill show you two faster and easier ways to overwrite formulas with their values. (Includes video demo and sample spreadsheet.)
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Marked up pivot table showing precincts.

How to Use Excel Pivot Tables to Organize Data

Excel pivot tables are a feature that you should learn how to use. Instead of analyzing countless spreadsheet records, these tables can aggregate your information and show a new perspective in a few steps. You can move columns to rows or vice versa. This short tutorial can get you started with your data analysis. (Check Resources section for pivot table example data.)
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