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 captures have been done on a Windows computer and reflect those commands.

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

  1. Get a Microsoft 365 (Subscription service)
  2. Buy Microsoft Office 2021 (One time purchase)
  3. 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. One key item to remember is that the newest features will appear in Microsoft 365 first and in the Beta channel.

For example, Microsoft released in March 2022 a series of new text functions that will make text manipulation easier. These include:

  • TEXTBEFORE
  • TEXTAFTER
  • TEXTSPLIT

Microsoft also has an Excel Glossary that you can use.

How to Avoid #DIV/0 Errors in Excel

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Spreadsheet show 2 examples of DIV 0 error

Ever received an Excel spreadsheet with those crazy divide by zero errors – #DIV/0!? It’s an annoyance as it just draws the eye to the wrong cell. Instead, take 5 minutes to apply this fix so you can concentrate on the important parts.

How to Use Excel Pivot Tables to Organize Data

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Marked up pivot table showing precincts.

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.)

How to Use IF Function in Excel

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Example of IF function and arguments.

One way to make your Excel spreadsheets smarter is to use the IF function. The program will evaluate one field to see if it’s true and enter a new value based on whether the condition was met. This article and sample worksheet shows a simple example of calculating an allowance.

Simple Methods to Copy Excel Formula Values

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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.)

How to Sort by Color in Excel

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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.

Use VBA Function to Show Excel Filter Criteria

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excel with filter criteria displayed

Have you ever received an Excel file and wondered how it was filtered without checking each column’s data filter? Or, maybe you needed to send a file and show your filters. That was a problem I faced recently when I started with a list of 3200 non-profits for the county. I needed a ...