How to Use Excel: 25 Tips Every Beginner Should Know - Beginner's Guide

How to Use Excel: 25 Tips Every Beginner Should Know – Beginner’s Guide

In today’s modern world, Microsoft Excel has become a daily necessity for businesses and individuals. From organizing data, performing complex calculations to creating graphs and charts, the software offers numerous functionalities. If you're a beginner starting to learn Excel yet find it intimidating, don't worry! Here are 25 essential Excel tips for beginners that will help you navigate this powerful tool.

1. Creating a New Workbook: Every new project in Excel starts with a new workbook. Click the 'File' tab, select 'New', and then choose 'Blank Workbook'. This will open a new document.

2. Saving a Workbook: Remember to frequently save your work. Just click 'File', then 'Save As', and choose where you want to save your workbook. You can choose to save it on your computer or OneDrive.

3. Entering Data: Simply click on a cell and start typing to input data. Press Enter or Tab to move to the next cell.

4. Selecting Multiple Cells: Click and hold the left mouse button to drag selection over multiple cells, or hold the Shift key while pressing the arrow keys.

5. Formatting Cells: Right click on a cell and select 'Format Cells'. You can change the number format, font, border, fill color and more.

6. Copying and Pasting Data: To copy data, click on the cell and hit Ctrl+C. To paste it, click on the cell you want to paste into and hit Ctrl+V.

7. Using Excel Formulas: Formulas are used to perform calculations or other actions on data. Start with an equal sign, followed by the formula's name and argument. For example, `=SUM(A1:A3)` adds all numbers in cells A1 through A3.

8. AutoSum: A convenient tool for quick summations. Just click on a cell, hit 'Alt'+'=', then hit 'Enter'.

9. Cell References: Instead of typing data into formulas, you can refer to the cells. A1, for example, refers to column A, row 1.

10. AutoFill: This feature quickly fills cells with repetitive or sequential data like days of the week. Type the first entry, then click and drag the bottom-right corner of the cell downwards.

11. Sort & Filter: Select your data range, go to 'Data' tab and choose 'Sort' or 'Filter'. This helps to organise data for better readability.

12. Conditional Formatting: This feature changes cells' formatting based on their values. Go to the 'Home' tab, select 'Conditional Formatting' under 'Styles', and set your condition.

13. Charts: To visualise data, select it, go to 'Insert' tab, and choose 'Chart'. Adjust the chart style and layout from the format tab.

14. PivotTables: PivotTables summarise complex data sets. Select 'Insert' tab, then 'PivotTable'. Choose your data range and fields to arrange your report.

15. Freeze Panes: This feature keeps rows or columns visible while you scroll through the rest of your worksheet. Go to 'View', then 'Freeze Panes'.

16. Find & Replace: To find specific data, use 'Ctrl' + 'F'. 'Ctrl' + 'H' opens the 'Find & Replace' dialog box.

17. Data Validation: This feature restricts the type of data that can be entered into a cell. Go to 'Data', then 'Data Validation'.

18. Text to Columns: If you want to split the content of a cell into separate columns, you can use this feature. Go to 'Data', then 'Text to Columns'.

19. Protect Sheets: To prevent unwanted changes, you can protect your worksheet. Go to 'Review', then 'Protect Sheet'.

20. Spell Check: To check spelling, go to 'Review' and select 'Spell Check'.

21. Removing Duplicates: Select your data, then 'Data', then 'Remove Duplicates'.

22. Excel Shortcuts: Use Excel shortcuts for quick operations. For example, 'Ctrl' + 'Z' for undo, 'Ctrl' + 'S' for save.

23. Convert Text to Date: To convert text to date, use DATEVALUE function. Example: `=DATEVALUE("1-Jan-2020")`

24. Hide & Unhide Columns/Rows: To hide, select the columns/rows, right click and hit 'Hide'. To unhide, select the surrounding columns/rows, right click and choose 'Unhide'.

25. Adjust Column Width/Row Height: To adjust width, place your cursor on the right boundary of the column header and drag. For row height, do the same on the lower boundary of the row header.

These tips can make Excel easier and improve your efficiency. But remember, Excel has an ocean of features, so keep exploring and learning.