Basic Excel Uses and Functions
Introduction to Excel
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software used for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing
data. It is widely used in business, finance, education, and personal record-keeping.
Basic Features of Excel
Worksheets & Workbooks - A workbook contains multiple worksheets (spreadsheets)
where data is stored.
Cells, Rows, and Columns - Data is entered into cells, which are organized into rows
(numbered) and columns (lettered).
Formatting - Users can change font styles, colors, borders, and cell alignment to
enhance readability.
Sorting and Filtering - Data can be sorted (e.g., alphabetically or numerically) and
filtered to show specific information.
Charts and Graphs - Excel allows users to create bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs
to visualize data trends.
Basic Excel Functions
SUM() - Adds a range of numbers.
Example: =SUM(A1:A5)
AVERAGE() - Calculates the average of a range.
Example: =AVERAGE(B1:B5)
IF() - Performs logical tests and returns different values based on conditions.
Example: =IF(A1>50, "Pass", "Fail")
COUNT() - Counts the number of numeric values in a range.
Example: =COUNT(A1:A10)
COUNTA() - Counts the number of non-empty cells.
Example: =COUNTA(A1:A10)
VLOOKUP() - Searches for a value in a table and returns corresponding data.
Example: =VLOOKUP(101, A2:C10, 2, FALSE)
HLOOKUP() - Similar to VLOOKUP but searches horizontally.
LEFT(), RIGHT(), MID() - Extracts specific parts of text in a cell.
Example: =LEFT(A1, 3) extracts the first three characters.
CONCATENATE() / CONCAT() - Combines text from multiple cells.
Example: =CONCAT(A1, B1)
TEXT() - Formats numbers as text.
Example: =TEXT(A1, "$#,##0.00") formats a number as currency.
Excel Shortcuts
Ctrl + C - Copy
Ctrl + V - Paste
Ctrl + Z - Undo
Ctrl + S - Save
Ctrl + P - Print
Ctrl + A - Select all
Ctrl + B – Bold