Excel Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet - dummies (2023)

Excel Workbook For Dummies

Excel Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet - dummies (1)

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As an integral part of the ribbon interface used by all the major apps in Microsoft Office, Excel gives you access to hot key sequences that, for all of you keyboard enthusiasts, can greatly speed up the process of selecting program commands. To save time when accessing commands, look up its hot key sequence in these Cheat Sheet tables.

Perform Excel File menu commands with handy hot keys

You activate the Excel hot keys by pressing the Alt key before you type the various sequences of mnemonic letters. The mnemonic letter for all the commands on the Excel File menu in the Backstage View is F (for File). Therefore, all you have to concentrate on learning in the following table is the second letter in the File menu hot key sequence.

Unfortunately, not all these second letters are as easy to associate and remember as Alt+F. For example, check out the Account option hot key sequence — Alt+FD — where the second mnemonic letter (D) doesn’t occur anywhere in the option name!

Hot KeysExcel Ribbon CommandFunction
Alt+FHFile→HomeDisplays the Home panel, where you can choose a template, or open a recent or pinned workbook
Alt+FNFile→NewDisplays the Available Templates panel in the Backstage View box where you can open a blank workbook or one from a template
Alt+FOFile→OpenDisplays the Open dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can select a new Excel workbook to open for editing or printing
Alt+FIFile→InfoDisplays the Information panel in the Backstage View where you can see a preview of the current worksheet along with statistics about the workbook as well as protect the workbook, check the file for compatibility issues, and manage different versions created by the AutoRecover feature
Alt+FSFile→SaveSaves changes to a workbook. When you first select this command for a new workbook, Excel displays the Save As dialog box
Alt+FAFile→Save AsDisplays the Save As dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can modify the filename, location where the file is saved, and format that the file is saved in
Alt+FAFile→Save a CopyFor a OneDrive file, displays the Save a Copy screen in the Backstage view where you choose the OneDrive folder to save a copy of the file, the filename, and the format in which the file is to be saved
Alt+FPFile→PrintDisplays the Print panel in the Backstage View where you can change the print settings before sending the current worksheet, workbook, or cell selection to the printer
Alt+FHFile→ShareDisplays the Share panel in the Backstage View where you can send the current workbook as an e-mail attachment or fax it using Internet Fax, attach it to an e-mail as a PDF file, save it in a new file format, or save it online to your company’s SharePoint site or your own Windows Live SkyDrive
Alt+FEFile→ExportDisplays the Export screen in the Backstage view where you can change the workbook file type or convert it to an Adobe PDF or Microsoft XPS document
Alt+FUFile→PublishEnables you to upload all or part of your workbook to Microsoft Power BI (Business Intelligence), a standalone program that enables you to create rich visual reports and dashboards for your Excel data
Alt+FCFile→CloseCloses the current workbook without exiting Excel
Alt+FDFile→AccountDisplays the Account screen in the Backstage view where you can modify your user information, select a new background and theme for all Office programs, add connected storage services, and get the product ID and other information on your version of Office
Alt+FKFile→FeedbackDisplays the Feedback screen in the Backstage view where you can send Microsoft your comments about Excel features you like and dislike as well as make suggestions for new features and other improvements
Alt+FIFile→OptionsDisplays the Excel Options dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can change default program settings, modify the buttons on the Quick Access toolbar, and customize the Excel Ribbon
Alt+FXFile→Exit ExcelQuits the Excel program and closes all open workbooks after prompting you to save them
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Common Excel hot keys to perform formula commands

All the hot key sequences for selecting the most common formula-related commands in Excel begin with the sequence Alt+M because the M in forMulas was the only mnemonic key still available (F was already assigned to the File menu commands).

Hot KeysExcel Ribbon CommandFunction
Alt+MFFormulas→Insert FunctionOpens the Insert Function dialog box (same as clicking the Insert Function button on the Formula bar
Alt+MUSFormulas→AutoSum→SumSelects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts SUM formula to total the range
Alt+MUAFormulas→AutoSum→AverageSelects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts AVERAGE formula to calculate the average of total in the range
Alt+MUCFormulas→AutoSum→Count NumbersSelects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts COUNT formula to count the number of values in the range
Alt+MIFormulas→FinancialOpens a drop-down menu listing all Financial functions — click name to insert function into current cell
Alt+MEFormulas→Date & TimeOpens a drop-down menu listing all Date and Time functions — click name to insert function into current cell
Alt+MNFormulas→Name ManagerOpens Name Manager dialog box showing all range names in workbook where you can add, edit, and delete names
Alt+MMDFormulas→Define NameOpens New Name dialog box where you can assign a name to the cell selection or define a new constant
Alt+MSFormulas→Use in FormulaDisplays drop-down menu with range names in workbook that you can insert into current formula by clicking
Alt+MCFormulas→Create from SelectionOpens Create Names from Selection dialog box where you indicate which rows and columns to use in naming cell selection
Alt+MHFormulas→Show FormulasDisplays and then hides all formulas in cells of the worksheet
Alt+MXAFormulas→Options→AutomaticTurns automatic recalculation back on
Alt+MXEFormulas→Options→Automatic Except for Data TablesTurns automatic recalculation back on for all parts of the worksheet except for ranges with Data Tables
Alt+MXMFormulas→Options→ManualTurns on manual recalculation
Alt+MBFormulas→Calculate NowRecalculates formulas throughout the entire workbook when manual recalculation is turned on
Alt+MJFormulas→Calculate SheetRecalculates formulas in the current worksheet when manual recalculation is turned on

Excel view commands via hot keys

The mnemonic letter for all the view-related commands in Excel is W (the last letter you see in vieW).

Hot KeysExcel Ribbon CommandFunction
Alt+WLView→NormalReturns the worksheet to normal view from Page Layout or Page Break Preview
Alt+WPView→Page LayoutPuts the worksheet into Page Layout View showing the page
breaks, margins, and rulers
Alt+WIView→Page Break PreviewPuts the worksheet into Page Break Preview showing page breaks that you can adjust
Alt+WEView→Full ScreenPuts the worksheet in full-screen mode which hides the File Menu, Quick Access toolbar, and Ribbon — press the Esc key to restore previous viewing mode
Alt+WVGView→GridlinesHides and redisplays the row and column gridlines that form the cells in the Worksheet area
Alt+WGView→Zoom to SelectionZooms the Worksheet area in or out to the magnification
percentage needed to display just the cell selection
Alt+WJView→100%Returns the Worksheet area to the default 100% magnification percentage
Alt+WNView→New WindowInserts a new window in the current workbook
Alt+WAView→Arrange AllOpens the Arrange dialog box where you can select how workbook windows are displayed on the screen
Alt+WFView→Freeze PanesOpens the Freeze Panes drop-down menu where you select how to freeze rows and columns in the Worksheet area: Freeze Panes (to freeze all the rows above and columns to the left of the cell cursor); Freeze Top Row; or Freeze First Column
Alt+WSView→SplitSplits the worksheet into four panes using the top and left
edge of the cell cursor as the vertical and horizontal dividing
lines — press hot keys again to remove all panes
Alt+WHView→HideHides the current worksheet window or workbook
Alt+WUView→UnhideOpens the Unhide dialog box where you can select the window or workbook to redisplay
Alt+WBView→View Side by SideTiles two open windows or workbooks one above the other form comparison — press hot keys again to restore the original full windows
Alt+WWView→Switch WindowsOpens the Switch Windows drop-down menu where you can select the open window or workbook to make active

Excel hot keys for editing commands

The mnemonic letter for all the editing commands is H (for Home) because all of these commands are conveniently located on the Home tab of the Ribbon.

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However, even if you can remember to associate editing with the Home tab and keep in mind that Alt+H is always the starting point, you’re still not home free because the remaining letters in the hot key sequences are not as easy to remember as you might like.

Fortunately, the most common editing commands (Cut, Copy, and Paste) still respond to the old Ctrl+key sequences (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V, respectively), which are a lot quicker than their Alt+H equivalents, provided that you already know and regularly use them.

Hot KeysExcel Ribbon CommandFunction
Alt+HVPHome→Paste→PastePastes the currently cut or copied cell selection or graphic objects in the worksheet
Alt+HXHome→CutCuts the cell selection or selected graphic objects out of the workbook and places them on the Windows Clipboard
Alt+HCHome→CopyCopies the cell selection or selected graphic objects to the Windows Clipboard
Alt+HFPHome→Format PainterActivates the Format Painter
Alt+HFOHome→Clipboard Dialog Box LauncherDisplays and hides the Clipboard task pane
Alt+HIIHome→Insert→Insert CellsOpens Insert dialog box so you can indicate the direction in which to shift existing cells to make room for the ones being inserted
Alt+HIRHome→Insert→Insert Sheet RowsInserts blank rows equal to the number of rows in the cell selection
Alt+HICHome→Insert→Insert Sheet ColumnsInserts blank columns equal to the number of columns in the cell selection
Alt+HISHome→Insert→Insert SheetInserts a new worksheet in the workbook
Alt+HDDHome→Delete→Delete CellsOpens Delete dialog box so you can indicate the direction in which to shift existing cells to replace the ones being deleted
Alt+HDRHome→Delete→Sheet RowsDeletes rows equal to the number of rows in the cell selection
Alt+HDCHome→Delete→Sheet ColumnsDeletes columns equal to the number of columns in the cell selection
Alt+HDSHome→Delete→SheetDeletes the current worksheet after warning you of data loss if the sheet contains cell entries
Alt+HEAHome→Clear→Clear AllClears the contents, formatting, and comments from the cell selection
Alt+HEFHome→Clear→Clear FormatsClears the formatting of the cell selection without removing the contents and comments
Alt+HECHome→Clear→Clear ContentsClears the contents of the cell selection without removing the formatting and comments
Alt+HEMHome→Clear→Clear CommentsClears all comments in the cell selection without removing the formatting and contents

About This Article

This article is from the book:

  • Excel Workbook For Dummies ,

About the book authors:

Paul McFedries is a technical writer who has been authoring computer books since 1991 and has over 100 books to his credit. These books include Alexa For Dummies, Amazon Fire TV For Dummies, and Cord Cutting For Dummies. You can visit Paul on the web at www.mcfedries.com.

Greg Harvey is a language scholar who has traced the roots of Tolkien’s work in European folklore and pre-Christian religious beliefs. He has studied 12 languages, including Elvish, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon.

This article can be found in the category:

  • Excel ,
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FAQs

What are the 5 basic Excel skills? ›

Having basic Excel skills allows job seekers to manage and organize spreadsheets with increased proficiency.
...
Five basic Excel skills to include in your resume
  • Data recording. Basic Excel users must know how to navigate and record data. ...
  • Formulas. ...
  • Charts and graphs. ...
  • Data organization. ...
  • Pivot tables.

How can I learn basic Excel fast? ›

How to master Excel quickly in 11 steps
  1. How to navigate the interface. ...
  2. Learn some useful shortcuts. ...
  3. Freeze panes. ...
  4. Learn how to master Excel formulas. ...
  5. Create a simple drop-down list. ...
  6. Visualize key data with conditional formatting. ...
  7. Flash fill. ...
  8. Summarize data with PivotTables.

How do you use Excel for beginners step by step? ›

A simple way to access Excel's power is to put your data in a table. That lets you quickly filter or sort your data. Select your data by clicking the first cell and dragging to the last cell in your data. To use the keyboard, hold down Shift while you press the arrow keys to select your data.

How do I learn formulas in Excel? ›

Enter a formula that contains a built-in function
  1. Select an empty cell.
  2. Type an equal sign = and then type a function. For example, =SUM for getting the total sales.
  3. Type an opening parenthesis (.
  4. Select the range of cells, and then type a closing parenthesis).
  5. Press Enter to get the result.

What is the fastest way to improve Excel skills? ›

5 Ways to Improve Your Excel Skills
  1. Master the shortcuts. Using the mouse and keyboard to explore all the menus and different options seems convenient, but it's often time-consuming. ...
  2. Import data from a website. ...
  3. Filter your results. ...
  4. Autocorrect and Autofill. ...
  5. Intermediate Excel training.
16 May 2022

How can I practice Excel skills for free? ›

Microsoft offers free Excel classes online on edX to learn both fundamental and advanced Excel skills. Introduction to Data Analysis using Excel is a 4-week, self-paced online course perfect for learners with little or no prior experience using the software.

How many days will it take to learn Excel? ›

If you practice every day and dedicate around 2-3 hours every day to learn the concepts, then you can learn it within four weeks. But, to master the concepts in Excel, you need to use the tricks and formulas on a daily basis. You need about 8-10 days to finish the Basic and Advance excel course.

How long does it take to learn Excel completely? ›

It will take you about 18 to 20 hours to fully learn Excel. If you're only interested in the basics, it'll be much quicker. However, keep in mind that Excel is a large application that has many different functions. As a result, you shouldn't rush your learning process.

Can I learn Excel in one day? ›

It's impossible to learn Excel in a day or a week, but if you set your mind to understanding individual processes one by one, you'll soon find that you have a working knowledge of the software.

How do I do a simple Excel spreadsheet? ›

How to Create a Spreadsheet using Excel - YouTube

What are the 3 common uses for Excel? ›

The main uses of Excel include: Data entry. Data management. Accounting.

How do I master skills in Excel? ›

  1. Master the Shortcuts. You can save precious time by learning some keyboard shortcuts. ...
  2. Import Data from a Website. Learning how to import data is an essential function that can greatly speed up your workflow. ...
  3. Filter Your Results. ...
  4. Calculate the Sum. ...
  5. AutoCorrect and AutoFill. ...
  6. Display Formulas. ...
  7. Manage Page Layout.
14 Sept 2022

What is the most useful function in Excel? ›

The VLOOKUP function is one of the most commonly used and recognizable functions in Excel. It will look for a value in a table and return information from another column relating to that value. It is great for combining data from different lists into one or comparing two lists for matching or missing items.

What is Excel most commonly used for? ›

Excel is most commonly used in business settings. For example, it is used in business analysis, human resource management, operations management and performance reporting. Excel uses a large collection of cells formatted to organize and manipulate data and solve mathematical functions.

What is difference between formula and function in Excel? ›

What is a Formula vs Function in Excel? A Formula is an equation designed by a user in Excel, while a Function is a predefined calculation in the spreadsheet application.

What is VLOOKUP in Excel? ›

When you need to find information in a large spreadsheet, or you are always looking for the same kind of information, use the VLOOKUP function. VLOOKUP works a lot like a phone book, where you start with the piece of data you know, like someone's name, in order to find out what you don't know, like their phone number.

What is the difference between a worksheet and a workbook? ›

A Worksheet is basically a single-page spreadsheet containing information. A workbook is a file that contains multiple spreadsheets. A worksheet contains a matrix of rectangular cells, organized in a form of rows and columns. A workbook contains one or more worksheets, consisting of related information.

What Excel skills to employers value the most? ›

The Top Five Excel Skills that Employers Look for
  • Organise and Clean your Data in Excel.
  • Present your Excel Data with Interactive Graphs and Charts.
  • Look Up Values using VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, and XLOOKUP.
  • Protect Your Cells and Worksheets.
  • Save Time with Basic Excel Macros.
  • Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Final Thoughts.
22 Feb 2022

What are considered advanced Excel skills? ›

Advanced Excel skills include the ability to produce graphs and tables, use spreadsheets efficiently, and perform calculations and automation to process large volumes of data. With the rise of big data and data analytics, advanced Excel skills are a real asset both during the job hunt and everyday work tasks.

Is Google sheets the same as Excel? ›

Google Sheets vs Excel: What is the difference? Both of them structure data in tabular format. In other words, the data is in the form of rows and columns. The major difference between Excel and Google Sheets is that you can share the link of Google Sheets with anyone and they can edit the file.

What is the purpose of a pivot table? ›

A PivotTable is an interactive way to quickly summarize large amounts of data. You can use a PivotTable to analyze numerical data in detail, and answer unanticipated questions about your data. A PivotTable is especially designed for: Querying large amounts of data in many user-friendly ways.

Is learning Excel worth it in 2022? ›

If you want a tool that can compare data, create charts, do data analysis, and allow you to create a powerful template for data processing then learn Excel. Because of all these reasons, I think Excel is still worth learning in 2022 and beyond.

Is learning Excel worth it in 2021? ›

In some cases, advanced skills may help your chances of getting hired. Some positions may even require you to have in-depth experience with Excel where it is used more heavily. Excel will remain an important skill to master as long as it is used by most companies.

Is Microsoft Excel online free? ›

Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more for free with Office on the web.

Can I learn Excel in a month? ›

Learning Excel does not need to take weeks, months, or years. In fact, you can learn many of the core functions of Excel in a single day. That is – if you learn from a good Excel course with a knowledgeable teacher.

How much does an Excel expert make? ›

Excel Expert Salary
Annual SalaryWeekly Pay
Top Earners$62,000$1,192
75th Percentile$51,000$980
Average$46,818$900
25th Percentile$35,000$673

How many Excel formulas are there? ›

Excel has over 475 formulas in its Functions Library, from simple mathematics to very complex statistical, logical, and engineering tasks such as IF statements (one of our perennial favorite stories); AND, OR, NOT functions; COUNT, AVERAGE, and MIN/MAX.

Can I learn Excel myself? ›

You can teach yourself everything from the most basic Excel functions to complex programming using readily available or free online resources. You can take online university courses in Excel or take advantage of the many online tutorials and downloadable course guides.

What are all the Excel formulas? ›

Excel functions (alphabetical)
Function nameType and description
CODE functionText: Returns a numeric code for the first character in a text string
COLUMN functionLookup and reference: Returns the column number of a reference
COLUMNS functionLookup and reference: Returns the number of columns in a reference
177 more rows

What are Excel formulas with example? ›

What is Formulas in Excel? FORMULAS IN EXCEL is an expression that operates on values in a range of cell addresses and operators. For example, =A1+A2+A3, which finds the sum of the range of values from cell A1 to cell A3. An example of a formula made up of discrete values like =6*3.

What are the formulas in Excel? ›

Basic Terms in Excel
  • Formulas. In Excel, a formula is an expression that operates on values in a range of cells or a cell. For example, =A1+A2+A3, which finds the sum of the range of values from cell A1 to cell A3.
  • Functions. Functions are predefined formulas in Excel.
21 Jul 2022

What is the most useful tool in Excel? ›

Aside from VLOOKUP (which looks up the value in one column and returns a corresponding value from another column), INDEX and MATCH are the most widely used and most powerful tools in Excel for performing lookups.

How do I master skills in Excel? ›

  1. Master the Shortcuts. You can save precious time by learning some keyboard shortcuts. ...
  2. Import Data from a Website. Learning how to import data is an essential function that can greatly speed up your workflow. ...
  3. Filter Your Results. ...
  4. Calculate the Sum. ...
  5. AutoCorrect and AutoFill. ...
  6. Display Formulas. ...
  7. Manage Page Layout.
14 Sept 2022

What are the 3 common uses for Excel? ›

The main uses of Excel include: Data entry. Data management. Accounting.

What is VLOOKUP in Excel? ›

When you need to find information in a large spreadsheet, or you are always looking for the same kind of information, use the VLOOKUP function. VLOOKUP works a lot like a phone book, where you start with the piece of data you know, like someone's name, in order to find out what you don't know, like their phone number.

Which one is not a function in Excel? ›

The correct answer to the question “Which one is not a function in MS Excel” is option (b). AVG. There is no function in Excel like AVG, at the time of writing, but if you mean Average, then the syntax for it is also AVERAGE and not AVG.

What are the 20 Excel functions? ›

Complete Excel Formulas with Their Functions
FormulasFunctional Description
VLOOKUPSearch for Data from a table arranged in an upright format
MATCHDisplays the position of a specific cell address
COUNTIFCounting the Number of Cells in a Range with specific criteria
COUNTACounting the Number of Filled Cells
19 more rows
5 Aug 2022

What does .xlsm stand for? ›

Microsoft Excel Macro-Enabled Spreadsheet
DeveloperMicrosoft
Popularity3.8 | 120 Votes
CategorySpreadsheet Files
FormatZip
17 Mar 2022

What is the difference between formula and function in Excel? ›

What is a Formula vs Function in Excel? A Formula is an equation designed by a user in Excel, while a Function is a predefined calculation in the spreadsheet application.

What does '$' mean in Excel formula? ›

Excel absolute cell reference (with $ sign)

An absolute reference in Excel is a cell address with the dollar sign ($) in the row or column coordinates, like $A$1. The dollar sign fixes the reference to a given cell, so that it remains unchanged no matter where the formula moves.

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