Excel Basics for Beginner Excel Users (Step by Step)
On this page, we shall accumulate all the basic Excel topics for the beginner level of Excel users. For beginner-level Excel users, Excel can be hard. But if you go step by step with this page, practice everything while following the articles, you will find Excel really an easy tool to use. So, let’s not talk further, let’s start learning.
At first, let’s clear some confusion
Can you learn Excel by yourself with self-study?
Yes, you can!
If you study the topics of this page, practice yourself while following the articles, you can easily learn Excel by yourself. But one thing I want to alert you about: don’t only learn and practice. Make some projects on Excel, implement the functions and formulas that you have already learned. It will make your understanding clear and the learning impact will be for the long term.
Can you learn Excel in a day?
I don’t think so!
With a 2-3 hours step-by-step video course, you can know and understand the basic topics of Excel. From a day of learning or watching a video course, it is possible to understand how the Excel environment works, how the top 5-10 Excel functions work; but using and implementing those understandings and functions in a real-life project, making a complex formula based on those functions, solving an Excel problem; it will be quite difficult.
Excel is used in a wide variety of areas; from managing a small business accounting to billion-dollar portfolio analysis. So, to be really an expert in Excel, you need to give it time.
How many days need to learn Excel?
It depends on your time on study, way of using Excel, and problem-solving ability. Not all people have the same capability and background. If you’re from an engineering background, you may have more problem-solving ability than others who are not from the same background. Again if you start learning Excel and side by side solve real-life problems with Excel, whatever your background is, you will start learning faster. The main learning factor is you and how you use it. Better to make a team at your office, start learning together, share your learnings, and start solving problems on Excel. This is the best route. Only watching some Excel videos and reading some blog posts will not help you to be a master of Excel.
Basic Excel Topics You Should Start With
1. Know the Excel Environment
# Excel Ribbon
Quick Access Toolbar
Customize the Ribbon
Status Bar
Developer Tab
# Excel Workbook
Working with Themes
View Multiple Workbooks
AutoRecover Excel Files
How to Save Excel Files in 97-2003 Format
# Excel Worksheets
Zooming Worksheet
Splitting
Freeze Panes Feature
Grouping Excel Worksheets
Consolidating Worksheets
View Multiple Worksheets at the Same Time
Get Worksheet Name
Spell Checking
# Cell, Range, Row, Column
Reference in Excel
Find and Select
Splitting Columns
Transpose Rows into Columns
# Find and Select
Find Features in Excel
Row Differences
Copy Visible Cells Only
Search Box
Delete Blank Rows in Excel
# Using Build in Excel Templates
Holiday Planning
Meal Planner
Budget Planner
Invoice
Automated Invoice
Time Sheet
BMI Calculator
Default Excel Templates
# Keyboard Shortcuts
Top Keyboard Shortcuts for Excel
Moving Around Excel with Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Entering Data into Excel Worksheets
# Formatting Excel Cells
Decimal Places
Fractions in Excel
Currency vs. Accounting Formats
Text to Numbers
Numbers to Text
Custom Number Formatting
Using Format Painter
Styling Cells in Excel
Wrap Text Feature
Merge Cells
Strikethrough Cells
Superscript and Subscript
Check Mark
Removing Duplicate Data Points or Sets
3. Sorting and Filtering in Excel
4. Auto-Fill Feature
5. Excel Tables
6. Data Insights Using Quick Analysis
7. Data Validation in Excel
Reject Invalid Data/Dates
Limiting Budget
Preventing Duplicate Entries
Creating Drop-Down List
Dependent Drop-Down List
Entering Product Codes
Centimeter to Inches
KGs to Pounds
8. Print Excel Worksheets
Workbook Views
Page Breaks
Creating Headers and Footers
Numbering Pages
Printing Titles
Centering on a Page
Print Area
Print Gridlines & Headings
9. Protecting Excel Workbooks
Protect an Excel Workbook
Protect Excel Worksheet
Locking Cells in Excel
Read-only Workbook
Mark as Final
10. Basic Excel Functions & Formulas You Must Know
Working with Excel formulas, signs, how to insert formulas in Excel, Operator Precedence in Excel, Using of Basic Excel functions like SUM, AVERAGE, Min, Max, VLOOKUP, Index Match, Combining Cells with & sign, Add Checkboxes, Hyperlink a cell to a website, Adding a drop-down menu in Excel.
11. Conditional Formatting
12. Charts
13. Using Pivot Tables for Analyzing Data
Embedding Excel Workbooks
Converting Excel to PDF
OneDrive
Online
Import Access Data to Excel
Microsoft Query
Import/Export Text Files
XML Format
