To start using Excel, open a blank workbook, type your data into cells with one item per row and one type of information per column, then use formulas to calculate totals and the Home tab to format the results. Save the file when you’re done. This guide covers those first skills in current Microsoft 365 Excel. The steps are nearly the same in Excel for Mac and Excel for the web, and differences are noted where they matter.
Learn the parts of the Excel window
A few terms come up again and again:
- Workbook: the Excel file itself.
- Worksheet (sheet): one page of the grid inside the workbook. Tabs along the bottom switch between sheets, and the + button adds a new one.
- Cell: one box in the grid. Its address combines the column letter and row number, so the top-left cell is A1.
- Ribbon: the row of tabs at the top, such as Home, Insert, Formulas and Data. Each tab groups related commands.
- Formula bar: the long box above the grid. It shows what’s really inside the selected cell, including any formula.
Create a workbook and enter data
- Open Excel and choose Blank workbook. If Excel is already open, go to File > New > Blank workbook.
- Click cell A1 and type a heading, such as Item.
- Press Tab to move right and type the next heading, such as Cost.
- Press Enter to move down to the next row, then type your first item and its cost.
- Keep going until all your data is in. Each row should describe one thing.
To change a cell, click it and type over it, or double-click it to edit part of the text. Press Esc to cancel an edit before you press Enter.
If text spills into the next cell, widen the column by double-clicking the line to the right of its letter. You can also wrap text in Excel so long entries fit on several lines inside one cell.
Add numbers with formulas
Every formula starts with an equals sign. Excel then calculates the answer and shows it in the cell.
- Click an empty cell.
- Type = followed by the calculation, such as =B2+B3. Use + to add, – to subtract, * to multiply and / to divide.
- Press Enter. The result appears, and the formula shows in the formula bar when you select the cell.
Referring to cells instead of typing numbers is the key habit. If you change a value in B2, every formula that uses it updates on its own.
Total a column with AutoSum
- Click the empty cell just below a column of numbers.
- Go to Home and click AutoSum in the Editing group. On Windows, you can press Alt+= instead.
- Check the highlighted range, then press Enter.
Excel inserts a SUM formula for you. The arrow next to AutoSum also offers Average, Count Numbers, Max and Min.
To copy a formula down a column, select the cell, then drag the small square at its bottom-right corner (the fill handle) down. Excel adjusts the cell references for each row. When you need to share results without the formulas, see how to remove formulas in Excel and keep the values.
Format your sheet so it’s easy to read
Select the cells first, then use the Home tab:
- Bold your header row.
- Pick Currency, Percentage or Short Date from the Number Format box (it shows General by default).
- Add a fill color with Fill Color or lines around cells with Borders.
Formatting changes how a value looks, not the value itself. A cell showing $5.00 still holds the number 5. If you overdo it, our guide on removing borders in Excel shows how to clean up lines.
Sort and filter your data
Sorting reorders rows. Filtering hides the rows you don’t need right now.
- Click any cell inside your data.
- Go to the Data tab.
- Click Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A to sort by the column you clicked, or click Filter to add drop-down arrows to your headers.
- With a filter on, click a header’s arrow, clear (Select All), tick the values you want, and click OK.
Want a quicker setup? Select your data and press Ctrl+T to turn it into an Excel table, which adds sort and filter arrows plus banded rows automatically.
Make a quick chart
- Select your headings and numbers together.
- Go to Insert > Recommended Charts.
- Pick a chart from the preview list and click OK.
If the chart plots your data the wrong way around, here’s how to switch the X and Y axis in an Excel chart.
Save and print your work
- Press Ctrl+S (Command+S on a Mac) or click Save.
- The first time, choose a location such as OneDrive or a folder on your computer.
- Type a file name and click Save.
Excel for the web saves automatically, and so does desktop Excel when the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint with AutoSave on. To print, go to File > Print, check the preview, and click Print.
Microsoft’s own list of basic tasks in Excel is a good next stop once these steps feel familiar.
Where to go next
Once you’re comfortable entering data and writing formulas, these skills make everyday sheets easier to manage:
- Make all cells the same size for a neat, even grid.
- Hide columns you don’t need to see while you work.
- Find and replace words across a whole sheet at once.
- Recover a damaged workbook if a file won’t open.
