Microsoft Excel is one of the top in-demand skills on the market. Whether you're starting to learn Excel or already an expert, having a cheat sheet in your pocket can help. An Excel cheat sheet gives you a brief overview of the functions, commands, formulas, and shortcuts in Excel—so you can focus on your work.
Let’s start with some of the basic terminology used in Excel so you can thrive in countless industries, including data analytics and finance. We will also cover the anatomy of a spreadsheet, relevant courses, and important functions. Need to buy a copy? You can get Excel from Microsoft.
Click here to download our free Excel Cheat Sheet PDF.
Review your basic vocabulary before looking at functions and commands to fully understand how Excel formats its data.
| Active Cell | The currently active cell in the worksheet |
| Cell | An individual box in the worksheet that can contain data, text, or a formula |
| Column | A vertical group of cells in the worksheet. Columns are identified by letters (A, B, C, etc.) |
| Formula | A set of instructions that performs calculations on values in the worksheet |
| Function | A predefined formula is used to perform standard calculations, such as summing a range of values |
| Row | A horizontal group of cells in the worksheet. Rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) |
| Worksheet | Also known as a spreadsheet; the grid of columns and rows that you can enter in Excel |
As a spreadsheet program, Excel focuses on storing data. Here are the data types that Excel frequently stores.
| Text | Also called labels, text values identify data in a worksheet or store things like names and descriptions. Example: Hello, World! |
| Numbers | Numbers are used for calculations and can be formatted as currency, percentages, decimals, etc. Example: 1.12 |
| Dates/Times | Dates and times track and calculate data over time. Example: 2022-02-02 |
| Logical Values | Logical values are either true or false. Example: TRUE, FALSE |
| Arrays | Array formulas perform calculations on a range of cells simultaneously. Example: SUM(A1:A4) |
In Excel, a function is simply a preset formula or algorithm. They help parse information and display it for a variety of uses. Here are some of the most common Excel formulas in our Excel functions list cheat sheet.
| SUM | Adds the values of a range of cells Example: SUM(A1:A4) |
| SUMIFS | Sums values that meet specific criteria. Example: SUMIFS(A1:A4,B1:B4,E1) |
| AVERAGE | Calculates the average values in a range of cells Example: AVERAGE(A1:A4) |
| COUNT | Counts the number of cells in a range that contains numbers Example: COUNT(A1:A4) |
| MIN | Finds the smallest value in a range of cells Example: MIN(A1:A4) |
| MAX | Finds the largest value in a range of cells Example: MAX(A1:A4) |
| TRIM | Removes all white space from the front and back of a cell. Example: TRIM(A1) |
| IF | Checks whether a condition is met and returns one value if true and another if false Example: IF(A1=‘Yes’, True, False) |
| CONCATENATE | Combines the values of multiple cells into a single cell. Example: CONCATENATE(A1, B1) |
| VALUE | Convert numbers that have been stored in text to integers. Example: VALUE(B1) |
| MIN | Finds the minimum value of a set. Example: MIN(A1:O1) |
| MAX | Finds the maximum value of a set. Example: MAX(A1:O1) |
| PROPER | Formats text with the correct capitalization; useful when importing data from other sources. Example: PROPER(A1) |
| CEILING | Round a number up to the first number of significance, e.g. 39.1 to either 39 or 40. Example: CEILING(A1,4) |
| FLOOR | Round a number down to the first number of significance, e.g. 39.12 to either 39.1 or 39. Example: FLOOR(A1,4) |
| LEN | Return the number of characters in a string, useful for data validation. Example: LEN(A1) |
| NOW | Get the current date and time. Note that it will return the time of the system you’re on. Example: NOW() |
| TODAY | Similar to now, but this just gives the date, rather than the date and time. You can also use DAY(), MONTH(), and YEAR(). Example: TODAY() |
These advanced Excel functions can be a little more difficult to use—but they’re sophisticated methods of processing and analyzing data.
| VLOOKUP | Looks up a value in the leftmost column of a table and returns a corresponding value from another column Example: VLOOKUP(“Text”,A1:C4,2,FALSE) |
| INDEX | Performs a lookup based on a row and column number instead of a lookup value Example: INDEX(A1:A4,1,1) |
| HLOOKUP | Looks up a value in the top row of a table and returns a corresponding value from another row in the table Example: HLOOKUP(“Text”, A1:C4, 2) |
Shortcuts are a great way to increase productivity. Once shortcuts become a habit, you’ll find even simpler tasks faster. Here are some of the most common keyboard shortcuts to help you work faster in Excel.
| F2 | Edit the active cell. |
| F5 | Go to a specific cell in the worksheet. |
| CTRL + Arrow | Move to the edge of the worksheet’s data. |
| Shift + F11 | Insert a new sheet. |
| Alt + = | Sum the cells. |
| Ctrl + Shift + “+” | Insert a new row/column. |
| Ctrl + “-” | Delete a row/column. |
| Ctrl + “*” | Select all cells with formulas. |
| Ctrl + ‘ | Copy the value from above a cell. |
| Alt + Enter | Insert a line break in a cell. |
In addition to shortcuts, Excel has many built-in commands that can be accessed using shortcut keys or the ribbon. Here are some of the most common.
| Paste Special | Opens the Paste Special dialog box, which allows you to choose how to paste data from the clipboard |
| Format Painter | Copies formatting from one cell and applies it to another cell or range of cells |
| Fill Handle | Allows you to quickly fill a range of cells with data that follows a pattern |
| AutoSum | Automatically calculates the sum of a range of selected cells |
| Sparklines | Creates small, graphical representations of data in a single cell |
Not everything is readable in a series of columns and rows. When you need something human-readable, you need a graph. Excel offers several ways to create graphs and charts. Here are some of the most common.
| Column Charts | Used to compare data points side-by-side. |
| Bar Charts | Used to compare data points side-by-side. |
| Line Charts | Used to show trends over time. |
| Pie Charts | Used to show percentages or proportions. |
| Scatter Plots | Used to show relationships between data points. |
Finally, here are a few tips and tricks to help you work faster in Excel.
A basic Excel cheat sheet or Excel commands cheat sheet can only do so much. It offers a quick alternative to building everything from scratch, and it helps users get started quickly. However, all spreadsheet users should learn the basics of Excel. Once you understand the capabilities, you should be able to look up things you need to know in the above Excel cheat sheet.
Use the above Excel function cheat sheet whenever you need to do something specific in Excel. You can review Excel cheat sheet formulas to refresh your memory or use CTRL+F to find a specific area of the Excel formula cheat sheet.
Here’s a quick list of five basic Excel functions:
Most formulas that you would need will pop up when you start typing in Excel. As long as you know what formulas are available in Excel, you should be able to look them up on this sheet.
The seven basic Excel formulas are SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, COUNTA, and VLOOKUP. These are just a few of the many formulas available in Excel.
5. Where do you get Excel?
You can buy a copy of Excel from Microsoft as a stand-alone piece of software or get it as part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products. While Google offers a free alternative with their powerful sheets service, the original software has additional features professionals use every day.
People are also reading:
