If you are looking for Excel formulas that will help you speed up spreadsheet work, this article is for you. We have put together the 10 most useful Excel formulas — from beginner to expert level.
Excel is a valuable tool because it can automatically carry out many mathematical tasks. You are probably familiar with basic formulas such as SUM and AVERAGE, but we have also prepared a few more advanced ones.
1. SUM — sum of values
Lets you add up any number of columns or rows by simply selecting them. You can change the values of the cells — the sum updates automatically.
Example: =SUM(A1:A8)
2. COUNT — number of cells containing numbers
Counts the cells in a range that contain a numeric value.
Example: =COUNT(A1:A8)
3. AVERAGE — arithmetic mean
Does exactly what the name suggests — it takes the average of the numbers you have entered.
Example: =AVERAGE(A1:A8)
4. IF — conditional logic
Lets you flag text or a value depending on whether a condition is true or false.
Examples:
=IF(A1>A2, "GOOD", "BAD")
=IF(C2>B2, "Over Budget", "Within Budget")5. VLOOKUP — vertical lookup
“Vertical lookup” searches for a particular value in a column (table array) in order to return a value from another column in the same row.
Example: =VLOOKUP(lookup_value, range, column_number, FALSE)
6. CONCATENATE — joining text
Besides sounding great when spoken out loud, it lets you combine data from multiple cells into one. "" is used for a space between values.
Example: =CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B2)
7. MAX and MIN — largest and smallest value
Very simple — type in a range of numbers and Excel returns the maximum or minimum value.
Example: =MAX(A1:A10) or =MIN(A1:A10)
8. PROPER — correct text formatting
Useful when the dataset contains oddly formatted text — for example, with capital letters in the wrong places. If A1 contains “intErestIng EnginEEring is greaT”, PROPER turns it into “Interesting Engineering Is Great”.
Example: =PROPER(A1)
9. AND — logical check of multiple conditions
Shows whether a combination of conditions is TRUE or FALSE. You can check more than two conditions by adding commas.
Example: =AND(A1="GOOD", B2>10)
10. Bonus — F11 (quick chart)
F11 is a quick way to create a new chart without navigating Excel’s ribbons. Select the data, press F11 — and the chart appears automatically.
Most common shortcuts
| Function | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Close Workbook | Ctrl+W |
| Open Workbook | Ctrl+O |
| Back to Home tab | Alt+H |
| Save Workbook | Ctrl+S |
| Copy | Ctrl+C |
| Paste | Ctrl+V |
| Undo one step | Ctrl+Z |
| Delete cell | Delete |
| Choose cell colour | Alt+H, H |
Pro tip
When you want to see which cells a formula references — click the cell containing the formula and press F2.
