Can Microsoft Excel formulas be easy to learn? Yep! This tutorial explains the very basics of Excel formulas for beginners, with detailed steps on how to write and use them. It also provides a number of advanced formula examples for experienced users. You will be amazed how simple creating formulas in Excel actually is.
In this tutorial, we are going to learn the basics of creating and using formulas in Excel. And because one of the most efficient ways to learn is through practice, we will also discuss a number of formulas examples to make things easier to understand. Here's a list of topics we are going to cover:
=SUM(A1:A5).
For example, if you have an item price in cell A2 and VAT in cell B2, you can calculate the VAT amount by using the following percentage formula: =A2*B2
Comparison operators in Excel formulasIn Microsoft Excel formulas, comparison, or logical, operators are used to compare two values. The result of the comparison is always a logical value of TRUE or FALSE. The following logical operators are available in Excel:
For more information and examples of using comparison operators in MS Excel formulas, please check out the following tutorial: Excel logical operators - equal to, not equal to, greater than, less than.
Text concatenation operatorText concatenation operator in Excel is the ampersand symbol (&). You can use it to join two or more text strings in a single string.
Comma (,) - is used to separate arguments in Excel spreadsheet formulas. For example, the formula =IF(A1>0, "good", "bad") reads as follows: if A1 is greater than zero, return "good", otherwise "bad".
Further on in this tutorial, you will find the detailed steps for making both types of Excel spreadsheet formulas.
How to create formulas in ExcelAs already mentioned, any Excel formula starts with the equal sign (=). So, whatever formula you are going to write, begin by typing = either in the destination cell or in the Excel formula bar. And now, let's have a closer look at how you can make different formulas in Excel.
Of course, nothing prevents you from multiplying the total already calculated in column E by 10%, in this case the formula would reduce to a simple calculation =E2*10%. However, in large worksheets, it makes sense to write independently calculated formulas, so that removing a column with one formula wouldn't break the others.
Excel formulas with nested functionsIn Microsoft Excel formulas, nesting one function within another means using one function as an argument of another function. In modern versions of Excel 2016, 2013, 2010 and 2010, you can use up to 64 nested functions. In older versions of Excel 2003 and lower, only up to 7 levels of functions are allowed.
For the detailed explanation of nested IF's syntax and advanced formula examples, please check out the following tutorial: Using nested IF functions in Excel.
Array formulas in ExcelArray formulas in Excel are advanced aerobatics. A single Excel array formula can perform thousands of calculations and replace hundreds of usual formulas. Learning array formulas certainly requires some time and effort, but it's worth it.
Since this tutorial is purposed for beginners, I won't intimidate you by the definitions of array constants and complex multi-line formulas. I'll show just one very simple example of an Excel array formula that demonstrates what they are capable for.
Such custom functions are called User Defined Functions (UDFs), and they are especially useful for advanced mathematic or engineering calculations. Like macros, user defined functions are written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). As an example, you can review and download custom functions created by our team to count and sum cells by color.
Absolute, relative and mixed cell references in Excel formulasThere exist 3 types of cell references in Excel: absolute ($A$1), relative (A1) and mixed ($A1 or A$1). All three of the above references refer to the same cell, and the dollar sign ($) is used only for one purpose - it tells Microsoft Excel whether to change or not to change cell references when the formula is moved or copied to other cells.
For more information about Excel cell reference and more formula examples, please see Why use $ in Excel formulas.
Tips and time-saving shortcuts for Excel formulasFormulas in Excel are a powerful multi-faceted tool, and they can solve a great variety of tasks in your spreadsheets. Of course, learning various aspects of Microsoft Excel formulas and functions does take time, so you might feel there isn't enough time in the day to learn everything. Well, a good way to find more time is to save some time :)
Excel provides formulas for almost anything, and there exist tens or even hundreds of different functions in modern versions of Microsoft Excel. So, if you encounter a task for which you cannot work out a solution, most likely you are missing out on a formula that can do it for you. Before spending hours and hours on performing manual calculations, take a few minutes to review the following resources. It is a selection of the most popular MS Excel formulas with examples, grouped by categories.
Hi! Please have a look at these guides: SUMIF examples with wildcard characters and How to use Excel SUMIFS and SUMIF with multiple criteria. It's not very clear from your description what you want to count, so a few examples:
Just have to let you know that this is the most concise teaching on excel formulas I have found on the internet. Great job breaking it down systematically, easy to understand, comprehensive and concise.
In Microsoft Excel, a formula is an expression that operates on values in a range of cells. These formulas return a result, even when it is an error. Excel formulas enable you to perform calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In addition to these, you can find out averages and calculate percentages in excel for a range of cells, manipulate date and time values, and do a lot more.
There is another term that is very familiar to Excel formulas, and that is "function". The two words, "formulas" and "functions" are sometimes interchangeable. They are closely related, but yet different. A formula begins with an equal sign. Meanwhile, functions are used to perform complex calculations that cannot be done manually. Functions in excel have names that reflect their intended use.
Solver works with decision variables which are a group of cells used in computing the formulas in the objective and constraint cells. The solver adjusts the value of decision variable cells to work on the limits on constraint cells. This process aids in determining the desired result for the objective cell.
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MS Excel formulas and functions are expressions used to perform calculations or manipulate data in Excel. Formulas start with an equal sign (=) and can contain functions, mathematical operations, cell references, and constants.
An Excel formula is a mathematical expression that works with values in a specific range of cells. These formulas yield a result, even if it's an error. They empower you to carry out addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division calculations within Excel.
These two advanced formulas are great uses of conditional functions. SUMIF adds all cells that meet certain criteria, and COUNTIF counts all cells that meet certain criteria. For example, imagine you want to count all cells that are greater than or equal to 21 (the legal drinking age in the U.S.) to find out how many bottles of champagne you need for a client event. You can use COUNTIF as an advanced solution, as shown in the screenshot below.
Over 500 working Excel formulas with detailed explanations, videos, and related links. Includes key functions like VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX & MATCH, FILTER, RANK, ROUND, AVERAGE, COUNTIFS, SUMIFS, UNIQUE, SORT, TEXTSPLIT, and more.
Below you will find 101 Excel formulas & functions examples for key formulas & functions like VLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH, IF, SUMPRODUCT, AVERAGE, SUBTOTAL, OFFSET, LOOKUP, ROUND, COUNT, SUMIFS, ARRAY, FIND, TEXT, and many more. You will also find Excel formulas with examples in Excel sheet free download!
The spreadsheet below is the example we will use: a made-up inventory of devices for January 2023. It has 45 products in column A, each with an SKU number (column B), amount in inventory (column C), quantity purchased in January (column D), price for each unit (column E), and the subtotal (column F, with the formula already).
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