How to Excel at Everything (or at Least Make Better Spreadsheets)

7 Jul 2015 1:46 PM

Comments 6

Microsoft Excel is my secret weapon. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm really not very good with numbers. But I've discovered that you don't actually need to be a numbers person, a data scientist, or an accountant to be a data superhero. You just need Microsoft Excel and a few tricks up your sleeve.

If you too want to be a spreadsheet superhero, here's what you need to get started.

Start Excelling in Just 13 Minutes

If you're new to Excel, this 13-minute video from our European partner, Fundacja TechSoup, walks you through all the basics. Learn about formatting, basic formulas, and a few nifty shortcuts.

Super-Quick Excel Tips

Prefer tiny bites of learning? We've got three super-quick tips to make you a little bit faster and more efficient in Excel.

1. How to get speedy access to your favorite Excel commands.

2. Break your scrolling habit! Learn faster ways to select data, copy data to the end of a column, and more.

3. Harness the power of filters to get quick insights into your data.

Take a Deeper Dive

If you've already got all the basics down, our archived Excel webinar introduces you to even more quick tricks, plus formulas and the near-magical power of pivot tables.

Take it to the Next Level! Take an Online Course

If you need even more training, Skillsoft offers discounted access to Microsoft Office training through TechSoup. Skillsoft's comprehensive online courses include self-paced lessons, real-world practice activities, assessments with feedback, and how-to video demonstrations, plus a certificate of completion.

Get Microsoft Excel Through TechSoup

The latest version of Microsoft Office is available through TechSoup's Microsoft donation program.

This post was updated in May 2016 to add Skillsoft online training courses and a more recent Excel webinar.

Image: Craig Chew-Moulding / CC BY-SA

Video 1: Fundacja TechSoup

Videos 2, 3, 4, and 5: TechSoup

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by Ariel Gilbert-Knight, Director, Content, TechSoup

Comments

ycleary

9 Jul 2015 9:47 AM

These are wonderful instructional excel videos................please keep them coming.
LewisH_

3 Aug 2015 4:07 PM

We'd love to hear more of what you'd like to see if future ones.
YAIM

15 Aug 2016 2:43 PM

What do I need to do to see the videos? They are blacked out. I've tried Google Chrome and Edge. Thanks!!
Laura_Kindsvater

15 Aug 2016 2:59 PM

Hi YAIM, we're sorry to report that we're having technical difficulties with videos that are embedded on TechSoup.org. We're working on fixing the problem. Meanwhile, if you go directly to TechSoup's videos YouTube, you can watch them there. Here's a link to the first one: www.youtube.com/watch And here's the second one: www.youtube.com/watch And the third one: www.youtube.com/watch And finally, the webinar: www.youtube.com/watch
YAIM

15 Aug 2016 3:01 PM

WOW, just posted that a few minutes ago, and already a solution! Thanks so much!!!
Laura_Kindsvater

15 Aug 2016 3:01 PM

p.s. YAIM, those links in my previous post don't look right, but if you click on them, they'll take you to the right place.

This work is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License.

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How to Excel at Everything (or at Least Make Better Spreadsheets)

How to Excel at Everything (or at Least Make Better Spreadsheets)

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