The 20 Most-Used Excel Functions
The formulas people use every day, from SUM and IF to XLOOKUP, TEXT and TRIM: one guide each, with pictures, real-world scenarios and a practice sheet you can try on the page.
What's in this path
- Step 1: How to Use the SUM Function in ExcelAdd up a column, a row or scattered cells with SUM, and get a total in one keystroke with AutoSum.11 min read
- Step 2: How to Use the AVERAGE Function in ExcelFind the average of a column, a row or several ranges with AVERAGE, and know how it treats blank cells, zeros and text.12 min read
- Step 3: COUNT and COUNTA in Excel: Count Numbers and Non-Blank CellsCount the cells that hold numbers with COUNT, count every filled cell with COUNTA, and know which one to use.12 min read
- Step 4: How to Use MIN and MAX in ExcelFind the smallest and largest numbers in a range with MIN and MAX, within a group with MINIFS and MAXIFS, and use them to cap a value.13 min read
- Step 5: How to Round Numbers in Excel: ROUND, ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWNRound prices to the cent, sales to the nearest thousand and box counts up to whole numbers with ROUND, ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWN.11 min read
- Step 6: How to Use SUMIF and SUMIFS in ExcelAdd up only the numbers that meet a condition with SUMIF, or several conditions at once with SUMIFS.14 min read
- Step 7: How to Use COUNTIF and COUNTIFS in ExcelCount the cells that meet a condition with COUNTIF, or several conditions at once with COUNTIFS, using operators, cell references and wildcards.14 min read
- Step 8: How to Use AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS in ExcelAverage only the numbers that meet a condition with AVERAGEIF, or several conditions at once with AVERAGEIFS, including date ranges and wildcards.12 min read
- Step 9: How to Use the IF Function in ExcelMake a formula return one result when a condition is true and another when it's false, with text, numbers or calculations.13 min read
- Step 10: How to Use AND and OR in ExcelTest several conditions at once with AND and OR, reverse a test with NOT, and use them inside IF to label, flag and calculate rows.12 min read
- Step 11: How to Use the IFS Function in ExcelSort values into grades, tiers and price bands with IFS instead of nested IFs, and know when SWITCH or a lookup table is the better choice.13 min read
- Step 12: How to Use IFERROR in ExcelReplace error values such as #DIV/0! and #N/A with a value or message of your own using IFERROR and IFNA, without hiding real mistakes.14 min read
- Step 13: How to Use VLOOKUP in ExcelLook up a value in a table and return a matching value from the same row with VLOOKUP, and fix the #N/A and #REF! errors it can return.15 min read
- Step 14: How to Use XLOOKUP in ExcelFind a value in one column and return the matching value from another with XLOOKUP, including a fallback for missing values, nearest matches and wildcards.15 min read
- Step 15: How to Use INDEX and MATCH in ExcelCombine INDEX and MATCH to look up a value in any column, including one to the left, and to find the value where a row and a column meet.13 min read
- Step 16: How to Join Text in Excel: CONCAT, TEXTJOIN and &Combine names, codes and lists into one cell with the & operator, CONCAT and TEXTJOIN, with spaces, separators, line breaks and number formats where you want them.11 min read
- Step 17: How to Use LEFT, RIGHT and MID in ExcelPull characters from the start, end or middle of a code, ID or email address with LEFT, RIGHT and MID, and handle parts of varying length with FIND and LEN.11 min read
- Step 18: How to Use the TRIM Function in ExcelRemove the extra spaces that break lookups and counts with TRIM, and clean up non-breaking spaces and line breaks from web and exported data.10 min read
- Step 19: How to Use the TEXT Function in ExcelUse TEXT to format numbers, percentages and dates inside a formula, so they read properly when you join them into labels and sentences.11 min read
- Step 20: How to Use TODAY and NOW in ExcelUse TODAY and NOW to count days to a deadline, flag overdue items, work out ages and years of service, and enter dates that don't change.11 min read