Microsoft Excel is the world's most widely used spreadsheet software, designed for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing data through rows, columns, and formulas. As part of Microsoft 365, Excel serves as the foundational tool for financial modeling, data analysis, reporting, and business intelligence across industries. Excel's power lies in its formula engine—a sophisticated calculation system that transforms static data into dynamic insights. Modern Excel (2026) has evolved to include dynamic arrays that spill automatically, Power Query for data transformation, Power Pivot for data modeling, LAMBDA for reusable custom functions, regex functions for pattern matching, Python integration via =PY() for in-cell data science, and Copilot with Agent Mode for AI-assisted workbook creation—making it a complete data platform from simple calculations to advanced analytics.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 27 focused tables and 282 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Essential Formulas and Functions
| Function | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
=SUM(A1:A10) | • Adds all numbers in a range • supports multiple ranges separated by commas. | |
=AVERAGE(B2:B50) | • Returns the arithmetic mean of values in a range • ignores text and blank cells. | |
=COUNT(C1:C100) | • Counts cells containing numeric values only • excludes text, errors, and blanks. | |
=COUNTA(D1:D100) | • Counts non-empty cells regardless of data type • includes text, numbers, and errors. | |
=IF(G2>100,"High","Low") | • Returns one value if condition is TRUE, another if FALSE • foundational for logic. | |
=MAX(E1:E20) | Returns the largest value in a range, ignoring text and logical values. | |
=MIN(F1:F20) | Returns the smallest value in a range, ignoring text and logical values. | |
=SUMIF(A:A,">50",B:B) | Sums values in one range that meet a single criterion in another range. |