Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool, and knowing how to use basic formulas can significantly improve your productivity. Whether you're working on simple calculations or managing complex data, understanding these fundamental formulas will help you get the most out of Excel.
1. SUM Formula
The SUM function is one of the most commonly used formulas in Excel. It allows you to add up a range of numbers quickly.
How to use:
This will sum all the numbers in cells A1 through A10.
2. AVERAGE Formula
The AVERAGE function calculates the average (or mean) of a group of numbers. It's useful when you need to find the middle point in your data.
How to use:
This will calculate the average of the numbers in cells B1 to B10.
3. COUNT Formula
The COUNT function counts how many cells contain numbers within a specified range. It’s great for counting data entries.
How to use:
This will count how many cells in the range C1 to C10 contain numerical values.
4. MAX Formula
The MAX formula finds the largest number in a range of cells. It's ideal when you need to identify the highest value in your dataset.
How to use:
This will return the largest value in the range D1 to D10.
5. MIN Formula
Just like MAX, the MIN formula helps you find the smallest number in a range of cells.
How to use:
This will give you the smallest value in the range E1 to E10.
6. IF Formula
The IF function is used to perform conditional logic. It allows you to test whether a condition is true or false, and return different values depending on the outcome.
How to use:
This formula checks if the value in cell F1 is greater than 50. If it is, it returns "Pass"; otherwise, it returns "Fail."
7. CONCATENATE (or CONCAT) Formula
The CONCATENATE (or the newer CONCAT) function is used to join two or more text strings together.
How to use:
This will combine the values in cells G1 and H1, separated by a space.
8. VLOOKUP Formula
The VLOOKUP formula is used to search for a value in the first column of a range and return a corresponding value from another column.
How to use:
This searches for the value in cell I2 within the first column of the range A1:B10. If it finds a match, it returns the corresponding value from the second column.
9. NOW Formula
The NOW formula returns the current date and time. It updates automatically whenever the spreadsheet is recalculated.
How to use:
This will display the current date and time.
10. TODAY Formula
The TODAY formula returns the current date only (without the time).
How to use:
This will display today's date.