Excel Basics for Beginners: Formulas, Tables and Charts

By Ammar Aslam · Updated September 29, 2026 · 3 min read

Excel (and free alternatives like Google Sheets) is one of the most useful skills for school, office work and managing personal budgets. You only need a few basics to get started.

Cells, rows and columns

A spreadsheet is a grid. Columns have letters (A, B, C), rows have numbers (1, 2, 3), and each cell has an address like B3.

Your first formulas

Every formula starts with =.

Formula	What it does
=A1+B1	Adds two cells
=SUM(B2:B10)	Adds a range
=AVERAGE(B2:B10)	Average of a range
=MAX(B2:B10) / =MIN(B2:B10)	Largest / smallest value
=COUNT(B2:B10)	Counts numbers
=IF(B2>=50,"Pass","Fail")	Returns a result based on a condition

Press Alt + = to insert SUM automatically below a column of numbers.

Fill handle

Drag the small square at the corner of a selected cell to copy formulas down or continue series like 1, 2, 3 or Jan, Feb, Mar.

Absolute references

When copying formulas, cell references change. Add $ to lock them: =B2*$E$1 always uses E1. Press F4 to toggle.

Formatting

Format numbers as currency, percentage or dates.
Bold headers and freeze the top row with View → Freeze Panes.
Use Conditional Formatting to highlight values, such as marks below 50 in red.

Tables, sorting and filters

Select your data and press Ctrl + T to make a table. Tables add filter buttons, banded rows and automatic formula filling. Use the filter arrows to sort and filter.

Charts

Select data and go to Insert → Recommended Charts. Use column charts to compare, line charts for trends over time, and pie charts only for a few parts of a whole.

Handy shortcuts

Ctrl + Arrow: jump to the end of data.
Ctrl + Shift + L: toggle filters.
Ctrl + ; insert today's date.

Practice idea: monthly budget

List expenses in column A, amounts in column B, total with SUM, and add a pie chart. You'll learn the basics in 20 minutes.

A step further: XLOOKUP and pivot tables

XLOOKUP

XLOOKUP finds a value in one column and returns a related value from another. For example, with student names in column A and marks in column B:

=XLOOKUP("Ali", A2:A50, B2:B50) returns Ali's marks.

It's easier and more flexible than the older VLOOKUP. Google Sheets also supports XLOOKUP.

Pivot tables

Pivot tables summarise large data quickly. Select your data → Insert → PivotTable, then drag fields into Rows, Columns and Values. For example, total sales by month and product in seconds, without writing formulas.

Common beginner mistakes

Typing numbers as text (for example with spaces), so formulas don't calculate. Look for small green triangles.
Merging cells in data tables, which breaks sorting and filtering.
Hard-coding numbers in formulas instead of referencing cells.
Not saving versions; turn on AutoSave with OneDrive.
Leaving blank rows inside data, which confuses tables and charts.

Data validation for clean input

Use Data → Data Validation to create dropdown lists (like "Paid / Unpaid") or restrict entries to numbers or dates. It prevents typing mistakes, especially in shared sheets.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free Excel?

Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account, and Google Sheets is free too.

What should I learn next?

XLOOKUP, pivot tables and data validation.

Ammar Aslam
Ammar writes clear, practical tech guides that help everyday users fix problems, stay safe online and get more from their devices.