Microsoft Excel for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide with the Top 20 Formulas You Must Know

Microsoft Excel for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide with the Top 20 Formulas You Must Know

Sibgha Mirza September 13, 2025

📘 Microsoft Excel for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide with the Top 20 Formulas You Must Know

Introduction

Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful tools for data entry, organization, and analysis. Whether you’re a student, professional, or business owner, Excel can save you hours of work if you know how to use it properly. In fact, mastering Excel basics and formulas is one of the most in-demand skills in the USA job market.

In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll walk through:

  • The step-by-step basics of Excel (interface, data entry, formatting, saving files).

  • The top 20 formulas every beginner must learn, explained with examples.

  • Tips to practice and build confidence.

By the end, you’ll not only understand Excel but also feel confident applying it to real-life situations.

Part 1: Getting Started with Microsoft Excel (Step-by-Step for Beginners)

1. Opening Excel and Understanding the Interface

When you first open Microsoft Excel, you’ll see a grid of rows and columns. Each small box is called a cell, identified by a letter (column) and number (row). For example: A1 means Column A, Row 1.

Key sections to note:

  • Ribbon: The top toolbar with tabs like Home, Insert, Formulas.

  • Worksheet: The grid area where you enter data.

  • Formula Bar: Where you type or view formulas.

  • Sheets Tab: At the bottom; you can have multiple sheets in one workbook.

2. Entering and Formatting Data

  • To enter data, click on a cell and type. Press Enter to move down or Tab to move right.

  • Formatting options (bold, italic, font color) are in the Home tab.

  • You can resize columns/rows by dragging their borders.

👉 Example: Enter a list of expenses in Column A and their values in Column B.

3. Saving and Organizing Files

  • Save your file by pressing Ctrl + S (Windows) or Command + S (Mac).

  • Choose a name and location that’s easy to find.

  • Excel files usually have the extension .xlsx.

4. Basic Operations Without Formulas

Even without formulas, you can do simple tasks:

  • Sorting: Arrange data alphabetically or by value.

  • Filtering: Show only specific information.

  • AutoFill: Drag the fill handle (bottom-right of a cell) to copy numbers, dates, or patterns.






Part 2: Top 20 Excel Formulas Every Beginner Must Know

Now that you know the basics, let’s explore the formulas that make Excel powerful. Formulas always begin with an equal sign (=).

1. SUM

Adds values together.
👉 =SUM(A1:A5) adds all numbers from A1 to A5.

2. AVERAGE

Finds the mean of numbers.
👉 =AVERAGE(B1:B10) gives the average of values in B1 to B10.

3. COUNT

Counts numbers in a range.
👉 =COUNT(A1:A10) counts numeric entries only.

4. COUNTA

Counts all non-empty cells (numbers + text).
👉 =COUNTA(A1:A10)

5. IF

Applies logic: if a condition is true, do X; if false, do Y.
👉 =IF(B1>50,"Pass","Fail")

6. VLOOKUP

Searches for a value in a table.
👉 =VLOOKUP(101, A2:C10, 2, FALSE) looks for ID 101 in the first column and returns data from the second column.

7. HLOOKUP

Similar to VLOOKUP but searches horizontally.
👉 =HLOOKUP("Math", A1:F2, 2, FALSE)

8. INDEX

Returns value from a specific row/column.
👉 =INDEX(A1:C5, 2, 3) gives value in row 2, column 3.

9. MATCH

Finds the position of a value.
👉 =MATCH(50, A1:A10, 0)

10. TRIM

Removes extra spaces.
👉 =TRIM(A1)

11. LEN

Counts characters in a cell.
👉 =LEN(A1)

12. CONCATENATE / CONCAT

Joins text from different cells.
👉 =CONCAT(A1, " ", B1)

13. LEFT

Returns characters from the start of text.
👉 =LEFT(A1, 5)

14. RIGHT

Returns characters from the end of text.
👉 =RIGHT(A1, 3)

15. PROPER

Capitalizes the first letter of each word.
👉 =PROPER(A1)

16. NOW

Shows current date and time.
👉 =NOW()

17. TODAY

Shows only the date.
👉 =TODAY()

18. ROUND

Rounds numbers.
👉 =ROUND(A1, 2)

19. PMT

Calculates loan payment.
👉 =PMT(5%/12, 60, -20000)

20. TEXT

Formats numbers/dates into text.
👉 =TEXT(TODAY(),"MM/DD/YYYY")

Part 3: Practical Examples for Beginners

  • Budget Sheet → Use SUM, AVERAGE.

  • Grade Tracker → Use IF, AVERAGE, COUNT.

  • Sales Report → Use VLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH.

FAQs

Q1: Is Excel hard to learn for beginners?
No — with step-by-step practice, Excel is easy to master. Start with data entry and the basic formulas above.

Q2: Do I need Excel if I use Google Sheets?
Yes. The skills overlap. Most formulas work in both. Excel is still the industry standard.

Q3: How can I practice Excel for free?
Download free sample spreadsheets from Microsoft or practice with your own household budget, expenses, or study timetable.

Persuasive Call-to-Action (PPA)

Mastering Excel is like learning a new language — it opens doors to countless opportunities. Whether you want to boost your career, manage your finances, or simply stay organized, Excel is your best friend.

👉 Start practicing today. And don’t stop here — in our next blog, we’ll cover Excel Charts, Graphs, and Dashboards to visualize your data like a pro. Stay tuned!

About the Author

This blog is written by Sibgha Mirza, a website developer and blogger who creates beginner-friendly guides on technology, productivity, and self-growth. With a passion for simplifying complex tools, Sibgha helps readers gain practical skills that can make their personal and professional lives easier.


Sibgha Mirza

Posted by Sibgha Mirza

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