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Beginner Excel guide

Excel Basics for Work

Learn the Excel basics people use at work: clean tables, cell references, sorting, filtering, and a repeatable way to check your spreadsheet.

How this page is maintained

Written for learners, checked against the sources below, and reviewed every year. Last reviewed July 22, 2026.

Short answer

Start by treating a worksheet as a table: one header row, one record per row, and one kind of value per column. Learn relative and absolute cell references next, then use sorting, filtering, and simple formulas to answer real questions without changing the source data.

  • Keep raw data rectangular, with no blank header cells or decorative merged rows.
  • Use $ signs only when a formula reference must stay fixed as the formula is copied.
  • Check row counts and totals before and after every cleanup step.

Build a worksheet that stays understandable

A dependable worksheet has a clear job. Put raw records in one table and calculations or presentation on separate sheets. Give every column a specific name such as Order date, Customer, Region, or Revenue. Avoid using color or position as the only place where meaning is stored.

Excel Tables are useful because they expand with new rows, preserve filters, and give formulas readable column names. They also reduce the chance that a chart or formula silently stops before the last record.

Understand what changes when a formula is copied

A relative reference such as B2 changes when copied. An absolute reference such as $B$2 stays fixed. Mixed references, $B2 or B$2, lock only the column or row. The right choice depends on which part of the calculation should move.

  • Use relative references for row-by-row calculations.
  • Use absolute references for a shared tax rate, target, or conversion factor.
  • Read the copied formula in the formula bar instead of assuming it moved correctly.

Calculate order value without hard-coding the tax rate

A sheet has Quantity in B, Unit price in C, and a tax rate of 8% in F1.

  1. In D2, enter =B2*C2 to calculate the pre-tax order value.
  2. In E2, enter =D2*(1+$F$1) so the tax cell stays fixed.
  3. Copy both formulas down and compare the first and last formulas in the formula bar.
Result: Each row uses its own quantity and price while every row uses the same tax rate in F1.

Common mistakes

  • Putting totals inside the raw-data range, where they can be sorted as if they were records.
  • Leaving numbers stored as text and wondering why SUM ignores them.
  • Using merged cells in a data table, which breaks sorting and filtering.
  • Editing the only copy of imported data instead of keeping a raw sheet.

Try one

A discount rate is stored in H2. Which reference keeps both its row and column fixed when you copy a formula?

$H$2. Both dollar signs are required to keep the reference fixed in every direction.

Sources

Excel formula guideFormulas and functionsExcel lookup comparisonXLOOKUP vs. INDEX-MATCHExcel reporting guidePivotTables

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