The best place to learn Excel depends on your style, with top options including Coursera & edX for structured specializations (Macquarie, IBM), Udemy for varied, often affordable courses (beginner to VBA), Microsoft Learn for official free training, and YouTube (like the Excel for Data Analytics channel) for free, practical tutorials, alongside dedicated providers like Nexacu for live/in-person training in Australia.
EdX is the best source to learn excel online for free. It is a nonprofit that gives free training to people around the world -- with an interesting model. It provides several tutorials for Excel course. EdX also the best way to learn Excel online. Khan Academy is one of the best sources to learn MS Excel online.
The best way to learn Excel is to start with the basics (navigation, formatting, simple formulas like SUM/AVERAGE), practice with real-world projects (like budgeting or tracking data), use online tutorials/courses for structured learning, and gradually build up to advanced features like PivotTables and XLOOKUP to apply knowledge contextually and automate tasks. Consistency is key; focus on understanding formulas, using shortcuts, and applying skills to solve problems you encounter regularly.
Chat GPT is now connected to Microsoft Excel and can be used directly from any of your workbooks. Available models include GPT-5, GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, Perplexity Sonar, Gemini 2.5 Flash, and many more. The sidebar provides access to the Agent, the bulk AI tools, and GPT functions.
If you are really interested in learning excel, then you can EXCEL in excel, even without a tutor, just by your own efforts. There are plenty of resources available on internet, that might be helpful to you in your excel journey, check them out, (be it free courses, youtube, articles, practice challenges, quizzes etc.)
Beginner users of Excel
Excel's Golden Rule: 1) If a formula input can change, put it into a cell and refer to it in the formula with a cell reference. If it will not change, you can type it into a formula. ALWAYS LABEL YOUR FORMULA INPUTS!
1. Datarails. Datarails offers an AI-powered FP&A platform that seamlessly integrates with Excel. It allows you to keep your existing financial models and spreadsheets while harnessing AI to automate repetitive processes, reduce errors, and gain actionable insights from your data.
Ctrl+W Closes the selected workbook window. Ctrl+X Cuts the selected cells. Ctrl+Y Repeats the last command or action, if possible. Ctrl+Z Uses the Undo command to reverse the last command or to delete the last entry that you typed.
Python in Excel comes with a core set of Python libraries provided by Anaconda that you can use to simplify your data analysis, find patterns and hidden insights, and visualize your data with plots. To learn more, see Open-source libraries and Python in Excel.
The 7 basic Excel formulas, essential for any beginner, include SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, COUNTA, IF, MAX, and MIN, which handle totaling, finding the mean, counting numeric/non-blank cells, applying logic, and identifying extremes within data sets, with AutoSum being a shortcut for SUM and TRIM useful for text cleaning, making these foundational tools for quick data analysis.
However, some commonly challenging aspects of Excel include advanced functions and formulas (e.g. VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH), pivot tables, data visualization and analysis (e.g. creating charts, working with large data sets), and macro programming.
Create a simple formula
Adding numbers is just one of the things you can do, but Excel can do other math as well. Try some simple formulas to add, subtract, multiply, or divide your numbers. Pick a cell, and then type an equal sign (=). That tells Excel that this cell will contain a formula.
To learn Excel fast, focus on core navigation and shortcuts like Ctrl+C/V, then tackle essential functions (SUM, IF, VLOOKUP) and PivotTables through hands-on projects, using quick online tutorials (like GoSkills, W3Schools), and practicing daily with real tasks or templates to solidify skills quickly.
Microsoft training including Excel, Powerpoint, Access etcs – Khan Academy Help Center.
Alison offers free online Excel courses on its platform. There is a wide range of courses for everyone - from beginners or intermediate users, core Excel skills for accounts, or most useful formulas to master the tool.
Some of the most commonly used function key shortcuts include: F1 to display help or the Office Assistant, F2 to edit the active cell, F3 to paste a name or function into a formula, and F4 to repeat the last action. F5 allows you to go to a cell or find data, F6 moves between panes, and F7 performs a spelling check.
To undo an action press Ctrl+Z on your keyboard, or select Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar. You can press Undo (or Ctrl+Z) repeatedly if you want to undo multiple steps.
Sample quote. “Microsoft Excel is an outdated, ineffective tool for business planning and consolidation processes because it is slow, error-prone, lacks transparency, and offers little capability for predictive analysis.”
Excel offers tools to manage data effectively:
Users who start formulas with the plus will see how Excel will automatically add an equal sign at the beginning of the equation after the user finishes writing the formula. Some users find it easier to initiate formulas with the plus key since the standard number pad on most keyboards doesn't have an equal sign key.
Here are some examples of advanced skills in Excel:
The 50/30/20 rule in Excel involves setting up a spreadsheet to allocate your after-tax income: 50% for Needs (essentials like rent, groceries), 30% for Wants (discretionary spending like dining out, hobbies), and 20% for Savings & Debt (retirement, emergency funds, loan payments). You create columns for income, needs, wants, and savings, then use formulas (e.g., =TotalIncome*0.5) to automatically calculate budget limits, allowing you to track actual spending against these targets for financial clarity.