It is worth mentioning that although at first it may seem like a software solution focused on the professional market, in reality it is not. This is a valid program for all types of users and work environments, from home to the most professional. And it is that in the current times we can find people who use the program for basic calculation tasks, to make templates , etc .; or to do the home accounting.

At the same time, there are large companies that use them to carry out their accounts on a large scale, which requires much more effort, of course. Hence the success of the application as such and its enormous market penetration. Of course, the complexity of it will depend on how much we are going to delve into working with it. At the same time it will also influence how much we deepen their internal functions and work modes.

With everything and with it, in these same lines we will talk about everything you need to know to start working with Excel , from the beginning. Also we are going to show you the most important basic concepts that you must know to use the program and be able to take advantage of it in the best way.

Open Microsoft spreadsheet program

The first thing we will see, of course, is how to start the program as such. Thus, we must know that it is part of Microsoft’s office suite, Office . We tell you this because it will generally be installed along with other well-known programs such as Word , PowerPoint , etc. Thus, to start the program, one of the ways we have is from the Windows Start menu.

Therefore, if necessary, we will only have to click on the corresponding program icon that will be located in this section to start it. Of course, we must bear in mind that Office is an office payment solution, unlike other free ones such as LibreOffice , for example. Therefore we can pay a license to have the complete Office 2019 suite, or subscribe to the Office 365 service . That will depend on each one, but let’s continue.

Open and save XLSX files

As usual in most of the Windows programs with which we work daily, this spreadsheet has its own proprietary format. This will allow us to directly associate our personal files created here with the application. At this point say that older versions of Excel for years used the popular XLS, but this has evolved to the current XLSX .

Therefore, when we find files of this type we already know what they correspond to. Furthermore, although this program has support for many other formats, it is recommended to save our projects in the aforementioned XLSX. To this we must add the enormous compatibility of these with other spreadsheet programs of the competition today.

To do this, we only have to choose the Excel Workbook type when saving a new created document.

How to recover a file that could not be saved

When we work with many documents simultaneously, we may not treat all of them properly. Therefore, the problem may arise that we have not saved any, and the program closes unexpectedly. Therefore we are faced with the inconvenience of losing the file that was saved. But don’t worry, at this point we have a solution that will surely come in handy. This will help us to recover it in a few steps.

Therefore, the easiest way to recover an unsaved file in Excel is to go to the File / Information / Manage documents menu. This is a large button that we find in a new window. Therefore, when clicking on it, we find an option called Recover unsaved books in Excel.

As its own name lets us glimpse, this will allow us to retrieve among the documents that we did not keep at the time from among those that the function will present to us. Then we can save it in a conventional way.

The menu bar

As is customary in most of the programs that we currently use in Windows, Excel has a series of menus and submenus that are located at the top of the main interface. These will give us access to most of the integrated functions of the program, as it could not be otherwise. The truth is that here we will have a good number of functions and features, so let’s see some of the menus that we are going to use the most at first.

We will start with the usual file, from which we save the projects we work on, open new ones, share them, print them, etc. These are the most common tasks in general applications. Then we find one of the most important menus, which is the Insert menu.

And we must bear in mind that despite the fact that until now we have talked about elements such as numerical data or texts, this spreadsheet application has support to work with many other types of elements. These are the ones that we can integrate precisely from this section. Here we refer to objects such as tables, images , maps, charts , text boxes, etc. Therefore all this opens up a huge range of possibilities when creating our own documents from here.

On the other hand we find the menu called Formulas, which as you can imagine gives us access to the many formulas that this solution presents us. Here we find them for basic operations, which we will review later, even some very complex and professional ones. This is why, as we told you before, the complexity of this program will depend on how much we want to go into its use. In addition, another option that we find here and that we will usually use is the Vista menu.

Say that this will serve us greatly when it comes to personalizing the appearance of the sheet as such. By this we mean their headers, page breaks, windows, content organization, etc.

Customize the toolbar

Microsoft tries to make working with this program as easy as possible, as it could not be otherwise. That is why it pays special attention to the program’s user interface, since it is actually the element that we are going to use the most to interact with the software . Well, at this moment we will tell you that for one of the menu options reviewed above, the program presents us with a toolbar.

This consists of a series of shortcuts in the form of buttons that offer us a series of functions related to the menu in which we find ourselves. They are also organized in small groups and make it very clear what their main task really is so that we can see it at a glance. But it is not everything, but all this that we discussed related to the arrangement and use of menus and toolbars in Excel, is something that we can customize and adjust to our liking. To do this, we first go to the File / Options menu.

A new window will appear full of functions, all of them dedicated to personalizing the application in every way. Well, in the case at hand, what interests us is to locate in the left panel the section called Personalize Ribbon. Thus, now in the right panel we will see that a long list appears with all the program’s functions independently. At the same time and next to these, we see the different menus that we previously saw in the main interface. Therefore, with the Add and Remove buttons, we can add the functions that interest us to the different menus .

It should be borne in mind that likewise, from here we can also indicate which menus we are interested in appearing or what we want to hide. Thus we will have a completely personal interface that will help us to a great extent to be more productive .

Create, edit and configure spreadsheets and cells

Those of you who are used to working with office automation tools such as word processors, such as Word, may be in for a surprise. We mean that, as with all other spreadsheet solutions, Excel is a program with a somewhat peculiar interface. If we normally find blank desks, here we will find it full of small cells.

These are distributed throughout the desktop of the program until reaching enormous amounts of them. Well, you have to know that this interface full of cells are the ones that really help us to place the corresponding data. So we will have these in a perfectly distributed and well placed way. Although at first it may be difficult for us to get used to this way of working , soon we will see that it is the best to work with numerical data. Say that these are located in different rows and columns so that we can easily identify them. The first represented by letters, and the second by numbers, so this allows us to refer to the data in each cell through names such as A2 or D14.

As you can imagine, this system will be very useful when it comes to operating with the data entered in the formulas and referring to all of them in seconds. Furthermore, this not only allows us to deal with numbers, but also with texts and other types of data. This is possible thanks to all the customization options that these cells present to us.

Choose the type of data

As we mentioned before, these cells that make up the program’s interface are very flexible and customizable. This will allow us to adapt them to our needs in each case and to the type of data that we are going to introduce. In this way, just by dragging the edges with the mouse cursor, we can adjust both their width and height. This is a simple task and available to everyone, but it is not the best. And it is that these elements in turn present a good amount of customizable options for their behavior. To do this we only have to click with the secondary mouse button on any cell.

Here what we do is select the menu option Format cells to access this that we discussed.

This will give way to a new window that offers us the opportunity to customize and adapt the behavior and use of these elements to the maximum. In this way we can specify the type of data that will hold, or specify the format of each type. On the other hand, regarding its appearance, we will have the possibility to adapt the alignment of the data, its source, color , type of border or its fill tone.

Keep in mind that all of this can be done for both individual cells and groups of cells. To do it with several of them, we only have to select with the mouse all of them in the main interface, and access this same menu option. In this way, all the changes we make will be applied to the set at once. Before ending this point, we must keep in mind that depending on the type of data we choose, the behavior of the cell or group of cells will vary significantly. That is why we must be very careful with this aspect. For example, to give us an idea, the text type will be very useful for introducing headlines , explanatory paragraphs, etc .; since the default type is numeric.

Strike data from cells

One of the functions that can be very useful to us with these cells that we are talking about, is being able to cross them out at a certain time. In fact, this will be especially useful when we deal with large amounts of data, we are doing some checking, or simply comparing them. That is why the visual effect of being able to cross out the content of one of these elements can be very useful to us on a daily basis.

Well, for this, what we have to do is locate ourselves in the previously mentioned menu that refers to the cells. So we right click on the corresponding cell that we want to cross out. Next we choose the Format cells option that we saw before, and in this case we are in the tab called Source. After that, in the lower left part of the interface we look for the Effects group and we can activate the box called Strikethrough.

At this point we can also tell you that if we want we can also customize the color of the line as such from the Color section.

How to color cells in the program

Another utility that can be very helpful when structuring and working better with these cells in the spreadsheet program, is coloring them. With this, as you can imagine, what we achieve is that each of these elements, or groups of several, have a different hue from the rest. So we can work with them just by taking a look over the entire sheet .

This is something that we can carry out in a simple way, all of it by right-clicking on the cell or the group of cells. At that moment a small format bar will appear that allows us to perform these tasks that we discussed.

Therefore, it is enough that we click on the button called Fill Color to select the hue that interests us most and that we apply it to the selected cell or cells.

Change commas in Excel

Another of the small tricks to carry out in the interface of this Microsoft solution that will surely be very useful to you, is the possibility of changing commas. And it is likely that you already know that decimal numbers are separated from integers with a punctuation mark. Of course, depending on the region where the calculation document has been created, one or the other sign is used. In some places a period is used, in others a comma.

For all this, in the event that we have to work with a document from a different region than ours, we may encounter this problem. And it is that we can not continue using a different separator than the one generally used in our region. Therefore and if we take into account everything that this program presents to us, this is an important detail that we will also be able to customize, as we will see.

To do this we go to the File menu option, where we click on Options. Here we find a window that appears on the screen, so in the left panel, we find the section called Advanced. Therefore, once here, in the section on the right we will see a good number of functions and options that we can customize, so now we are interested in the call Use system separators.

By default this is something that is marked and fixed, so we will only have to uncheck the box in order to specify the separator signs that we want to use in this spreadsheet. This is something we do independently for both the decimal and the thousands separator.

Set rows and columns

Especially when working with large amounts of data in this spreadsheet program, we are going to be forced to constantly move. This is something that is going to become a mandatory task while annoying in some cases. Specifically, we refer to the fact that we have to be moving through the entire program interface between hundreds or thousands of cells. This is a movement that will take place both horizontally and vertically.

There are occasions when we are forced to do all this to constantly consult the headings of a row or a column, and keep entering data into them. And of course, when moving in any of the commented directions, we lose sight of those headings that serve as a reference at that time. Well, Microsoft presents us with a solution for all this. Specifically, we refer to the possibility of fixing those rows or columns that we want to be visible at all times.

Thus, even if we move along the length of the entire spreadsheet, the reference cells or cells that contain the data that interests us, will always be on the screen. Serve as an example that what we need is to lock the first row or column of the sheet we are working on. These are the ones that usually contain the headings of the documents , so they are possibly what interests us that they are always in view.

Therefore, in this specific case, what we do is mark both the first row by clicking on the number 1, and the first column. For this, we hold down the CTRL key and also click on the letter A. Once we have marked both sections, which in our case contain the data that we always want to see, we go to the View menu. In it we located the direct access called Immobilize, where we opted for the option to Immobilize panels.

Add comments in cells

Next we will talk about the comment function, something that we usually find in some of the Microsoft programs. Being of an office nature, these elements help us to carry out a quick review of the document in which we work or review. As you can imagine, these comments we are talking about will be used to give directions. You also use us to add personal explanations about some section of the document or spreadsheet.

This is something that is also included in the Redmond spreadsheet program. Also for personal use, as well as to share them with other users who are going to consult the sheet. Keep in mind that they are spreading much at the same time as the usual group work.

To make use of these, we must first know that we can add them both individually for a single cell, or for a group. It is enough that we place ourselves on the same or on the selection, and click with the right button to choose Insert comment .

Here a small box will appear with the name of the active user so that we can enter the explanatory text that we want in that case. Once we finish, that box with its text will be associated with that cell or group. We check this because a red mark appears in the upper right corner of it.

Create, delete and hide spreadsheets

At this point it is worth noting that in Excel we have the possibility of working with multiple spreadsheets simultaneously. All of these will be grouped and stored in what is known as a Book, which opens up a wide range of possibilities. Of course, as we are creating sheets in the same book, we have some integrated functions that allow us to customize their use.

To start we will tell you that the references to them are located at the bottom of the program window and are created with the names Sheet 1, Sheet 2 and so on. For example, to create a new one, since by default we will only find one, we must click on the + sign that appears next to its name.

On the other hand, it may also be the case that we need to eliminate some of these elements, something equally very simple. To do this, just click the right mouse button and select the Delete option from the context menu . But on other occasions we will only need to hide certain sheets created without the need to completely erase them. Well, here we will also use the same context menu, but in this case we opted for the Hide option. To return them to view, in that same menu later we can select the Show option to show a list with the hidden ones.

How to rename and protect sheets

Other fairly common actions when working in this program with several sheets simultaneously, is to customize the name of each one of them. This is very simple, since we only have to place the mouse on the original name, and click on it, so we can already edit that text.

Changing third, we will tell you that we can also customize the protection of these elements. We reopen the context menu of the sheets, and in this case we opted for the menu option Protect sheet . Then a new small window will appear in which we can select the permissions that we are going to grant to the users when making changes in that sheet.

So we can check the boxes that interest us in this case, then we just need to establish an access password to be able to modify what is protected.

How to increase the size of the cells

When it comes to reducing the width of cells in a row or the height of cells in a column in Excel, there are several ways to do this. First of all we have the possibility to set the new size by simply dragging the height or width with the mouse from the row number or the corresponding column letter. But at the same time, something even more effective is being able to set a specific width for a column, for example. To do this we mark the column or columns that interest us here, and place ourselves on the Start menu.

Thus, among the options that appear, we will have to choose the so-called Column width , where we can already establish a fixed value for it. Say that the case of the rows, the process is the same, but from the Row height option. As is easy to imagine, this is a change that affects all the cells in that row or that column.

How to join cells in the program

At the same time, if what we want is to unite several cells in one, this is something that this application also allows us to do. For this, we are again in the Start menu of the program where we find a drop-down list that shows the option of Combine and center, which is what interests us here.

Well, what this does is combine the previously selected cells and any text in them is centered by default. In this way we achieve that several cells with correlative text, for example, form a single larger one.

Basic functions for beginners

We have already commented to you before that one of the things that characterize Excel, as it is easy to imagine, is the enormous amount of formulas and operations that it offers us. These range from the simplest that we can imagine as addition or subtraction, to complex programmable formulas. For the latter, we will need to have advanced knowledge of the program, something that is not available to everyone. But come on, in most users it will not be necessary to reach those limits, especially among end users.

Add in Excel

As it could not be otherwise, if there is a basic operation that we can carry out in this program, those are the sums. Especially among home users, this is one of the most common actions that we are going to carry out. Therefore Excel proposes several solutions in this regard, as we will show you below. At this point, we will say that one of the traditional methods when adding in this program is through the corresponding formula that we are going to show you.

The name of the same and that we have to enter in the corresponding cell in which we are going to do the calculation, is the SUM sum. Thus, this is the function we use to add two specific cells or a range of them with the following format: = SUM (A7: A14), where the corresponding cells or ranges are in parentheses.

On the other hand, another of the possible solutions in this sense that we can use is the conventional + sign. This will allow us to add two values or cells directly with it in a third cell. And that’s not all, but we can also take advantage of the functionality of Autosuma . This is found in the Formulas menu option in the left section.

To use it, all we have to do is mark the range of cells that we want to add in this case, locate ourselves where we want to reflect the result, and click on the Autosuma button.

How to subtract in Excel

This is another of the basic operations that we can use in this program and that, like the one mentioned before, will be very useful to us. This is the subtraction function that we can perform quickly and easily between two cells in this case. For this we have to use the corresponding sign that will offer us the desired result in the spreadsheet in which we are working.

Therefore it should be clear that in this case we only have that possibility, the corresponding sign to which we refer and that we have been using all our lives. Thus, the format would be, for example: = A3-B4.

Multiply values in the program

Changing third, we also have to talk about the fourth of the basic operations that we can carry out from here, which is none other than multiplication . When doing multiplications in the Microsoft program, this is something that we can do for as many individual values as for cell ranges. Thus, the elements to calculate will have to be separated by the corresponding and usual sign for this type of task.

This is none other than the popular asterisk or, *. Therefore, in order to obtain the result of a multiplication of several cells at the same time, for example, we will use the following format: = A7 * A9 * A10

Split in Excel

At this point, we will tell you that when carrying out divisions in the Office program, we have several alternatives. Say that while in the previous case seen we use the sign *, in this case to divide it will be the usual one of /. Therefore, a clear example of this is that to divide two predetermined values directly, we would use the formula = 30/5. But of course, this is something that we can carry out with certain cells that already contain data. So now the structure that we would use would be: = (A8 / A10).

Other Excel tools for not so beginners

Create charts

Once we already know the most basic concepts of Microsoft Excel, the moment comes when we enter a field that is a little more advanced, as well as striking and useful. Specifically, we refer to the graphics that we can create and customize in this specific program.

These elements to which we refer you, could be considered as a perfect complement when working with our spreadsheets. They will be helpful in representing a certain set of data in a much more visual way. That is why the program presents us with several types of these elements to choose from. And it is that depending on what we need to show, we must know how to use the most correct format with criteria.

It is worth mentioning that to select these elements, we have to go to the Insert menu, where we find the Graphics section. Here we will see several buttons with samples of the formats that we can use, which in turn are divided into several examples of the same type. Here we must bear in mind that it is advisable to opt for the format that guarantees that what we are going to transmit is as clear as possible. But in the event that we are very sure of it, we can always mark the range of data in question on the sheet, and click on Recommended graphics .

In this way, the calculation program itself presents us with a sample of those types of graphs that it considers best adapted to the format and placement of the marked data.

Of course, something that we must keep in mind at this point is that these graphics that the application offers us in these cases are completely customizable. With this what we want to tell you is that, once we have them on the screen, we will have the opportunity to modify various parameters corresponding to them. We can vary its size and placement in the same spreadsheet, the colors used, legends, title, messages in them, etc.

With all this what we managed to obtain without fully personalized multimedia elements adapted to the needs of each case. In addition all this in an extremely simple and intuitive way for most users, including newcomers in all of it. Before finishing this section, we will tell you that here we have at our disposal bar, circular, line, area, rectangle, axis, radial graphs, etc.

Macros

Continuing with these somewhat more advanced functions, but which will surely be very useful to you, now we are going to talk about the possibility of creating macros . As many of you already know first hand, when we talk about macros, we are actually referring to small sets of instructions that help us, as a whole, to perform certain complex tasks in the programs where we create them. These can be used in a multitude of applications of all kinds, as is the case at hand now.

The main purpose of all this is none other than to automate certain routine and repetitive activities. Therefore, this will help us to be more productive on a day-to-day basis by carrying out these tasks that we repeat over and over again. As it could not be otherwise, the complexity of these macros we are talking about, will depend directly on ourselves and the orders that we add.

Well, for all these reasons, we are going to show you how you can easily create your own automated elements of this type. The first thing we will do is locate ourselves in the Developer menu option that we find in the main interface of the software. Then it will be when in the left part of it we see a section called Record Macro.

Then a new window will appear on the screen in which we have to specify a representative name for the macro we are about to create. At the same time we can indicate the book where it will be kept for use, as well as a description if we wish. To say that at the same time here we also define the key combination that will launch and launch this macro.

Knowing that once we click on the OK button in this same window, the recording process will begin as such. Then the macro will begin to record, that is, all the steps we take from that moment in Excel will be saved. Once finished, we indicate to the program to end the recording of this element, so it will be associated with the previously specified book .

That way, when we run it later in the future, those same actions will be repeated over and over in an automated way.