Even experienced Excel users may encounter errors while working with complex spreadsheets. One such error is #NAME, which can be frustrating to deal with but is usually easy to fix, especially when you know the reasons behind it. Continue reading
By default, Excel data validation only allows users to select one item from a predefined list of options. But fear not, as there is a solution. By using VBA, you can create drop-down lists with multiple selections. Continue reading
In Excel, the # symbol is commonly associated with errors, but it also has several legitimate uses such as a spill range reference or a digit placeholder. The aim of this article is to help you understand all these different uses and efficiently apply them where appropriate. Continue reading
Finding all combinations of values that add up to a given sum is a common problem in data analysis. For example, you may want to know all possible combinations of items that can be purchased with a given budget, or all possible ways to allocate resources to meet certain requirements. Continue reading
Whether you're an experienced user or just starting to learn about your favorite spreadsheet program, knowing how to quickly identify if a specific value is present or absent in a given range can save much time and effort in your data analysis. Continue reading
A drop-down menu in Excel makes data entry easier, faster and less prone to errors. Once a drop-down list is created, you may need to change it for a variety of reasons. For example, you may want to update the list with new options, insert the same picklist in other cells, or remove it from the sheet entirely. Continue reading
Sorting text and numbers separately in Excel is as easy as ABC or 123 :) But re-arranging values that have both letters and digits in them such as employee IDs, SKU's and the like may cause problems. If you want to have more control over how alphanumeric stings are sorted, read this tutorial. Continue reading
Microsoft Excel provides a variety of functions to calculate dates. When it comes to adding or subtracting months to/from a given date, EDATE is the function to use. Additionally, it can help you calculate expiration dates, anniversary dates, due dates, and a lot more. Continue reading
Imagine that you are working with a dataset of hundreds or thousands of columns. Obviously, some columns are more important than others, and naturally you may want to read their data first. Excel 365 offers a perfect function for the job, named CHOOSECOLS. Continue reading
Suppose you have an Excel worksheet with hundreds of rows from which you want to extract some specific ones. Do you already feel annoyed at the thought of copying and pasting the data manually or writing a VBA code to automate the task? Simply, use the CHOOSEROWS function. Continue reading
To insert the current date and time in your worksheet, Excel provides a special function named NOW. The function takes the information your computer's system clock and updates automatically when the worksheet is opened or recalculated. Continue reading
Want to increase an array to a specified number of rows or columns so that all similar arrays in your worksheet have the same size? In Excel 365, that can be done with one simple formula. Meet the brand-new EXPAND function that can grow an array to any dimensions you set. Continue reading
When analyzing huge datasets, you may sometimes need to pull only the data without a total row/column, headers or footers. In earlier Excel versions, you'd have to rely on the good old copy/pasting technique. In Excel 365, we have a special function to dynamically extract the desired part of the array by "dropping" irrelevant data. Continue reading
There are a number of ways to insert time into Excel worksheets. Which one to use depends on whether you want a static timestamp or a dynamic value that updates automatically to reflect the current date and time. Continue reading
When working with large arrays of data, you may sometimes need to extract a smaller part for closer examination. With the new dynamic array function introduced in Excel 365, it will be a walk in the park. Continue reading
Since the earliest days of Excel, it has been very good at calculating and analyzing numbers. But manipulating arrays has traditionally been a challenge. With the new dynamic array functions, WRAPCOLS and WRAPROWS, you can transform a column or row into a 2D array in no time. Continue reading
When it comes to calculating an arithmetic mean of a group of numbers in Excel, you'd generally use the AVERAGE function. To average cells that meet a certain condition, AVERAGEIF comes in handy. To find an average with multiple criteria, AVERAGEIFS is the way to go. Continue reading
Microsoft Excel has a few different functions to calculate an arithmetic mean of numbers. When you are looking to average cells that meet a certain condition, AVERAGEIF is the function to use. Continue reading
In Excel, there exist a handful of different formulas for calculating average. This tutorial focuses on the most frequently used one - the AVERAGE function. Continue reading
Microsoft Excel 365 has introduced several new functions to perform various manipulations with arrays. With TOROW, you can perform range-to-row transformations in no time. Continue reading
Excel conditional formatting is all about visualizing data with colors. You may use contrasting colors to represent data categories or gradients to "map" data with some intrinsic order. When a certain pallet is used to visually represent data, it becomes a color scale. Continue reading
To compare different categories of data in your worksheet, you can make a chart. To visually compare numbers in your cells, colored bars inside cells are a lot more useful. Excel can show bars along with cell values or display only the bars and hide the numbers. Continue reading
The ability to transpose data from columns to rows and in reverse has been in Excel for quite a while. But converting a range of cells into a single column was a tricky task to crack. Now, that's finally changing. Continue reading
Microsoft Excel users have inserted pictures into worksheets for years, but that required quite a lot of effort and patience. Now, that's finally over with. With the newly introduced IMAGE function, you can insert a picture in a cell with a simple formula, move, copy, resize, sort and filter cells with images just like normal cells. Continue reading
As simple as it may sound, highlighting blank cells with conditional formatting is quite a tricky thing. Basically, it's because a human understanding of empty cells does not always correspond to that of Excel. Continue reading
Combining two or more ranges has traditionally been a daunting task in Excel. Not any longer! The two functions recently introduced in Excel 365, VSTACK and HSTACK, have made the job incredibly easy. Continue reading
An Excel formula to see if two cells match could be as simple as A1=B1. However, there may be different circumstances when this obvious solution won't work or produce results different from what you expected. Continue reading
To check if a given value is between two numbers, you can use the AND function with two logical tests. To return your own values when both expressions evaluate to TRUE, nest AND inside the IF function. Detailed examples follow below. Continue reading
There may be various situations when you want to split cells in Excel. Now, we finally have a special function for this, TEXTSPLIT, that can separate a string into multiple cells across columns or/and rows based on the parameters that you specify. Continue reading
When working with long strings, you may often want to extract a specific part of them for closer examination. In Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, there are several ways to get text between two characters or substrings. In this article, we'll discuss the fastest and most effective ones. Continue reading
