Excel Cheat Sheet
The 20 Excel fixes, formulas, and shortcuts people search for most, on one page. Everything here works in Excel, and most of it works in Google Sheets too. Each row links to the full walkthrough.
The 20-item quick reference
| What you want | How | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Count cells that contain text | Counts any text, ignores numbers and blanks. Use SUMPRODUCT for a strict text-only count. =COUNTIF(A:A,"*") | Count cells with text |
| Check if a cell is not blank | Return a value only when a cell has something in it. =IF(A1<>"","Yes","No") | Excel IF not blank |
| Split text apart | The opposite of CONCATENATE. TEXTSPLIT in Excel 365, or Data, Text to Columns anywhere. =TEXTSPLIT(A1," ") | Opposite of CONCATENATE |
| What you want | How | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Add a drop-down list | Data, Data Validation, Allow: List. Point Source at a Table so the list auto-updates. | Add a drop-down list |
| Center across cells without merging | Format Cells, Alignment, Center Across Selection. Looks merged, but keeps sorting and copy-paste working. | Center Across Selection |
| Highlight cells by rule | Home, Conditional Formatting colors cells by value, duplicates, or your own formula. | Highlight in Excel |
| Group and collapse rows | Select rows, Data, Group to build a collapsible outline. Shift + Alt + Right | Group rows in Excel |
| Insert and shift cells down | Insert, Insert Cells, Shift cells down drops new cells in without overwriting. | Shift cells down |
| What you want | How | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Subtract two dates | Plain subtraction gives calendar days. NETWORKDAYS counts business days only. =NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1) | Subtract dates in Excel |
| Months between two dates | DATEDIF with "m" returns whole months elapsed. =DATEDIF(A1,B1,"m") | Months between dates |
| Add months to a date | EDATE jumps forward, or back with a negative, by a set number of months. =EDATE(A1,3) | Add months to a date |
| What you want | How | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| How big can a sheet get | A worksheet holds 1,048,576 rows by 16,384 columns. Past that, reach for Power Query or the Data Model, not more rows. | Excel row limit |
| Formulas not calculating | Set Formulas, Calculation Options, Automatic. Press F9, and check the cell is not formatted as Text. | Fix formulas not calculating |
| What you want | How | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Multiply numbers | Multiply two cells, or a whole range with PRODUCT. =PRODUCT(A1:A10) | Multiply in Excel |
| Show every formula at once | Toggle between results and the formulas behind them. Ctrl + ` (the key above Tab). | Show formulas in Excel |
| Look up a value in a table | VLOOKUP is the classic. XLOOKUP and INDEX-MATCH are the modern replacements. | Lookup cheat sheet |
| What you want | How | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Make a workbook live | Save to OneDrive or SharePoint, then Share. Everyone edits in real time with co-authoring. | Make a spreadsheet live |
| Restore an earlier version | File, Info, Version History rolls back an accidental change. | Version history in Excel |
| Email a spreadsheet | Share, or send a copy as an attachment or PDF without leaving Excel. | Email a spreadsheet |
| Work faster with the keyboard | The shortcuts worth committing to muscle memory, for Windows and Mac. | Shortcuts cheat sheet |
Get the printable PDF
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How to use this cheat sheet
This page is a reference, not a course. Skim the table, find the thing you are stuck on, and use the formula or menu path in the middle column. If you want the reasoning behind it, the right-hand column links to the full walkthrough for that one item.
Almost everything here behaves the same in Google Sheets. Where the two differ, the linked guide says so. The printable PDF is the same content in a one-page layout, which is the version worth pinning next to your monitor.
Go deeper
Excel Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
The keyboard shortcuts that actually save time, grouped by what you are doing, for Windows and Mac.
Open the shortcuts sheet →Excel Formulas Cheat Sheet
50+ formulas grouped by job: math, text, dates, lookup, logic, and stats. Copy-paste syntax for each.
Open the formulas sheet →Excel Lookup Cheat Sheet
VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, and INDEX-MATCH on one page, plus when to use each and how to fix the common errors.
Open the lookup sheet →Google Sheets Formulas Cheat Sheet
The Sheets formulas worth knowing, including the ones Excel does not have: ARRAYFORMULA, QUERY, IMPORTRANGE.
Open the Sheets sheet →Questions people ask
Is this Excel cheat sheet free?
Yes. The page is free to read, and the printable PDF is free to download. There is no cost and no catch.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Mostly, yes. The formulas and concepts on this page are shared between Excel and Google Sheets. A few menu paths differ, and TEXTSPLIT is Excel 365 only. If you live in Sheets, the Google Sheets formulas cheat sheet is the better starting point.
Can I print it?
Yes. The downloadable version is laid out as a one-page printable PDF, so it holds up pinned to a wall or kept in a binder.
What is the most useful Excel formula to know?
For most people it is a lookup: VLOOKUP, or its modern replacement XLOOKUP. It is the formula that turns two separate tables into one. After that, IF and COUNTIF cover a surprising share of everyday work.
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