Basic Excel Formulas

Microsoft Excel offers a wide variety of built-in functions, which are predefined formulas that make working with data faster and easier. Whether you're calculating totals, finding averages, or analyzing a dataset, these functions can save you time and improve accuracy.

If you're new to Excel or looking for a refresher, this guide covers all the basic Excel formulas that you can use in everyday tasks to increase your productivity.

What are Excel Functions?

Functions in Excel are ready-made formulas designed to perform specific calculations. You simply input the required arguments (like a range of cells), and Excel does the rest.

For example:

• The =SUM(A1:A5) formula adds all values from cells A1 through A5.
• The =AVERAGE(B1:B10) formula finds the average of the values in cells B1 to B10.

Basic Functions in Excel

We have data on vegetables used in 1 week in a house, and we find the total cost of vegetables. Now, we'll apply basic Excel functions to the data.

• Sum(): It adds all the values in a range of cells. 

• Max(): It will find the maximum value in the given range of values.

• Min(): It will find the minimum value in the given range of values.

• Average(): It calculates the average value in a range of cells.

• Count(): It will count the number of cells in a range of cells.

• Len(): It will return the number of characters in a string text.

• Sumif(): It Adds all the values in a range of cells that meet a specified condition. = SUMIF(range,criteria,[sum_range]).

• AverageIf():- It Calculates the average value in a range of cells that meet the specified criteria. =AVERAGEIF(range,criteria,[average_range]).

These basic Excel formulas are essential for anyone working with data, whether it’s for budgeting, tracking inventory, or analyzing reports. Once you're familiar with these functions, you'll be able to handle most daily Excel tasks with ease.

Want to go beyond the basics? Check out advanced functions like VLOOKUP, IF, CONCATENATE, and INDEX-MATCH in upcoming guides!