20 Most Common Excel Formulas

 

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool used by millions around the world for data analysis, financial modeling, and much more. One of the key features that makes Excel so effective is its wide array of formulas. Here is a list of the 20 most common Excel formulas that can boost your productivity and efficiency.

1. SUM

The SUM function is used to add together a range of cells. It's the go-to formula for quickly calculating totals.

=SUM(A1:A10)

2. AVERAGE

Use AVERAGE to find the mean of a group of numbers.

=AVERAGE(B1:B10)

3. COUNT

The COUNT function counts the number of cells that contain numbers within a specified range.

=COUNT(C1:C10)

4. COUNTA

Unlike COUNT, COUNTA counts all non-empty cells, including those with text.

=COUNTA(D1:D10)

5. IF

The IF function checks a condition and returns one value if true and another if false.

=IF(E1>10, "Yes", "No")

6. VLOOKUP

VLOOKUP searches for a value in the first column of a table and returns a value in the same row from a specified column.

=VLOOKUP(F1, Table1, 2, FALSE)

7. HLOOKUP

Similar to VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP searches for a value in the first row of a table and returns a value in the same column from a specified row.

=HLOOKUP(G1, Table2, 3, FALSE)

8. MATCH

MATCH returns the relative position of an item in a range that matches a specified value.

=MATCH(H1, H2:H10, 0)

9. INDEX

The INDEX function returns the value of an element in a table or array, selected by the row and column number indexes.

=INDEX(I1:I10, 3)

10. CONCATENATE / CONCAT

CONCATENATE (or CONCAT) joins multiple text strings into one.

=CONCATENATE(J1, " ", J2)

11. LEN

LEN returns the number of characters in a text string.

=LEN(K1)

12. TRIM

The TRIM function removes all spaces from text except for single spaces between words.

=TRIM(L1)

13. LEFT, RIGHT, MID

These functions extract a specified number of characters from a text string.

=LEFT(M1, 5) =RIGHT(N1, 3) =MID(O1, 2, 4)

14. TODAY

TODAY returns the current date.

=TODAY()

15. NOW

The NOW function returns the current date and time.

=NOW()

16. ROUND

ROUND rounds a number to a specified number of digits.

=ROUND(P1, 2)

17. SUMIF

SUMIF adds the cells specified by a given condition or criteria.

=SUMIF(Q1:Q10, ">5", Q1:Q10)

18. COUNTIF

The COUNTIF function counts the number of cells that meet a specified condition.

=COUNTIF(R1:R10, "Yes")

19. SMALL, LARGE

These functions return the k-th smallest or largest value from a data set.

=SMALL(S1:S10, 2) =LARGE(T1:T10, 1)

20. RANK

RANK returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers.

=RANK(U1, U1:U10)

These formulas are the building blocks of Excel efficiency, helping you perform a variety of tasks from simple calculations to complex data analysis. By mastering these, you can significantly enhance your capabilities when working with Excel.