The VLOOKUP function in Excel is an incredibly powerful and versatile tool for data retrieval and analysis. It allows you to efficiently search for a specific value in one column of a table and return ...

When I learned how to use tables in Microsoft Excel, it totally transformed how I work with data. Even if you think you already know everything there is to know about Excel tables, hopefully, you'll ...

Need to extract data from PDF files into a spreadsheet so you can analyze it? Find out how seven PDF to Excel conversion tools fared in head-to-head tests with increasingly complex data sources. In an ...

Pivot Tables are meant to simplify (and partially automate) the ways you can organize and interpret the various data points in your spreadsheets. Think of it as a way to make either Excel or Sheets ...

Excel rarely wastes your time in one dramatic mistake. It drains it in tiny motions, scrolling, clicking, repeating the same steps over and over. These five keyboard shortcuts remove the most common ...

Have you ever stared at a beautifully organized table in Excel—rows and columns perfectly aligned—only to realize it’s a nightmare for analysis? Cross-tab layouts, while visually appealing, can feel ...

You’re probably familiar with selection shortcuts in Microsoft Excel. There are several that select text, sentences, whole paragraphs, and so on, so it should come as no big surprise that shortcuts ...

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets are essential tools in various fields, from businesses to academia. However, despite the program's significant utility, managing an Excel spreadsheet often turns into a ...

Drop-down lists in an Excel sheet can greatly facilitate data entry. Here's a look at how to use Microsoft Excel's data validation feature to create handy lists within your worksheets. An Excel ...

Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Charlene Rhinehart is a CPA , CFE, chair of ...