20 Most Powerful Excel Formulas To Boost Your Productivity

Introduction

Welcome to the Excel mastery of AtoZ Library, In this step-by-step guide, we unravel the uses and powers of 20 essential Excel formulas. Each formula will help you boost your productivity in Excel.

Discover how VLOOKUP becomes your personal data detective, why SUMIF is your perfection tool, and how CONCATENATE adds a dash of clarity to your texts. It’s not just about formulas; it’s about applying Excel as your data sword! So, join us on this journey where every click is a step toward data brilliance. Are you ready to crack the code? Let’s dive in!

1. VLOOKUP Formula

VLOOKUP in Excel is like a smart detective that helps you find information in a table effortlessly. Imagine you have a big table with lots of details, and you want to find something specific, like a product code or a student’s score. VLOOKUP does just that! You give it the information you’re looking for, tell it where to search (your table), and it fetches the details for you. It’s like magic for data!

Now, let’s talk about how you use it. The Excel formula is simple:

=VLOOKUP(what_you’re_looking_for, where_to_search, which_column_has_the_info, [is_it_an_exact_match])

Explaination:

• “What you’re looking for” is the piece of information you want to find.
• “where_to_search” is the table where Excel should look.
• “which_column_has_the_info” is the number of the column containing the details you want.
• “[is_it_an_exact_match]” is either TRUE or FALSE, indicating if you want an exact match or not. If you’re not sure, you can put FALSE.

Let’s say you have a table with product codes, names, and prices.

To find the price of product code “DEF456,” you’d write something like the given code below.

=VLOOKUP("DEF456", A2:C5, 3, FALSE)

This formula says, “Look for DEF456 in the first column of the table (A2:C5), and when you find it, give me the price from the third column.” Easy, right? It’s a quick and efficient way to extract specific information from your data table!

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2. HLOOKUP or Horizontal Lookup, Excel Formula

HLOOKUP, or “Horizontal Lookup,” is another handy Excel formula that works like a detective, but this time it searches horizontally in a table. Imagine you have a table with categories in the first row, and you want to find data for a specific category. HLOOKUP does the job effortlessly! The formula is quite similar to the below Excel formula.

VLOOKUP formula: =HLOOKUP(what_you’re_looking_for, where_to_search, which_row_has_the_info, [is_it_an_exact_match]).

Explaination:

• “what_you’re_looking_for” is the data you want to find.
• “where_to_search” is the table where Excel should look.
• “which_row_has_the_info” is the number of the row containing the details you want.
• “[is_it_an_exact_match]” is either TRUE or FALSE, indicating if you want an exact match or not.

Let’s say you have a table with categories in the first row and the data below:

To find the value in category “B” for “Data 1,” you’d write something like the code given below.

 =HLOOKUP("Data 1", A1:E3, 2, FALSE)

This formula says, “Look for Data 1 in the first row of the table (A1:E3), and when you find it, give me the value from the second row.” It’s a horizontal detective, helping you quickly grab the data you need!

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3. INDEX and MATCH in Excel

INDEX and MATCH in Excel work together like a dynamic duo, allowing you to find data without the limitations of VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP. Let me break it down for you:

INDEX returns the value of a cell in a specific row and column of a range. Its syntax is: =INDEX(range, row_number, column_number).

MATCH, on the other hand, searches for a specified value in a range and returns its relative position. It’s Excel formula syntax is: =MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type]).

Now, combine them for a powerful data retrieval tool:

Let’s say you have a table with product names in column A and their corresponding prices in column B:

If you want to find the price of “Widget B,” you’d use the following formula:

=INDEX(B2:B5, MATCH("Widget B", A2:A5, 0))

Explaination:

• MATCH(“Widget B”, A2:A5, 0) finds the position of “Widget B” in the list of product names.
• INDEX(B2:B5, …) then uses that position to return the corresponding price from the list of prices.

It’s a flexible and robust method, especially when dealing with datasets that may change or expand. Think of INDEX and MATCH as a dynamic duo working together to fetch the precise data you need!

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4. SUMIF Excel Formula

SUMIF in Excel is like a virtual assistant that quickly adds up numbers based on a specific condition. It’s great for situations where you want to sum values that meet certain criteria. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for SUMIF is: =SUMIF(range, criteria, [sum_range]).

Explaination:

• “range” is the range of cells you want to evaluate based on the given criteria.
• “criteria” is the condition or criteria that determine which cells to include in the sum.
• “[sum_range]” (optional) is the actual cells you want to sum. If omitted, Excel will sum the cells in the specified “range.”

Imagine you have a table with product names in column A and their corresponding sales in column B:

If you want to find the total sales for “Widget A,” you’d use the following formula:

=SUMIF(A2:A5, "Widget A", B2:B5)

This formula says, “Sum the sales (from B2 to B5) where the product name (from A2 to A5) is ‘Widget A’.” In this case, it would give you the sum of $100 (from the first “Widget A”) plus $200 (from the second “Widget A”), resulting in a total of $300. SUMIF is your efficient calculator for adding up data based on specific conditions!

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5. COUNTIF Excel Formula

COUNTIF in Excel is like a diligent counter that quickly tallies the number of cells meeting a specific condition. It’s handy when you want to count how many times a particular value appears in a range. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel Formula syntax for COUNTIF is: =COUNTIF(range, criteria).

Explaination:

• “range” is the range of cells you want to evaluate based on the given criteria.
• “criteria” is the condition or criteria that determine which cells to include in the count.

Imagine you have a table with product names in column A:

If you want to count how many times “Widget A” appears in the list, you’d use the following formula:

=COUNTIF(A2:A5, "Widget A")

This formula says, “Count the number of cells (from A2 to A5) where the product name is ‘Widget A’.” In this case, it would give you a count of 2 since “Widget A” appears twice in the list. COUNTIF is your reliable tool for quickly determining how many instances match a specific condition!

6. IF Function In Excel

The IF function in Excel is like a decision-maker, allowing you to perform different actions based on a specified condition. Here’s how you use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for IF is: =IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false).

Explaination:

• “logical_test” is the condition you want to check. If this condition is true, the function returns “value_if_true”; otherwise, it returns “value_if_false.”
• “value_if_true” is the result you want if the condition is true.
• “value_if_false” is the result you want if the condition is false.

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Imagine you have a table with sales data in column B, and you want to categorize each sale as “High” if it’s above $200 and “low” otherwise. You’d use the following formula:

=IF(B2 > 200, "High", "Low")

This formula says, “If the value in cell B2 is greater than 200, return ‘High’; otherwise, return ‘Low’.” You can adapt the IF function to suit various scenarios, making it a powerful tool for conditional calculations in Excel!

7. SUMIFS Formula

SUMIFS in Excel is like an advanced accountant, allowing you to sum values based on multiple criteria. It’s handy when you want to calculate the total of a specific range, but only for the cells that meet several conditions. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for SUMIFS is: =SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2, …]).

Explaination:

• “sum_range” is the range of cells you want to sum.
• “criteria_range1” is the first range to check against “criteria1.”
• “criteria1” is the condition for “criteria_range1.”
• “[criteria_range2, criteria2, …]” (optional) are additional ranges and criteria pairs you can add for more conditions.

Imagine you have a table with sales data in column B, products in column A, and regions in column C:

If you want to sum the sales for Product A in the North region, you’d use the following formula:

=SUMIFS(B2:B5, A2:A5, "A", C2:C5, "North")

This formula says, “Sum the sales (from B2 to B5) where the product (from A2 to A5) is ‘A’ and the region (from C2 to C5) is ‘North’.” In this case, it would give you a total of $300, which is the sum of sales for Product A in the North region. SUMIFS allows you to perform complex conditional sums in Excel with ease!

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8. COUNTIFS Excel Formula

COUNTIFS in Excel is like a meticulous counter that enables you to count cells based on multiple criteria. It’s particularly useful when you need to determine how many cells meet several conditions simultaneously. Let’s delve into how to use it:

The basic Excel Formula syntax for COUNTIFS is: =COUNTIFS(range1, criteria1, [range2, criteria2, …]).

Explaination:

• “range1” is the first range of cells you want to evaluate.
• “criteria1” is the condition for “range1.”
• “[range2, criteria2, …]” (optional) are additional ranges and criteria pairs you can add for more conditions.

Imagine you have a table with sales data in column B, products in column A, and regions in column C:

If you want to count how many times Product A is sold in the North region, you’d use the following formula:

=COUNTIFS(A2:A5, "A", C2:C5, "North")

This formula says, “Count the cells (from A2 to A5) where the product is ‘A’ and the region (from C2 to C5) is ‘North’.” In this case, it would give you a count of 2, indicating that Product A was sold twice in the North region. COUNTIFS makes it easy to tally cells that meet multiple specified conditions in Excel!

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9. AVERAGE in Excel

AVERAGE in Excel is like a diligent mathematician that calculates the average of a range of numbers. It’s useful when you want to find the central value or typical value in a set of data. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel Formula syntax for AVERAGE is: =AVERAGE(number1, [number2, …]).

Alternatively, you can use AVERAGE with a range of cells: =AVERAGE(range).

Explaination:

• “number1, [number2, …]” are the individual numbers or cell references you want to include in the average.
• “range” is the range of cells containing the numbers you want to average.

Imagine you have a table with test scores in column B:

If you want to find the average score for these students, you’d use the following formula:

=AVERAGE(B2:B5)

This formula says, “Calculate the average of the scores in the range B2 to B5.” In this case, it would give you an average score of 86, indicating the typical performance of the students. AVERAGE is a straightforward and valuable tool for quickly determining the central tendency of your data in Excel!

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10. CONCATENATE Formula in Excel

CONCATENATE in Excel is akin to a text maestro, seamlessly combining multiple text strings into a cohesive whole. It’s especially useful when you want to merge data from different cells or add spaces between words. Let’s delve into the details:

The basic Excel Formula syntax for CONCATENATE is: =CONCATENATE(text1, [text2, …]).

Explanation:

“text1, [text2, …]” are the text strings or cell references you want to join.

Imagine you have two cells, A1 and B1, containing “Hello” and “World” respectively. To create a combined greeting, you’d use:

=CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1)

This formula instructs Excel to concatenate the text in A1, a space, and the text in B1. The result would be “Hello World.” CONCATENATE is a versatile tool for crafting unified text strings in Excel!

11. LEN Formula

LEN in Excel is like a character counter that helps you find the length of a text string. It’s useful when you want to know how many characters are in a cell, including letters, numbers, and even spaces. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for LEN is: =LEN(text).

Explaination:

• “text” is the text string or cell reference containing the characters you want to measure.

Imagine you have a cell with the following text:

If you want to find out how many characters are in this text string, you’d use the following formula:

=LEN(A1)

This formula says, “Calculate the length of the text in cell A1.” In this case, it would give you a result of 18, as there are 18 characters in the phrase “Hello, Excel World!” including letters, spaces, and punctuation. LEN is a handy tool for quickly determining the length of text strings in Excel!

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12. LEFT Formula In Excel

LEFT in Excel is like a text extractor that helps you grab a specified number of characters from the left side of a text string. It’s useful when you want to extract a portion of a cell’s content. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for LEFT is: =LEFT(text, num_chars).

Explaination:

• “text” is the text string or cell reference containing the characters you want to extract from.
• “num_chars” is the number of characters you want to take from the left side of the text.

Imagine you have a cell with the following text:

If you want to extract the first 5 characters from this text string, you’d use the following formula:

=LEFT(A1, 5)

This formula says, “Take the leftmost 5 characters from the text in cell A1.” In this case, it would give you the result “Excel,” as it extracts the first five characters from the text. LEFT is a useful tool for manipulating and extracting parts of text in Excel!

13. RIGHT Formula

RIGHT in Excel is like a text extractor that allows you to retrieve a specified number of characters from the right side of a text string. It’s useful when you want to extract a portion of a cell’s content from the end. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for RIGHT is: =RIGHT(text, num_chars).

Explaination:

• “text” is the text string or cell reference containing the characters you want to extract from.
• “num_chars” is the number of characters you want to take from the right side of the text.

Imagine you have a cell with the following text:

If you want to extract the last 7 characters from this text string, you’d use the following formula:

=RIGHT(A1, 7)

This formula says, “Take the rightmost 7 characters from the text in cell A1.” In this case, it would give you the result “amazing!” as it extracts the last seven characters from the text. RIGHT is a handy tool for manipulating and extracting parts of text from the end in Excel!

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14. TRIM Formula

TRIM in Excel is like a space cleaner, helping you remove unnecessary leading, trailing, and extra spaces from a text string. It’s useful when you want to clean up your data, especially when dealing with text that might have extra spaces. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for TRIM is: =TRIM(text).

Explaination:

• “text” is the text string or cell reference containing the text you want to clean up.

Imagine you have a cell with the following text that includes extra spaces:

If you want to remove the extra spaces and have clean text, you’d use the following formula:

=TRIM(A1)

This formula says, “Remove extra spaces from the text in cell A1.” In this case, it would give you the result “Clean up spaces!” by eliminating leading and trailing spaces and reducing consecutive spaces between words to a single space. TRIM is a valuable tool for tidying up text in Excel!

15. IFERROR formula in Excel

IFERROR in Excel is like a safety net for your formulas, helping you handle errors gracefully. It allows you to specify a value or action to take if a formula results in an error. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for IFERROR is: =IFERROR(value, value_if_error).

Explaination:

• “value” is the formula or expression you want to evaluate.
• “value_if_error” is the value or action you want to return or perform if “value” results in an error.

Imagine you have a formula that might encounter an error, such as dividing by zero:

=A1/B1

If you use this formula and B1 happens to be zero, it will result in a #DIV/0! error. Now, if you want to handle this error gracefully and display a custom message or value instead, you’d use IFERROR:

=IFERROR(A1/B1, "Cannot divide by zero")

This formula says, “If the division result in A1/B1 encounters an error, display ‘Cannot divide by zero’ instead.” In this case, it provides a more user-friendly message when an error occurs. IFERROR is a valuable tool for improving the robustness of your Excel formulas by handling potential errors in a controlled way.

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16. SUMPRODUCT Formula

SUMPRODUCT in Excel is a versatile function that allows you to multiply corresponding components in arrays and then sum the results. It’s useful for various calculations involving multiple arrays or ranges of data. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for SUMPRODUCT is: =SUMPRODUCT(array1, array2, …).

Explaination:

• “array1, array2, …” are the arrays or ranges of numbers you want to multiply and then sum.

Imagine you have two columns of numbers:

If you want to calculate the sum of the products of the corresponding values in columns A and B, you’d use the following formula:

=SUMPRODUCT(A1:A3, B1:B3)

This formula says, “Multiply each pair of numbers in columns A and B, and then sum the results.” In this case, it would calculate (210) + (58) + (3*6) and give you the result of 104. SUMPRODUCT is particularly handy when you need to perform complex calculations with multiple arrays in Excel.

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17. INDIRECT Formula

INDIRECT in Excel is like a dynamic reference pointer that allows you to create a cell reference indirectly based on a text string or the contents of another cell. It’s useful when you want to dynamically refer to different cells in your formulas. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for INDIRECT is: =INDIRECT(ref_text, [a1]).

Explaination:

• “ref_text” is the text string or cell reference that you want to use as the indirect reference.
• “[a1]” (optional) is a logical value that specifies the type of reference to return. If TRUE or omitted, it returns an A1-style reference; if FALSE, it returns an R1C1-style reference.

Imagine you have a text string in cell A1 containing the reference “B2,” and you want to retrieve the value from that cell dynamically. You’d use the following formula:

=INDIRECT(A1)

This formula says, “Use the text in cell A1 as a reference and return the value from that cell.” If A1 contains the text “B2,” it will effectively reference cell B2 and display its value. INDIRECT is powerful for creating dynamic and flexible formulas in Excel, especially when dealing with changing references or constructing cell references dynamically.

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18. MATCH Formula

MATCH in Excel is like a search engine for finding the relative position of a specified value within a range. It’s useful when you want to know the position of a particular item in a list. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for MATCH is: =MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type]).

Explaination:

• “lookup_value” is the value you want to find within the range.
• “lookup_array” is the range of cells where you want to search for the value.
• “[match_type]” (optional) is an indicator of the type of match. It can be 1 (less than), 0 (exact match), or -1 (greater than). If omitted, it defaults to 0.

Imagine you have a list of products in column A:

If you want to find the position of “Widget C” in this list, you’d use the following formula:

=MATCH("Widget C", A1:A4, 0)

This formula says, “Find the position of ‘Widget C’ in the range A1 to A4 with an exact match.” In this case, it would return 3, indicating that “Widget C” is the third item in the list. MATCH is a handy tool for locating values within a range and determining their relative position in Excel.

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19. Text Formula

TEXT in Excel is like a formatter that allows you to convert a number or date into a specific text format. It’s useful when you want to present numerical or date values in a particular way. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for TEXT is: =TEXT(value, format_text).

Explaination:

• “value” is the number or date you want to format.
• “format_text” is the text format you want to apply to the value.

For example, if you have a date in cell A1:

And if you want to display it in the format “15-Jan-2022,” in B1 cell, you’d use the following formula:

=TEXT(A1, "dd-mmm-yyyy")

This formula says, “Format the date in cell A1 using the ‘dd-mmm-yyyy’ format.” It would display “15-Jan-2022.”

TEXT is versatile, allowing you to customize the presentation of numbers and dates in various ways, providing flexibility in how you present your data in Excel.

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20. Make HYPERLINK in Excel

HYPERLINK in Excel is like a shortcut creator, allowing you to insert a hyperlink that directs users to a specific web page, document, or cell within the same workbook. Let’s break down how to use it:

The basic Excel formula syntax for HYPERLINK is: =HYPERLINK(link_location, [friendly_name]).

Explaination:

• “link_location” is the address or reference you want the hyperlink to point to. It can be a web address, a file path, or a cell reference.
• “[friendly_name]” (optional) is the text you want to display as the clickable link. If omitted, Excel will display the actual link_location.

For example, if you want to create a hyperlink to the OpenAI website:

=HYPERLINK("https://www.atozlibrary.in", "Visit AtoZ Library")

This Excel formula says, “Create a hyperlink to https://www.atozlibrary.in, and display ‘Visit AtoZ Library‘ as the clickable link.”

You can also use HYPERLINK to link to a specific cell within the same workbook:

=HYPERLINK("#Sheet1!A1", "Go to Cell A1")

This formula says, “Create a hyperlink to cell A1 in Sheet1, and display ‘Go to Cell A1’ as the clickable link.”

HYPERLINK is a handy tool for creating interactive and navigable spreadsheets in Excel.

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Conclusion:

By mastering these Excel formulas and incorporating them into your workflow, you’re not just working with data; you’re sculpting it with precision. Excel becomes more than a spreadsheet; it transforms into a dynamic canvas where your data dances to the tune of your formulas. Dive in, experiment, and let these formulas elevate your Excel experience to new heights of productivity and efficiency!