So you’ve mastered the Excel basics—typing in data, formatting cells, using SUM and AVERAGE, maybe even creating your first chart. Nice work! 👏 But Excel has so much more to offer once you’re ready to go beyond the fundamentals.
This article is your guide to the next step: exploring a handful of Intermediate and Advanced Excel skills that will make your spreadsheets smarter, faster, and more powerful—without drowning you in every single feature under the sun.
Formulas in Excel
Excel formulas always start with an equal sign (=) and are used to perform calculations by combining numbers, cell references, and operators. You can also use built-in functions like SUM, AVERAGE, and IF by typing their name after the equal sign followed by their required arguments in parentheses. When you enter a formula, the result appears in the cell, while the formula itself remains visible in the formula bar when the cell is selected.
For example, formulas with IF and VLOOKUP:
=IF(A2>50,"Pass","Fail")
This formula checks if the value in cell A2 is greater than 50. If yes, it shows “Pass”; if not, it shows “Fail.”
Then there’s VLOOKUP, one of Excel’s most famous functions. It helps you search for something in a table and return related information. Perfect for looking up prices, IDs, or categories.
More about formulas from Microsoft’s official docs
Make Data Pop with Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting in Excel automatically changes a cell's appearance (like its color or font) based on specific rules or conditions you define, making it easier to visually identify patterns, trends, and exceptions in your data. You can apply these rules to highlight values, duplicate data, or blank cells, and the formatting updates instantly as the underlying data changes. Common tools include color scales, data bars, icon sets, and custom formulas, which allow for dynamic visual analysis of your data.
Conditional formatting in Excel automatically changes a cell's appearance (like its color or font) based on specific rules or conditions you define, making it easier to visually identify patterns, trends, and exceptions in your data. You can apply these rules to highlight values, duplicate data, or blank cells, and the formatting updates instantly as the underlying data changes. Common tools include color scales, data bars, icon sets, and custom formulas, which allow for dynamic visual analysis of your data.
More about Conditional Formatting from Microsoft’s official docs
PivotTables
Pivot tables in Excel are interactive tools to quickly summarize large datasets by dragging and dropping fields into areas like Rows, Columns, Values, and Filters. To create one, go to the Insert tab, select PivotTable, and Excel will automatically select your data. Then, in the PivotTable Fields pane, drag your data fields to organize the information, creating summaries like sums, counts, or averages without needing complex formulas.
More about Pivot Tables from Microsoft’s official docs
Automate with Macros
Excel macros are sets of recorded instructions in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) that automate repetitive tasks, such as formatting, data entry, and calculations, to improve efficiency and reduce errors. You can create a macro by recording your actions using the Macro Recorder, assign it a shortcut, or write VBA code directly in the VBA Editor. To use macros, you must first enable them on the Developer tab and save your file as a macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm).
More about Macros from Microsoft’s official docs
Excel isn’t just about grids and numbers—it’s about turning data into insights and saving yourself time. By learning just a few Intermediate and Advanced skills—like IF, VLOOKUP, Conditional Formatting, PivotTables, Dynamic Functions, and Macros—you’ll already be way ahead of the average user.
And don’t worry if you’re not ready for everything at once. Excel is like a language: you learn it piece by piece, and suddenly one day, it just clicks.
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