Practical guide

Excel Formulas for Beginners: A Practical Starting Guide

An Excel formula starts with an equals sign and calculates from cell values. Good formulas use clear ranges and are checked against a known example.

What to do

  1. Type =A2+B2 in a cell to add two values. Use =A2*B2 to multiply, or call a function such as =SUM(B2:B10).
  2. A relative reference such as A2 changes when a formula is filled down. An absolute reference such as $A$2 stays fixed when copied.
  3. Select a formula cell and drag its fill handle to copy the calculation. Inspect the changed references in the copied formula.
  4. Use the formula bar to review long expressions. Press F2 to edit a cell and check whether the result is stored as a number or text.

Checks and limitations

  • A leading apostrophe or text-formatted cell can make a formula display as text instead of calculating.
  • Check range endpoints and copied references; a syntactically valid formula can still include the wrong cells.