Welcome to Microsoft Excel 365, the beginner course, updated for 2026. This lesson gives you a guided tour of everything you will learn.
Start with the Excel basics
You will begin by opening Excel and creating workbooks. Then you will explore the Start screen and navigate the Excel workspace. You will learn the Quick Access Toolbar and how to work with the ribbon. You will create new workbooks, save and manage files, open recent files, and pick up time-saving keyboard shortcuts.
Enter data and calculate with it
Next you will learn entering and editing data: typing and editing text, formatting numbers, and handling dates and times. You will use the Find, Replace, and Select tools, and sort and organize your data. Then come cell references — relative and absolute — plus the order of operations in formulas. After that you will master essential Excel functions: how functions work, SUM, MIN and MAX, AVERAGE, and counting with COUNT and COUNTA.
Organize, format, and present your work
You will work with worksheets: moving and copying data, adding and removing rows and columns, adjusting widths and heights, and hiding, renaming, deleting, and duplicating worksheets. You will format your data with borders, number formats, merged and centered cells, cell styles, and conditional formatting. You will add visual elements like images, shapes, and SmartArt. Finally you will handle printing and page layout, and work with built-in and custom templates.
Key takeaways
- This course takes you from opening Excel to building formatted, print-ready workbooks.
- Each section builds on the last: basics first, then data entry, functions, and formatting.
- Every lesson pairs this text guide with a short video demonstration.