Beginner Excel

Everyday Excel skills — with step-by-step examples.

A free hands-on beginner Excel tutorial covering the skills you use every day: entering and editing data, auto-filling a date series by dragging the fill handle, copying formulas down, the five core formulas (SUM, AVERAGE, MAX/MIN, COUNT, AutoSum), formatting, sorting, filtering, your first chart and freezing the header row — each explained step by step. Runs fully in your browser, no sign-up.

Frequently asked questions

How do I auto-fill dates by dragging in Excel?

Type a date in a cell and select it. Hover over the tiny square at the bottom-right corner (the Fill Handle) until the cursor becomes a +, then drag down — Excel fills the next dates automatically (01-01, 02-01, 03-01…). Drag two seed dates to set a custom step, or use Home ▸ Fill ▸ Series for full control over the step and date unit.

What is Flash Fill and how do I use it?

Flash Fill detects a pattern from your example and fills the rest of the column. Type the result you want for the first row (e.g. just the first name from a full name), start typing the second, then press Ctrl + E. It's perfect for splitting names, extracting codes and reformatting data without formulas.

How do I add up a column of numbers in Excel?

Click the cell below your numbers and press Alt + = (AutoSum) — Excel inserts =SUM() over the range above. Or type =SUM(B2:B13) yourself. Selecting the numbers also shows the total instantly on the status bar at the bottom.

How do I copy a formula down a whole column?

Write the formula in the top cell, select it, then drag the Fill Handle down — or select the range and press Ctrl + D. Excel adjusts the row numbers automatically, so D2's =B2*C2 becomes =B3*C3 in D3.

How do I keep the header row visible while scrolling?

Use View ▸ Freeze Panes ▸ Freeze Top Row to keep headings on screen as you scroll. To lock both the rows above and columns to the left, select a cell and choose Freeze Panes.

Related tools — Guides & Tutorials