Excel Basics & Shortcuts for Beginners

Before you stress about any of this: most internships and workplaces don't expect you to walk in already knowing everything. They'll typically train you and provide the specific information or templates you need for the job.

The basic necessities

📋 Know your terms

Workbook: the entire Excel file.
Worksheet (tab): one page/sheet inside the workbook. A workbook can have many.
Cell: a single box, named by its column letter + row number (like B4).
Row / Column: rows run horizontally (numbered), columns run vertically (lettered).
Range: a group of cells, written like A1:A10 (A1 through A10).

🔢 Formulas & functions

Every formula starts with an equals sign =. Functions are built-in formulas that do the math for you.

Function	What it does	Example
`SUM`	Adds up a range of numbers	`=SUM(A1:A10)`
`AVERAGE`	Finds the average of a range	`=AVERAGE(B1:B10)`
`COUNT`	Counts how many cells have numbers	`=COUNT(C1:C20)`
`MAX` / `MIN`	Finds the largest / smallest value	`=MAX(D1:D10)`
`IF`	Returns one value if true, another if false	`=IF(A1>10,"Pass","Fail")`
`VLOOKUP`	Looks up a value in a table by matching a column	`=VLOOKUP(A2,D:F,2,FALSE)`

🎨 Formatting basics

Use bold headers and borders to keep tables easy to read.
Format numbers as currency, percentage, or decimals from the "Number Format" dropdown.
Freeze the header row (View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row) so it stays visible while you scroll.
Use filters (Data > Filter) to sort and narrow down large tables.

Keyboard shortcuts you'll actually use

These will make you noticeably faster than clicking through menus, and faster is what people notice.

Action	Windows	Mac
Save	`Ctrl` + `S`	`⌘` + `S`
Undo / Redo	`Ctrl`+`Z` / `Ctrl`+`Y`	`⌘`+`Z` / `⌘`+`⇧`+`Z`
Copy / Cut / Paste	`Ctrl`+`C` / `X` / `V`	`⌘`+`C` / `X` / `V`
Bold / Italic / Underline	`Ctrl`+`B`/`I`/`U`	`⌘`+`B`/`I`/`U`
Select entire row	`Shift` + `Space`	`⇧` + `Space`
Select entire column	`Ctrl` + `Space`	`⌃` + `Space`
Insert new row/column	`Ctrl` + `+`	`⌘` + `+`
Delete row/column	`Ctrl` + `-`	`⌘` + `-`
Jump to edge of data	`Ctrl` + arrow key	`⌘` + arrow key
Select to edge of data	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+arrow	`⌘`+`⇧`+arrow
Autosum a range	`Alt` + `=`	`⌘` + `⇧` + `T`
Fill formula/data down	`Ctrl` + `D`	`⌘` + `D`
Insert current date	`Ctrl` + `;`	`⌘` + `;`
Edit a cell	`F2`	`⌃` + `U`
Create a new sheet tab	`Shift` + `F11`	`⇧` + `F11`
Toggle absolute reference ($)	`F4`	`⌘` + `T`

Want this as a printable sheet?

Open the one-page cheat sheet, formatted to print or save as a PDF for quick reference.

Open Cheat Sheet →

Tip: you don't need to memorize all of these at once. Keep the cheat sheet open next to you the first few times you use Excel. The shortcuts stick after a little repetition.