Microsoft Excel Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Microsoft Excel facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which view of a worksheet displays the worksheet's header and footer sections? → Page layout view
2. Which view in Excel is best suited for setting page breaks and print areas before printing? → Page Break Preview
3. What is the purpose of the Watch Window in Excel? → To monitor the values of specific cells while working in other parts of the workbook
4. Which feature in Excel allows you to group and summarize data with collapsible outline levels? → Group and Outline
5. Which formula returns the number of days between two dates in cells A1 and B1? → =B1-A1
6. What is the Total Row in an Excel Table? → A summary row with dropdown aggregate functions for each column
7. What is the location of the filling handle? → In the bottom-right corner of the selected cell
8. A cell cluster is referred to as a ___. → cell range
9. Which of the following actions is prevented when you use the 'Protect Workbook' feature with the 'Structure' option selected? → Adding a new worksheet
10. Which spreadsheet application was Excel primarily designed to compete against? → Lotus 1-2-3
11. What does the 'Show Values As' option allow you to do in PivotTable Value Field Settings? → Calculate values relative to other data, such as % of Grand Total or Running Total
12. What file formats can Excel save workbooks in? → Multiple: .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .xls, .csv, .pdf, .html, and more
13. What does VLOOKUP's fourth argument (range_lookup) control? → Exact match (FALSE) or approximate match (TRUE)
14. Which function is capable of displaying various values according to various conditions? → IF
15. How do you compare two worksheets side by side? → View > View Side by Side with optional synchronized scrolling
16. How do trendlines help with data analysis? → They fit mathematical models and can project future values
17. What is the difference between Cut and Copy when moving cells in Excel? → Cut removes the original data after pasting; Copy leaves the original intact
18. What is the purpose of data validation? Please check all that apply. → Prevent inconsistent data from being entered
19. How does the CHOOSE function work? → Returns a value from a list based on index number
20. What is the purpose of PivotTables in Excel? → To summarize, analyze, explore, and present large datasets interactively
21. How do you switch Workbook Views to Page Break Preview on the ribbon? → View
22. What is the Table Name used for? → Unique identifier used in structured references and formulas
23. It is acceptable to let long text stream into adjoining cells on a worksheet when → No date will be entered in the adjacent cells
24. How do you display data labels from a different cell range? → Select labels, click 'Value From Cells' in Label Options, specify range
25. What are the three common VLOOKUP errors? → #N/A (not found), #REF! (column exceeds range), #VALUE! (invalid arguments)
26. What is the benefit of a funnel chart? → Displaying sequential stages with decreasing values like a sales pipeline
27. What does the formula =LEN(TRIM(A1)) calculate? → The number of characters in A1 after removing extra spaces
28. Which keyboard shortcut is used to refresh a PivotTable? → Alt+F5
29. Which of the following represents the weighted average score calculation algorithm for cell C8 as shown below? → =SUMPRODUCT(C2:C4,B2:B4)
30. What happens when you double-click a value cell in a PivotTable? → Excel drills down and creates a new sheet showing the underlying detail records