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 function returns the nth largest value in a data set? → LARGE
6. Which formula returns the number of days between two dates in cells A1 and B1? → =B1-A1
7. What does the INDEX function return when given an array, a row number, and an optional column number? → The value at the specified row and column intersection
8. What does the TRIM function do in Excel? → Removes leading and trailing spaces and reduces internal spaces to one
9. What is the correct syntax to look up a value in the first column of a table and return a value from another column using VLOOKUP? → VLOOKUP(value, table_array, col_index_num, range_lookup)
10. What is the Total Row in an Excel Table? → A summary row with dropdown aggregate functions for each column
11. What is the location of the filling handle? → In the bottom-right corner of the selected cell
12. What is the name of the Excel feature that highlights cells based on their content or value? → Conditional Formatting
13. A cell cluster is referred to as a ___. → cell range
14. Which of the following actions is prevented when you use the 'Protect Workbook' feature with the 'Structure' option selected? → Adding a new worksheet
15. Which spreadsheet application was Excel primarily designed to compete against? → Lotus 1-2-3
16. Which function combines the results of multiple IF conditions without nesting? → IFS
17. Which Excel tool is used to find the input value needed to achieve a specific formula result? → Goal Seek
18. 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
19. What file formats can Excel save workbooks in? → Multiple: .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .xls, .csv, .pdf, .html, and more
20. What does VLOOKUP's fourth argument (range_lookup) control? → Exact match (FALSE) or approximate match (TRUE)
21. Which function is capable of displaying various values according to various conditions? → IF
22. What does the MATCH function return? → The relative position of a value within a range
23. How do you compare two worksheets side by side? → View > View Side by Side with optional synchronized scrolling
24. How do trendlines help with data analysis? → They fit mathematical models and can project future values
25. 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
26. What is the purpose of data validation? Please check all that apply. → Prevent inconsistent data from being entered
27. What does the CHOOSE function do? → Returns a value from a list based on an index number
28. How does the CHOOSE function work? → Returns a value from a list based on index number
29. What is the purpose of PivotTables in Excel? → To summarize, analyze, explore, and present large datasets interactively
30. What year was Microsoft Excel first released for the Macintosh? → 1985