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Nov 28, 2023 · Last updated September 5, 2024. The GOOGLEFINANCE function is an amazing tool used to make Google Sheets stock formulas for people who need to work with real-time finance data. This single function gives you not only the current prices of stocks and conversion rates of currencies, but also historical data of these securities over days, weeks ...
- Contents
- How to Use Google Sheets
- How to Use Google Sheets: The Working Environment
- How to Use Google Sheets: Data and Basic Formulas
- How to Use Google Sheets: Killer Features
- How to Use Google Sheets: Intermediate Techniques
- Next Steps
What is Google Sheets?
Google Sheets is a free, cloud-based spreadsheet application. That means you open it in your browser window like a regular webpage, but you have all the functionality of a full spreadsheet application for doing powerful data analysis. It really is the best of both worlds.
How is it different to Excel?
No doubt you’ve heard of Microsoft Excel, the long-established heavyweight of the spreadsheet world. It’s an incredibly powerful, versatile piece of software, used by approximately 750 million – 1 billion people worldwide. So yeah, a tough act to follow. Google Sheets is similar in many ways, but also distinctly different in other areas. It has (mostly) the same set of functions and tools for working with data. In fact, some people mistakenly call it “Google Excel” or “Google spreadsheets.” W...
Why use Google Sheets?
How’s this for starters: 1. It’s free! 2. It’s collaborative, so teams can all see and work with the same spreadsheet in real-time. 3. It has enough features to do complex analysis, but… 4. …it’s also really easy to use. Need more convincing? Here are 5 more reasonsfrom Google themselves.
Changing the size, inserting, deleting, hiding/unhiding of columns and rows
To select a row or column, click on the number (rows) or letter (columns) of the row or column you want to select. This will highlight the whole row or column blue, to indicate you have it selected. To change the width of a column, or height of a row, hover your cursor over the grey line denoting the edge of the column or row, until your cursor changes to look like this: Then click and drag the cursor left or right to change the width of this column. It’s the same process to change the height...
Adding extra rows and columns at end
If you reach the outer edges of a Google Sheet, you’ll notice the rows and/or columns stop. But don’t worry, you can add more. If you’ve scrolled all the way to the bottom of your Sheet (or added that much data), you’ll notice that you’re given 1,000 rows by default. There’s a button to add more rows if you need, either 1,000 as shown, or any number you wish (up to a limit, more on that below). If you reach the right edge of the Sheet, i.e. the last column, then you add more columns in the st...
Adding/removing multiple sheets, renaming them
Super easy! Click the big plus button in the bottom left of your Google Sheet to add a new Sheet(also called a Tab). Why use multiple tabs within your Google Sheet? Well, like a book with chapters on different topics, it can help separate different data and keep your Sheet organized. For example, you might have a Sheet solely to record your global settings (any variables like name, email, tax rate, headcount…) and another for transactional data, and yet another for the analysis and charts. Th...
Different types of data
You’ve already seen different data types in Google Sheets in our basic table. The key point to understand with spreadsheet data is that each cell contains the data itself, anda format applied to that data. For example, suppose a cell contained: 2, or 2.00, or $2, or $2.00 In each case the underlying data is the number 2, but with a different format applied each time. If we add 2 to each of these cells we get back the number 4 in every case (with formatting applied). You’ll notice that currenc...
Doing math on numbers
Easy-peasy, just like you do on a calculator. You click the cell you want to do your calculation in, type an equals sign (=) to indicate you’re performing a calculation and then type in your formula, e.g. Notice how calculation will show in the formula bar (1) as well as in the cell (2). You’ll notice that you get a preview of the answer (in this case, 25) above the formula.
Starting with functions: COUNT, SUM, AVERAGE
Technically you’ve already written your first formula in the section above on math calculations, but really, your formula career begins when you start using the built-in functions (of which there are hundreds!). Returning to our basic table, let’s count how many members we have, what the total monthly fees are and what the average monthly fees are. COUNT Click on cell B8, type an equals (=) and then start typing the word COUNT. You’ll notice an auto-complete menu comes up showing all of the f...
Let’s see some of the unique, powerful features that Google Sheets has, as a cloud-based piece of software.
Freeze panes
This is one of the most useful tricks you can learn in Google Sheets, which is why I’m recommending you learn it today. Sooner or later you’ll work with a table of data that continues beyond the area you see on the screen (right now for example, I can see as far as row 26, but it depends on your screen size and other factors). When you scroll down to look at data further down in your table, you lose the column headings off the top of your screen, and therefore can’t see the context of your co...
Relative/Absolute references
This is arguably the hardest concept to grasp in this tutorial. If you understand it and can apply it, then you have a really good understanding of how spreadsheets work and you’re well on your way to being a skilled user. Suppose you have some data in cell A1 and you enter the following formula into cell B1: This formula will retrieve whatever data is in cell A1 and show it in cell B1. Now copy the formula (Cmd + C on a Mac, or Ctrl + C on a PC) and paste it (Cmd + V on a Mac, or Ctrl + V on...
Working with formulas across sheets
Sticking with the topic of referencing other cells for the moment, how does one go about linking to data on a different Sheet? Returning once again to our basic gym membership table for dead famous authors, in Sheet 1, let’s retrieve the table heading and print it out in Sheet 2 with this formula, entered into cell A1 on Sheet 2: Note the exclamation point at the end of the reference to Sheet1, i.e. Sheet1! Now let’s do a simple sum of data on Sheet 1, but show our answer on Sheet 2. In cell...
The old adage “Practice makes perfect” is as true for Google Sheets as anything else, so hop to it! Keep up-to-date with new articles, course launches and exclusive offers, by signing up for my Google Sheets newsletter, and get my free Google Sheets ebook with 100 tips. When you’re ready, check out the intermediate and advanced Google Sheets tutori...
Discover the power of Google Sheets with this comprehensive tutorial, perfect for beginners or those looking to brush up on the basics. Learn essential funct...
- 35 min
- 1041
- Dusty Porter
To open an Excel file that you want to edit that's already uploaded, click the file with the green 'X' next to the filename from your Google Sheets homepage. Click either view the Excel file or edit it in Sheets from the dialog that appears. When you finish with the document, you can download it as XLSX, or ODS, PDF, HTML, CSV, or TSV format.
Aug 9, 2022 · Head to the Google Sheets page and place your mouse cursor over the multi-colored + icon, similar to how it shows in Google Docs. The + will turn into a green pencil icon when you hover over it. Click on it, and your new Google spreadsheet will launch. From there, Google Drive automatically saves any work you do.
In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to use Google Sheets. Google Sheets is completely free to use, and you can use it to get insights from your data. We...
- 49 min
- 736.6K
- Kevin Stratvert
People also ask
Is Google Sheets free?
Is Google Sheets a desktop application?
What file types does Google Sheets support?
How do I create a spreadsheet using Google Sheets?
Nov 8, 2023 · Go to drive.google.com. Click the big button on the top left that says “New”. Click “Google Sheets. By following the steps above, a blank Google spreadsheet will open. Change the name of the sheet or edit any of the cells to save the spreadsheet in your Google Drive. Get the free formula cheat sheet.
