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Do you struggle to use Microsoft Excel and need training to help you master the spreadsheet? Instead of sitting through a dull training at the local college or university, consider an online course.
You can find several self-paced options for beginners — these can be taken at your convenience. Let Benzinga help you find the perfect Excel course.
Quick Look: Best Courses to Learn Excel
Here’s a glimpse of the best online courses to learn Excel:
- The Easiest Beginners’ Guide to Microsoft Excel by Udemy
- Get Started with Microsoft Excel in 1 Hour by Udemy
- Everyday Excel, Part 1 by the University of Colorado Boulder
- Excel Essential Training (Office 365) by LinkedIn Learning
- Microsoft Excel – Excel from Beginner to Advanced by Udemy
- Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel Guide 2020 by Udemy
- Excel for the Real World: Gain the Basic Skills of Microsoft Excel by Skillshare
- Excel: Introduction to Formulas and Functions by LinkedIn Learning
- Microsoft Excel Formula Design for Beginners by Udemy
What Makes an Excel Course Great?
Be mindful of these factors as you explore your options.
Facilitated by an Excel Expert
You want an instructor who is a subject-matter expert in Excel and frequently uses the spreadsheet program. It’s equally important that the instructor can demonstrate useful tips and strategies in a way that’s easy to understand. Read the facilitator’s biography and LinkedIn profile to learn more about his or her professional background. It’s also worthwhile to peruse online reviews from past and current students so you know what to expect from the course.
Features Supplementary Resources
The best online courses to learn Excel include supplementary resources. Video lectures are an ideal way to introduce core concepts so you get the most out of demonstrations and assignments or projects that allow you to apply what you learn. Quizzes allow students to test their knowledge and identify areas where they may need more work.
Affordable
An online Excel course doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. Start with free or low-cost options that don’t stretch your budget. You can always invest in pricier classes later on.
Our Top Picks
We’ve conducted several hours of research to bring you the best courses to learn Excel, from leading online learning providers including Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare and Udemy. We’ll provide a description and enrollment fee for each course so you quickly identify which is best for you.
Best Courses to Learn Excel
When you’re ready to get started, consider an online course from the following list.
1. The Easiest Beginners’ Guide to Microsoft Excel by Udemy
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: On sale
The Easiest Beginners’ Guide to Microsoft Excel features 101 lectures, 16 articles and 16 downloadable resources to get you up and running with Excel in record time.
Excel guru Jed Guinto divides the lessons into the following segments:
- Welcome to Excel for Beginners
- Getting Started with Excel for New Users
- Text and Cell Formatting
- Number Formatting – Currency, Decimal Places, Dates and More
- AutoSum and Count Functions
- Formulas – Arithmetic Functions
- Inserting Equations, Symbols, WordArt and Hyperlinks
- Increase Your Organization Using Sheets
- Importing Images, Control and Formatting
- Shapes – Text Boxes, Arrows, Squares, Flowcharts, Banners and More
- SmartArt
- Data Sorting and Filtering
- Inserting a Basic Line Chart
- Printing and PDF
- Congratulations
Take advantage of promotional pricing on this course by enrolling today. You’ll receive a certificate of completion when you reach the finish line.
2. Get Started with Microsoft Excel in 1 Hour by Udemy
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: On sale
If you want to learn Excel but don’t have much spare time in your busy schedule, consider this popular course from Udemy. Excel expert Jennifer Bailey covers the basics and so much more in record time.
Get Started with Microsoft Excel in 1 Hour includes the following modules:
- Introduction and Welcome
- Introduction to Excel
- Supporting Documents
- Developing the Spreadsheet Further
- Troubleshooting/Answers to Questions from Students
- Quick Start Tips and Shortcuts
- (Course Preview) Quick Start: Creating an Accountancy Spreadsheet
- Extra Support, Tutorials and Tips
The low enrollment fee includes full lifetime access to 39 lectures jam-packed into 2.5 hours of on-demand video. You will also receive 2 articles and 4 downloadable resources to facilitate your comprehension of the material presented throughout the course.
3. Everyday Excel, Part 1 by the University of Colorado Boulder
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: Free
Offered by the University of Colorado Boulder Everyday Excel, Part 1 is another viable option if you want to learn Excel from scratch. This 5-week course consists of video lectures and quizzes. You will also be tasked with taking and passing a series of quizzes and completing a project after each module.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect each week:
- Week 1: Navigating Excel
- Week 2: Expression Entry and Common Excel Functions
- Week 3: More Excel Functions
- Week 4: Managing Data
- Week 5: Plotting, Importing Data and Converting to Other File Types
The class is facilitated by Charlie Nuttelman, Senior Instructor in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department.
4. Excel Essential Training (Office 365) by LinkedIn Learning
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: Included with the monthly membership
Excel expert Dennis Taylor teaches you how to harness the spreadsheet program's power to manage and analyze data. He covers data entry and organization, simple functions and formulas, formatting, data sorting and filtering, PivotTables and more.
Excel Essential Training (Office 365) categorizes the video lectures into the following sections:
- Introduction
- Getting Started with Excel
- Entering Data
- Formulas and Functions
- Formatting
- Adjusting Worksheet Layout and Data
- Printing
- Charts
- Adjusting Worksheet Views
- Multiple Worksheets and Workbooks
- Data Management Features
- Security and Sharing Conclusion
Enrollment is free with a monthly LinkedIn Learning membership. If you’re not yet a member, you can grab a free seat by signing up for a 1-month trial.
5. Microsoft Excel – Excel for Beginner to Advanced by Udemy
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: On sale
Microsoft Excel – Excel from Beginner to Advanced is designed to take you from Excel novice to expert in a fun-filled way.
It entails a series of video lectures, downloadable resources and hands-on projects to ensure you get the most from the course. Here’s a sneak peek at the required assignments:
- Using Excel’s Macro Recorder Tool
- Moving Beyond the Basics and into Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
- Prepping and Cleaning Up Data with a Little VBA
- Using VBA to Automate Excel Formulas
- Bringing it All Together and a Weekly Report
- Working with Excel VBA User Forms
- Importing Data from Text Files
Instruction is provided by Microsoft Master Instructor and Microsoft Certified Trainer Kyle Pew.
6. Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel Guide 2020 by Udemy
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: On sale
Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel Guide 2020 caters to individuals with little to no experience using the spreadsheet program. It will help you fully grasp everything you need to know to become proficient in Excel quickly.
The class is presented by Start-Tech Academy: Here’s what you can expect to learn when you enroll:
- Excel Basics
- Essential Formulas
- Data Tools
- Formatting Data and Tables
- Pivot Tables
- Excel Charts
- Pivot Charts
- Named Ranges
- Excel Shortcuts
- Macros
- Advanced Excel
Register today to unlock 50 lectures condensed into 6 hours of on-demand video, 15 articles and 23 downloadable resources. You will also receive a certificate of completion when you finish the course.
7. Excel for the Real World: Gain the Skills of Microsoft Excel by Skillshare
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: Free
Learn the mechanics of Excel so you can use the software program with ease. Excel Trainer Al Chen will lead the way in this introductory course that features lessons and exercises that focus on core formulas, functions and useful tricks that will help master Excel.
Excel for the Real World: Gain the Basic Skills of Microsoft Excel is broken down into 10 lessons:
- Trailer
- Using the Ribbon
- Workbook Structure
- Formatting
- Formatting Continued
- Selecting Data
- Writing Formulas
- Writing Formulas Continued
- Lists and Sorting
- Paste Special
There’s no cost to enroll if you sign up for a free Skillshare trial.
8. Excel: Introduction to Formulas and Functions by LinkedIn Learning
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: Included with the monthly membership
New to Excel and interested in diving deeper into Excel formulas and functions? Look no further than this course from LinkedIn Learning.
Excel: Introduction to Formulas and Functions is led by Curtis Frye, the president of Technology and Society Inc., and dives into strategies you can use to build formulas using basic arithmetic. He also covers cell references, formula auditing and data compilation.
Here’s a quick look at the syllabus:
- Introduction Excel 2019 Formulas and Functions
- Creating Basic Summary Functions
- Managing Named Ranges and Excel Tables
- Preparing Data for Analysis in Excel
- Auditing Worksheet Formulas
- Performing What-If Analysis
- Conclusion
You can get started for free with a monthly LinkedIn membership or by registering for a 1-month trial.
9. Microsoft Excel Formula Design for Beginners by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: On sale
Microsoft Excel Formula Design for Beginners is another ideal option for beginners who want to expand their knowledge of Excel formulas and how they work. You will learn how to develop formulas from the ground up to use the spreadsheet program more effectively.
Instructor Jed Guinto breaks the lessons down into the following segments:
- Demonstration and Uses
- Formulas, Functions and Calculations
- Formula Auditing
- Bonus Features
- Congratulations
Enroll with confidence knowing the course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied for any reason.
Find the Best Course to Learn Excel
Excel can help you complete coursework or get through those pressing tasks at work more swiftly. Instead of shying away from the spreadsheet program because it seems too complex to use, consider enrolling in an online course to learn the essentials.
Our top recommendations are an ideal place to start your search. All of the courses from our list of top selections are affordable and instructed by an Excel expert who provides supplementary resources to ensure you acquire the knowledge you need.
Southern New Hampshire University Online
SNHU Online Offers:
- Flexible schedules
- Affordable tuition
- Online tutoring
- Access to electronic research materials
- Specialized academic advising
- Supportive online community