Excel Formulas Cheat Sheet

Master Excel with our comprehensive formulas reference guide. From basic math to advanced lookup functions, find syntax, examples, and expert tips for all essential Excel formulas.

Found 8 formulas matching "MATCH"

Excel Mastery Guide

Beginner

Start with basic calculations and data organization

Intermediate

Master lookup functions and data analysis

Advanced

Advanced functions and financial modeling

  • • INDEX-MATCH combinations
  • • Array formulas
  • • Financial functions (PV, FV, PMT)
  • • Statistical analysis

📊 What is Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is the world's most popular spreadsheet application, developed by Microsoft and first released in 1985. Excel revolutionized data analysis, financial modeling, and business calculations by providing a powerful yet user-friendly interface for organizing, calculating, and analyzing data. With over 750 million users worldwide, Excel has become an essential tool for professionals across every industry, from accountants and analysts to scientists and entrepreneurs.

🚀 Core Capabilities

  • ✓ Data organization: Create structured tables, databases, and lists
  • ✓ Formula calculations: 400+ built-in functions for complex calculations
  • ✓ Data visualization: Charts, graphs, and conditional formatting
  • ✓ Data analysis: PivotTables, statistical analysis, and modeling
  • ✓ Automation: Macros and VBA programming for repetitive tasks
  • ✓ Collaboration: Real-time sharing and co-authoring features

💼 Who Uses Excel?

  • • Finance professionals: Financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting
  • • Data analysts: Statistical analysis, trend identification
  • • Business managers: Reporting, planning, performance tracking
  • • Researchers: Data collection, analysis, and visualization
  • • Students: Academic projects, research, and learning
  • • Small business owners: Inventory, sales tracking, bookkeeping

🏢 Industry Applications

Financial Services

Risk analysis, portfolio management, loan calculations, investment modeling, financial reporting

Healthcare & Research

Clinical data analysis, patient tracking, research statistics, medical billing, lab results

Education & Training

Grade tracking, student performance analysis, curriculum planning, educational research

⚡ Excel Formula Power

Formula Categories

  • • Math & Statistics: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, STDEV
  • • Logical: IF, AND, OR, NOT
  • • Text: CONCATENATE, LEFT, RIGHT, MID
  • • Date & Time: TODAY, NOW, DATEDIF
  • • Lookup: VLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH

Formula Benefits

  • • Automation: Calculate complex results instantly
  • • Accuracy: Eliminate manual calculation errors
  • • Efficiency: Process thousands of data points
  • • Dynamic: Update automatically when data changes
  • • Scalability: Handle growing datasets seamlessly

🛠️ Excel Components

📋 Worksheets

Grid-based interface with rows, columns, and cells for data entry

🧮 Formulas

Mathematical expressions that calculate values automatically

📊 Charts

Visual representations of data in various graph formats

🔧 Functions

Pre-built formulas for specific calculations and operations

🎯 Excel vs. Alternatives

Excel Advantages

  • • Industry standard with universal compatibility
  • • Comprehensive feature set for all skill levels
  • • Extensive formula library (400+ functions)
  • • Advanced visualization and PivotTable capabilities
  • • VBA programming for custom solutions
  • • Seamless integration with Microsoft Office

Popular Alternatives

  • • Google Sheets: Cloud-based, free, real-time collaboration
  • • LibreOffice Calc: Open-source, free alternative
  • • Apple Numbers: Mac-native, design-focused
  • • Airtable: Database-spreadsheet hybrid
  • • Notion: All-in-one workspace with table features

🚀 Getting Started with Excel

1. Learn the Interface

Familiarize yourself with the ribbon, worksheets, cells, and formula bar • Practice basic navigation and data entry

2. Master Basic Formulas

Start with SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT • Learn cell references (A1, $A$1) • Practice IF statements and basic logic

3. Explore Advanced Features

Learn VLOOKUP, PivotTables, and data visualization • Practice with real datasets • Gradually build complexity

Excel Mastery Tip: The key to Excel expertise is practice and progressive learning. Start with basic formulas, build confidence, then gradually tackle more complex functions. This cheat sheet is your roadmap to Excel formula mastery! 📈

Excel Pro Tips

F4 Key: Toggle between absolute and relative references ($A$1, A$1, $A1, A1)

Ctrl + Shift + Enter: Enter array formulas (older Excel versions)

F9 Key: Calculate formulas manually when set to manual calculation mode

Ctrl + `: Toggle between formula view and result view

XMATCH()

Lookup & Reference

Enhanced version of MATCH function

Syntax:

=XMATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_mode], [search_mode])

Examples:

=XMATCH(A1, B:B)

Find exact position of A1 in column B

=XMATCH(A1, B:B, 1)

Find exact match or next smallest

=XMATCH(A1, B:B, 0, -1)

Search from last to first

Note: Available in Excel 365 and Excel 2021. More options than MATCH

MATCH()

Lookup & Reference

Returns position of value in array

Syntax:

=MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

Examples:

=MATCH("Apple", A1:A10, 0)

Find exact position of 'Apple'

=MATCH(100, B1:B10, 1)

Find largest value ≤ 100

=MATCH(A1, B:B, 0)

Find position of A1 value in column B

Note: 0=exact match, 1=largest ≤ value, -1=smallest ≥ value

INDEX()

Lookup & Reference

Returns value at intersection of specified row and column

Syntax:

=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

Examples:

=INDEX(A1:C10, 5, 2)

Value from row 5, column 2 of range

=INDEX(A:A, 10)

10th value in column A

=INDEX(A1:A10, MATCH("Apple", B1:B10, 0))

Use with MATCH for lookup

Note: Often combined with MATCH for flexible lookups

VLOOKUP()

Lookup & Reference

Looks up value in leftmost column and returns value from specified column

Syntax:

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

Examples:

=VLOOKUP(A1, B:D, 2, FALSE)

Exact match lookup in column B, return from column C

=VLOOKUP("Apple", A1:C10, 3, TRUE)

Approximate match lookup

=VLOOKUP(A1, Sheet2!B:E, 4, FALSE)

Lookup from another sheet

Note: Use FALSE for exact match, TRUE for approximate match

TEXTSPLIT()

Text Functions

Splits text into array using delimiters

Syntax:

=TEXTSPLIT(text, col_delimiter, [row_delimiter], [ignore_empty], [match_mode], [pad_with])

Examples:

=TEXTSPLIT(A1, ",")

Split by comma into columns

=TEXTSPLIT(A1, " ", CHAR(10))

Split by space and line breaks

=TEXTSPLIT("apple,banana,,cherry", ",", , TRUE)

Split and ignore empty values

Note: Excel 365 Insider. Returns dynamic array. ignore_empty: TRUE skips empty results

XLOOKUP()

Lookup & Reference

Modern lookup function that replaces VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP

Syntax:

=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])

Examples:

=XLOOKUP(A1, B:B, C:C)

Basic lookup from B to C

=XLOOKUP(A1, B:B, C:C, "Not Found")

With custom error message

=XLOOKUP(A1, B:B, C:E)

Return multiple columns

Note: Available in Excel 365 and Excel 2021. More flexible than VLOOKUP

ISNA()

Information Functions

Tests if value is #N/A error

Syntax:

=ISNA(value)

Examples:

=ISNA(VLOOKUP(A1, B:C, 2, FALSE))

TRUE if VLOOKUP returns #N/A

=IF(ISNA(MATCH(A1, B:B, 0)), "Not Found", "Found")

Handle MATCH #N/A errors

=IFNA(VLOOKUP(A1, B:C, 2, FALSE), "Not Found")

Simpler #N/A handling

Note: Specifically tests for #N/A error. Use IFNA() for simpler handling

HLOOKUP()

Lookup & Reference

Looks up value in top row and returns value from specified row

Syntax:

=HLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, [range_lookup])

Examples:

=HLOOKUP(A1, B1:F5, 3, FALSE)

Exact match in row 1, return from row 3

=HLOOKUP("Q1", A1:E10, 2, FALSE)

Find Q1 and return value from row 2

=HLOOKUP(A1, Sheet2!A1:Z5, 4, TRUE)

Approximate match from another sheet

Note: Horizontal version of VLOOKUP

Master Excel formulas with practice and repetition. Bookmark this page for quick reference!

📊 102 Total Formulas 🏷️ 10 Categories ⚡ Quick Search