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 14 formulas matching "TODAY"

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

TODAY()

Date & Time

Returns current date

Syntax:

=TODAY()

Examples:

=TODAY()

Current date (updates daily)

=TODAY()+7

Date 7 days from today

=TODAY()-30

Date 30 days ago

Note: Updates automatically when file is opened or calculated

EDATE()

Date & Time

Returns date that is months before/after start date

Syntax:

=EDATE(start_date, months)

Examples:

=EDATE(TODAY(), 6)

Date 6 months from today

=EDATE(A1, -3)

Date 3 months before A1

=EDATE("1/15/2024", 12)

Same day next year

Note: Positive months = future, negative = past

WORKDAY()

Date & Time

Returns workday date that is specified days from start date

Syntax:

=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])

Examples:

=WORKDAY(TODAY(), 10)

Date 10 workdays from today

=WORKDAY(A1, 5, C1:C10)

5 workdays from A1, excluding holidays

=WORKDAY("1/1/2024", -5)

5 workdays before Jan 1

Note: Excludes weekends (Saturday/Sunday) and optional holidays

CHOOSE()

Lookup & Reference

Chooses value from list based on index number

Syntax:

=CHOOSE(index_num, value1, [value2], ...)

Examples:

=CHOOSE(A1, "Red", "Blue", "Green")

Return color based on number 1-3

=CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(TODAY()), "Sun", "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", "Sat")

Day name from today's date

=CHOOSE(A1, B:B, C:C, D:D)

Choose column based on index

Note: Index starts at 1. Returns error if index is out of range

DATE()

Date & Time

Creates a date from year, month, day

Syntax:

=DATE(year, month, day)

Examples:

=DATE(2024, 12, 25)

Create date for December 25, 2024

=DATE(A1, B1, C1)

Create date from cell values

=DATE(YEAR(TODAY()), 12, 31)

Last day of current year

Note: Year can be 1900-9999, month 1-12, day 1-31

YEAR()

Date & Time

Extracts year from a date

Syntax:

=YEAR(serial_number)

Examples:

=YEAR(TODAY())

Current year

=YEAR(A1)

Year from date in cell A1

=YEAR("12/25/2024")

Returns 2024

Note: Returns a 4-digit year (1900-9999)

MONTH()

Date & Time

Extracts month from a date

Syntax:

=MONTH(serial_number)

Examples:

=MONTH(TODAY())

Current month number

=MONTH(A1)

Month from date in cell A1

=MONTH("12/25/2024")

Returns 12

Note: Returns month as number (1-12)

DAY()

Date & Time

Extracts day from a date

Syntax:

=DAY(serial_number)

Examples:

=DAY(TODAY())

Current day of month

=DAY(A1)

Day from date in cell A1

=DAY("12/25/2024")

Returns 25

Note: Returns day of month (1-31)

EOMONTH()

Date & Time

Returns last day of month that is months before/after start date

Syntax:

=EOMONTH(start_date, months)

Examples:

=EOMONTH(TODAY(), 0)

Last day of current month

=EOMONTH(A1, 1)

Last day of next month from A1

=EOMONTH("1/15/2024", -1)

Last day of previous month

Note: Always returns last day of the target month

WORKDAY.INTL()

Date & Time

Returns workday with custom weekend definition

Syntax:

=WORKDAY.INTL(start_date, days, [weekend], [holidays])

Examples:

=WORKDAY.INTL(TODAY(), 10, 1)

Standard weekend (Sat/Sun)

=WORKDAY.INTL(A1, 5, 7)

Weekend = Friday/Saturday

=WORKDAY.INTL(A1, 10, "0000011")

Custom weekend (Sat/Sun)

Note: Weekend: 1=Sat/Sun, 2=Sun/Mon, 7=Fri/Sat, or custom 7-char string

NETWORKDAYS()

Date & Time

Returns number of workdays between two dates

Syntax:

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])

Examples:

=NETWORKDAYS(A1, B1)

Workdays between two dates

=NETWORKDAYS("1/1/2024", "1/31/2024", C1:C5)

January workdays minus holidays

=NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(), TODAY()+30)

Workdays in next 30 days

Note: Excludes weekends and optional holidays from count

WEEKDAY()

Date & Time

Returns day of week as number

Syntax:

=WEEKDAY(serial_number, [return_type])

Examples:

=WEEKDAY(TODAY())

Day of week (1=Sun to 7=Sat)

=WEEKDAY(A1, 2)

Day of week (1=Mon to 7=Sun)

=WEEKDAY("12/25/2024", 1)

Christmas 2024 day of week

Note: Return_type: 1=Sun-Sat (1-7), 2=Mon-Sun (1-7), 3=Mon-Sun (0-6)

WEEKNUM()

Date & Time

Returns week number of the year

Syntax:

=WEEKNUM(serial_number, [return_type])

Examples:

=WEEKNUM(TODAY())

Current week number

=WEEKNUM(A1, 2)

Week number (Monday as week start)

=WEEKNUM("7/4/2024", 1)

Week number of July 4th

Note: Return_type: 1=Sun start (default), 2=Mon start, others available

SWITCH()

Advanced Functions

Evaluates expression against list of values and returns result

Syntax:

=SWITCH(expression, value1, result1, [value2, result2], ..., [default])

Examples:

=SWITCH(A1, 1, "One", 2, "Two", 3, "Three", "Other")

Convert numbers to words

=SWITCH(WEEKDAY(TODAY()), 1, "Sunday", 7, "Saturday", "Weekday")

Check if weekend

=SWITCH(LEFT(A1,1), "A", "Apple", "B", "Banana", "Unknown")

Based on first letter

Note: Available in Excel 2016+. Cleaner alternative to nested IF statements

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

📊 102 Total Formulas 🏷️ 10 Categories ⚡ Quick Search