Bite-Sized Tips that Supercharge Your Workflow

Stop Using VLOOKUP — Use XLOOKUP

Search left/right, return multiple columns, handle “not found.”

=XLOOKUP("Banana", A2:A10, B2:B10, "Not Found")

• Works in any direction (left/right/up/down)
• Safer when columns move

TRIM Away Pesky Spaces

Fixes extra spaces from pasted data.

=TRIM(A2)

Pair with SUBSTITUTE for hidden characters.

Turn Ranges into Tables (Ctrl + T)

Auto-expand formulas/charts, built-in filters, structured references.

Instant Insights with Conditional Formatting

Color scales, data bars, or rules (e.g., values > 100) = quick dashboard.

Show % of Total, Not Just Sums

Value Field Settings → Show Values As → % of Column/Row Total.

Must-Know Keys

• Ctrl + 1: Format Cells
• Alt + =: AutoSum
• Ctrl + ;: Insert today’s date

Clipboard History

Press Win + V to view your last 25 copied items.

Virtual Desktops

Win + Ctrl + → / ← to switch. Keep Excel separate from browsing.

Snap Like a Pro

Win + Left/Right to snap; Win + Up/Down to maximize/minimize.

INNER JOIN in Plain English

SELECT c.Name, o.OrderID
FROM Customers c
INNER JOIN Orders o ON c.CustomerID = o.CustomerID;

Returns only customers that actually placed orders.

Measures vs. Columns

Calculated columns compute row-by-row on refresh. Measures compute on the fly (fast & flexible) e.g.:

Sales % of Total = 
DIVIDE([Total Sales], CALCULATE([Total Sales], ALL(Products)))

Excel: Status Bar Totals

Highlight numbers → see Sum/Average/Count instantly (no formulas).

Windows: Snap windows with Win + Arrow Keys.

SQL: INNER JOIN to combine only matching rows.

Excel: XLOOKUP with Defaults

=XLOOKUP(E2, A:A, B:B, "Not Found")

Windows: Win + V for Clipboard History.

Power BI: Use slicers + sync slicers across pages.

Excel: Clean Emails Fast

=LOWER(TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A2,CHAR(160)," ")))

Windows: Task Manager → Startup tab to speed boot.

Outlook: Rules to auto-file newsletters.