Can I Learn Excel For Free?

Before you invest hundreds or even thousands of dollars in learning Microsoft Exce l, you may wonder if free resources are available to help with your studies. For those who are interested in learning core spreadsheet skills like how to format spreadsheets, make basic calculations, and create data visualizations based on data findings, free Excel learning resources can be a great supplement. While there’s no substitute ultimately for live instruction, there are many benefits to exploring free resources like YouTube channels, online tutorials, and free on-demand classes that are available online and can assist with your Excel learning journey. The following sections will take a closer look at which resources are the most useful when studying Excel, how to make the best use of them, and how to anticipate their limitations.

What Free Resources are Available for Learning Excel?

Many top educators post free Excel resources online. This means that learners at all levels can find supplemental training material from schools around the globe. Free content like YouTube videos, online tutorials and articles, and asynchronous classes provide a low-stakes way to learn Excel without having to break the bank. The following sections will explore several free types of Excel training so you can find the content most suited to your learning needs.

YouTube & Online Video Content

YouTube is a rich resource for finding all sorts of Excel training videos that cover essential features and functions. You can select short video clips that take just a few minutes to watch on a particular spreadsheet skill, like formatting a workbook, or opt for more involved video training that takes an hour or longer to view and provides an overview of Excel’s interface and core features. Tech training companies like Noble Desktop offer free online Excel resources, including 10 Beginner Excel Tricks You Need to Know. This hour-long video is a great place to start your Excel learning journey, as it includes instruction on core topics like navigation shortcuts, autofill, and absolute cell reference. In addition, other top providers around the world upload short videos on platforms like YouTube in which they provide instruction on specific Excel tasks. Some popular YouTube Excel channels are available from ExcelisFun, Excel Campus, TeachExcel, and Excel Dude. Microsoft Support provides free video training options in a range of core spreadsheet skills, such as how to get started working with this app, use tables and charts, share and co-author documents, and explore Power Query. Many providers offer free online resources designed to cover basic, intermediate, or advanced Excel skills.

Online Blogs & Tutorials

Many top educational providers post well-researched written content on Microsoft Excel. These articles are useful for those looking to learn a specific spreadsheet skill. A simple Google search will yield many such resources that students can read on their own to learn how to perform a specific task in Excel. Educators like Noble Desktop post articles on a range of useful Excel skills, features, and topics. Noble’s Learn Hub contains more than three dozen articles on Excel topics like how to customize the ribbon, create a basic sparkline, and use Excel on an Android phone. 

Free On-demand Classes

Another form of Excel training that some learners opt for is on-demand coursework. This type of training comes in several formats. Typically, the educational provider records video lessons and posts additional resources like online tutorials or blogs, which students can complete at their own pace. One of the main benefits of this form of training is the cost; since all content is pre-recorded, on-demand classes are often a much more affordable option than live content. While some providers charge a small fee for on-demand classes (usually $100 or less) or require a platform subscription to enroll in classes, other providers like Coursera, Excel Exposure, W3 School, Excel Easy, and Udemy offer free on-demand videos. This content is a great way to get a feel for the type of self-paced training this provider offers, as well as to learn some basic Excel concepts and skills without having to spend a penny.

Free on-demand Excel classes are a good choice for those with busy schedules and may not be able to commit to live bootcamps or certificates requiring attending regularly scheduled classes. Students not only have the benefit of determining when and where they wish to study in the asynchronous training format, but they also can dictate their own learning pace. This is especially helpful for those who wish to pause and rewind lessons or rewatch entire videos to commit a tricky Excel skill to memory.

While the level of freedom of on-demand training appeals to some, it can also be a drawback for others who may find it difficult to remain motivated to complete lessons. In the on-demand Excel training format, it can be easy to fall behind on lessons and remain independently motivated to learn Excel. Additionally, since no live instructor is present in these courses, students often need to spend additional time finding answers to their questions.

How to Make Use of Free Excel Resources

If you’re interested in learning Excel through free online resources, you may wonder how best to utilize them. For most individuals, free online training material like articles and video content is a good way to prepare for further training or to supplement the live training they’re completing simultaneously. If you’re enrolled in a Data Analytics Certificate, for example, you’ll likely encounter training with a range of data tools, Excel included. However, you may need to spend more time with a particular skill, such as recording macros or using VLOOKUP. Free online videos or tutorials can be an excellent way to master these skills. Video content can be rewatched as often as necessary and revisited to help internalize spreadsheet tasks such as these. 

Some learners turn to free resources as a starting place before embarking on a live course. Since there’s no financial commitment involved, they provide an accessible and low-stakes way to begin learning Excel to prepare for further study. If you’re new to working with Microsoft 365 applications or have no previous experience handling data or using spreadsheets, YouTube videos or free on-demand courses can be a great way to gain a feel for Excel’s interface, its basic features and functions, and some of the core calculations you’ll likely learn more about during bootcamp or certificate study. 

While free online Excel material can be a great supplement to live instruction or a good place to begin your Excel learning journey, most learners will require more structured guidance to fully master this app’s full range of capabilities. In particular, for professionals who are interested in learning Excel for a current work project or to be a more marketable candidate on the job market, live training like a bootcamp or certificate program is usually a much more effective and reliable way to learn the ins and outs of Excel.

Limitations of Free Resources

It’s important to keep in mind that there’s no substitution for the benefits of live training. While free resources can be an excellent supplement to your studies, learning Excel solely through free online content has some limitations. The first is that no instructor is present. This means that if you’re watching a video or on-demand course that covers complicated skills like working with PivotTables or performing advanced calculations and have questions about what’s being taught, you’re on your own to find answers. In the live training environment, the instructor would be present to field these inquiries, but because on-demand content was recorded earlier, no teacher or cohort of learners is available as you complete lessons. This can pose challenges for some Excel learners, especially those who have little experience working with data or spreadsheets or who don’t know how to find answers to their questions.

Another consideration when opting for free Excel training resources is that this material can quickly become dated. Because so much Excel content is posted online, some don’t reflect the current best practices with spreadsheets or even the most current version of Excel. Along these lines, some content focuses entirely on shortcuts for PC users, which may not be relevant for those using Excel on a Mac. Before selecting free content, it’s essential to research the provider who created it, the date it was posted, and whether it’s geared toward Mac or PC users.

Since on-demand classes and YouTube content is self-paced, it’s up to the student watching to motivate themself to complete lessons, practice the skills they’re learning, and carve out time to develop their spreadsheet expertise. While some learners find it freeing and appreciate the flexibility of being able to pace their studies out as they wish and at the times they select, other learners may find it difficult to find the motivation to keep up with training. No formal deadlines are included with asynchronous material, which can pose challenges for students who have busy lives and are trying to balance their Excel studies with other professional and personal commitments. This is why free online resources are generally most effective for self-motivated learners.

What to Do After Utilizing Free Excel Resources

Once you’ve taken advantage of free Excel resources like YouTube videos and online tutorials, the next step for many learners is to enroll in a live, structured course that goes into greater detail on spreadsheet skills. Live Excel training classes are the most engaging and interactive way to learn this industry-standard application. Skills classes, bootcamps, and certificate programs are available in person at designated training facilities in major cities around the country, as well as in the live online environment using Zoom or a similar teleconferencing platform. Coursework is available for those who are just getting started with spreadsheets, as well as advanced Excel students interested in mastering complex formulas and features. Because this type of training is instructor-led, those enrolled can be certain the content is up-to-date and relevant.

One of the main perks of enrolling in a live Excel class such as that which is offered by Noble Desktop is that you’ll have real-time access to an instructor with industry experience creating and manipulating spreadsheets. These teachers are not only there to answer questions but to provide guidance and support along the way. By enrolling in an in-person or live online Excel class, you’ll be able to ask questions as they arise and receive immediate clarification and guidance. This is especially useful when working with difficult Excel skills or concepts. Those who opt for live online training can even share their screen with the instructor (with permission) for additional help. In addition to personalized assistance with spreadsheets from the instructor, students who take an Excel class also benefit from the support of learning alongside other students, which can provide an additional sense of camaraderie and community. 

Another benefit to live Excel study is that many programs provide students with much more than in-class lessons. Some live courses also include additional learning incentives that aren’t available with self-taught materials. These resources include supplemental videos, training materials, or other useful content that assists with the learning process. More in-depth programs, such as certificates in data analytics, sometimes provide perks like career counseling, 1-on-1 mentoring, professional portfolio development, and job placement assistance. 

Live courses in Excel range in price from several hundred dollars for skills classes to more than $10,000 for comprehensive certificate programs in data analytics. While this is a considerable financial investment, the cost is an investment in helping you learn, develop, and commit to memory the spreadsheet skills that will help you perform better at work or even pursue an entirely new career path. 

Learn Excel with Noble Desktop

If you are ready to move beyond free online resources and study Excel through live coursework, many excellent training options are available for learners nationwide. Noble Desktop offers in-person and live online Excel courses. These programs are available to those who are just getting started using spreadsheets, as well as professionals who want to acquire advanced-level Excel training. All Noble courses provide hands-on training in the small class environment and offer a free course retake for up to one year after graduation.

If you’re interested in basic spreadsheet training, Excel Level I: Fundamentals is an excellent learning option. This one-day program teaches all the essential spreadsheet skills you’ll need to get started working with this application. Participants explore basic functions, calculations, graphs, formatting, and printing. This program is intended for students with limited Excel experience and who want to become more proficient.

Excel Level 2: Intermediate is available for those who want to build on their basic Excel training and take their skills even further. This short class covers skills like working with SUMIFs and VLOOKUP. Participants become familiar with using PivotTables to summarize data, split and join text, and sort and filter databases. As a prerequisite, students should have already completed Excel Level 1 or have a similar skill set, including knowledge of formulas, functions, formatting, and printing.

Noble also offers Excel Level 3: Advanced for those who want to master this application’s complicated features. This program teaches students how to use advanced analytics tools, write macros to save time and improve efficiency, and use complex functions like INDEX-Double MATCH and VLOOKUP-MATCH. Those looking to enroll in this program should have proficiency with spreadsheets equivalent to Noble’s Intermediate Excel course, including knowledge of IF statements, VLOOKUP, and PivotTables.

In addition to short course offerings, Noble has a bootcamp that offers more comprehensive spreadsheet training. In Excel Bootcamp, participants progress from Excel beginners to pros over the course of several days. This hands-on course combines beginner, intermediate, and advanced course training and leaves students with the skills necessary to work with functions and formulas, create macros, and work with PivotTables.