Can’t remember if it’s SUMIF or SUMIFS, or where the comma goes in XLOOKUP? This free Excel formulas cheat sheet puts the 52 formulas you’ll actually use at work on two printable pages, each with a short explanation and a ready-to-copy example.
Download the free Excel formulas cheat sheet (PDF, 2 pages)
Print it and keep it next to your keyboard, or save it on your desktop.
What’s inside
| Section | Formulas |
|---|---|
| Math & totals | SUM, AVERAGE, MIN/MAX, COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK, ROUND, SUBTOTAL |
| Conditional totals | SUMIF, SUMIFS, COUNTIF, COUNTIFS, AVERAGEIFS, MAXIFS/MINIFS |
| Logic | IF, AND, OR, IFS, IFERROR, IFNA, SWITCH |
| Lookup | XLOOKUP, XLOOKUP with 2 criteria, VLOOKUP, INDEX + MATCH, MATCH, case-sensitive lookup |
| Text | &, TEXTJOIN, LEFT/RIGHT, MID, LEN, FIND/SEARCH, TRIM, PROPER/UPPER/LOWER, SUBSTITUTE, TEXT, VALUE |
| Dates | TODAY, DATE, days between, EDATE, EOMONTH, NETWORKDAYS.INTL, WORKDAY.INTL, DATEDIF, WEEKDAY |
| Dynamic arrays | UNIQUE, SORT, SORTBY, FILTER, SEQUENCE |
| Bonus | Common errors (#N/A, #DIV/0!, #VALUE!, #REF!, #NAME?, #SPILL!) and must-know tips ($ references, F4, Ctrl + `) |
The 10 formulas to learn first
| Formula | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SUM | Adds numbers | =SUM(B2:B10) |
| IF | Do one thing or another | =IF(D2>=1000,"Met","Below") |
| SUMIFS | Sum with conditions | =SUMIFS(D:D,C:C,"North") |
| COUNTIFS | Count with conditions | =COUNTIFS(C:C,"North") |
| XLOOKUP | Find a value and return a match | =XLOOKUP(F2,A:A,C:C) |
| IFERROR | Replace errors | =IFERROR(B2/C2,0) |
| TRIM | Remove extra spaces | =TRIM(A2) |
| TEXT | Format dates and numbers | =TEXT(A2,"dd mmm yyyy") |
| TODAY | Today’s date | =TODAY() |
| UNIQUE | List without duplicates | =UNIQUE(B2:B100) |
Learn each formula step by step
- Lookups: XLOOKUP, VLOOKUP, INDEX and MATCH, XLOOKUP with multiple criteria
- Conditional totals: SUMIFS and COUNTIFS
- Logic: IF, AND and OR together
- Text and cleaning: TRIM, CLEAN and PROPER, the TEXT function, splitting names
- Dates: NETWORKDAYS, EDATE, DATEDIF and more
- Dynamic arrays: UNIQUE, SORT and FILTER
- Errors: every Excel error explained, fixing #N/A
Does it work in my version?
Most formulas work in every version of Excel and in Google Sheets. XLOOKUP, IFS, MAXIFS, TEXTJOIN and the dynamic array functions (UNIQUE, SORT, FILTER, SEQUENCE) need Excel 365, 2021 or 2024, or Google Sheets. In older versions, use VLOOKUP or INDEX + MATCH instead of XLOOKUP.
FAQ
Is the cheat sheet really free?
Yes. Download it, print it and share it with your team.
Can I use these formulas in Google Sheets?
Yes, almost all of them. A few (SORT, FILTER) have slightly different options. See Google Sheets vs Excel.
Do you have a shortcuts cheat sheet too?
See our list of Excel keyboard shortcuts.