Excel and Google Sheets Training: What to Learn

Excel and Google Sheets training teaches you to organize data, use formulas, summarize information, and share reliable spreadsheets. Start with the program you need at work or school, learn core spreadsheet skills, then practise on realistic tasks; if you regularly exchange files with people using both tools, learn the common features in each.

What spreadsheet training covers

Good training goes beyond explaining where buttons are. It helps you understand how to structure a workbook or spreadsheet so that data can be entered, checked, analysed, and shared without avoidable errors. Most beginner courses cover cells, rows and columns, formatting, sorting, filtering, basic calculations, and saving or sharing files. A useful course also teaches you to spot problems such as numbers stored as text or a total that leaves out newly added rows.

As you progress, lessons commonly introduce functions, charts, conditional formatting, data validation, and pivot tables. These tools answer different questions: a function calculates a value, a chart presents a pattern visually, and a pivot table groups and summarizes a larger list. More advanced training may include importing and cleaning data, lookup functions, automation, and collaboration workflows. Course descriptions vary, so check the syllabus rather than assuming that a class labelled advanced covers a particular feature.

Excel here means Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, unless a course says otherwise. Google Sheets is generally used in a web browser. The applications share many basic ideas, but menus, features, file handling, and some formulas differ. Training is most useful when the instructor or course materials identify which application and version they demonstrate.

How Excel and Google Sheets differ

Excel is a strong fit for detailed analysis, established business workflows, and workbooks that use features specific to Microsoft Office. It is available as a desktop application as well as on the web, and its capabilities can vary by version and platform. Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows is a common training environment, but a Mac or web user should check whether a demonstrated feature or menu path is the same in their version.

Google Sheets is designed around browser-based access and sharing. Several people can work in a shared spreadsheet, and changes are saved online as they work, subject to account and connectivity conditions. This can make it convenient for teams already using Google Workspace. Sheets can also open and export Excel files, but a conversion or round trip between formats may affect features, formatting, or formulas. Important files should be checked after conversion rather than assumed to be identical.

Core skills transfer well: a cell reference still points to a cell, a filter still narrows a list, and a chart still represents data. However, names of commands, supported features, and function behavior are not perfectly interchangeable. A course in one program gives you a foundation, not a guarantee that every instruction will work unchanged in the other. If your team relies on shared templates, ask which application and file format are the standard before choosing a course.

Choose a training format that suits you

There is no single best format. A self-paced video course can suit someone who wants to pause, repeat a demonstration, and learn around a busy schedule. A live online class or in-person workshop offers a chance to ask questions and get feedback on a task. A book or written tutorial can be useful as a reference, while short lessons can help when you need to learn one specific feature quickly.

Consider how much support you need and what you will use after the course. Before enrolling, check:

Application and level: Does it teach Excel or Sheets, and does the material match your starting point?
Practice: Are there downloadable workbooks, exercises, or projects rather than demonstrations alone?
Feedback: Can you ask an instructor questions or check your work against solutions?
Currency: Does the course identify its software version and note when instructions may differ?
Accessibility and schedule: Are captions, transcripts, flexible timing, or a suitable class time available?

A brief introductory lesson or sample module can reveal whether the teaching style works for you. Do not choose by course length alone: a concise course with deliberate practice may be more useful than many hours of passive viewing.

Build skills in a practical order

A steady learning sequence makes new features easier to understand. Begin by entering and editing data, selecting ranges, resizing columns, and applying readable number formats. Learn the difference between formatting a value and changing the underlying value; making a cell display as a date, for example, does not necessarily fix incorrectly entered date data.

Next, practise organizing a clean table. Give each column a clear heading, keep one kind of information in each column, and avoid blank rows or merged cells inside the data area when you plan to sort or analyse it. Then learn basic calculations and references. Understanding relative and fixed references is important when copying a calculation down a column; otherwise, a copied formula may refer to the wrong cells.

After the foundations, study sorting, filters, and ways to check input. Then move on to conditional formatting, charts, and pivot tables. Learn to verify results by checking a small example or comparing a total with a known value. Finally, consider advanced analysis, automation, or collaboration features if your regular work calls for them. You do not need every advanced tool to become effective with spreadsheets.

Practise on work you recognize

Practice is where instruction becomes usable skill. Choose a small, non-sensitive dataset related to a real task: a reading list, event registrations, household inventory, or a sample sales log. Use fictional or public information for exercises rather than copying confidential customer, employee, or financial records into a personal account or an unfamiliar training service.

For example, a simple event-registration sheet could have columns for attendee, registration date, ticket type, and payment status. You could format the dates consistently, filter to show unpaid registrations, count attendees by ticket type, and create a chart of registrations by week. A further exercise might use a pivot table to summarize the records by ticket type. The goal is not to make the sheet elaborate; it is to practise a complete workflow and check that each summary agrees with the underlying rows.

After completing a tutorial, try rebuilding the result without following every click. Change the data and ask a new question. If the lesson groups monthly totals, try grouping by category instead. This helps distinguish understanding from memorizing a sequence of commands. Keep a small practice file with a notes tab describing the source, assumptions, and any cleanup you performed.

How to choose Excel, Sheets, or both

Choose the tool that matches the files and collaboration habits of the people you work with. If an employer provides Excel templates or asks for Excel workbooks, Excel training is the direct starting point. If a group maintains shared browser-based documents in Google Workspace, Sheets may be the more relevant first choice. For school or personal projects, availability, account access, and the format required by others can settle the question.

Learning both can be worthwhile when you receive files in both formats or move between organizations. Start with one application and learn transferable concepts before studying the second. Then practise opening, editing, and checking a copy of a workbook in the other program. Pay particular attention to pivot tables, charts, data validation, formatting, and formulas, since a feature that looks similar may not behave exactly the same after conversion.

Do not assume that one application is universally better. The right choice depends on the work, the people who need access, the features a workbook uses, and any requirements for storing or sharing information. Asking your team which version they support is often more useful than comparing feature lists in isolation.

Costs, certificates, and realistic expectations

Training may be free, included with an employer or school, sold as a one-time course, or provided through a paid learning subscription. Prices and access terms change, so compare the current offer, renewal rules, refund conditions, and whether practice files or instructor support are included. A free tutorial can teach a specific task, while a paid class may add structure or feedback; cost by itself does not establish quality.

Some providers issue a certificate of completion. That generally indicates that you completed their course, not that every employer recognizes it as a professional qualification. If a job posting asks for a particular credential, verify the issuing organization and the exact assessment it requires. For many roles, being able to demonstrate a relevant spreadsheet task is more informative than listing a course title alone.

Progress depends on your starting point, practice time, and the complexity of your work. You can learn basic formatting and simple analysis relatively quickly, but building dependable reports or troubleshooting large workbooks takes continued practice. A training plan should set a practical goal, such as cleaning a list or producing a summary, instead of promising instant expertise.

Common training problems and how to avoid them

One frequent problem is watching lessons without doing the exercises. A demonstration can feel clear while the instructor controls the screen, yet become difficult when you have to choose the right range or diagnose an error yourself. Pause regularly and reproduce each step in a practice copy. If the result differs, check the selected cells, data types, and references before repeating the entire lesson.

Another problem is learning shortcuts or menu locations from a different version. A Windows Excel demonstration may not match Excel for Mac or Excel for the web exactly. Sheets lessons in a browser also do not necessarily map to Excel menus. Check the course’s stated environment, and use application-specific help when a command is missing. Avoid treating an unfamiliar button as proof that your software is broken.

Messy data can also make a lesson seem harder than it is. Extra spaces, inconsistent labels, blank rows, and mixed date formats can disrupt sorting or summaries. Learn to inspect and clean a small sample before applying a technique to a full dataset. Keep an untouched copy of important source data so that you can compare it with the cleaned version.

Finally, do not treat a plausible-looking result as automatically correct. Check totals, test a filter, and examine a few underlying records. Be especially careful when spreadsheets support business decisions or contain personal information: control access, follow your organization’s storage rules, and do not share a file publicly just to make collaboration easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Excel training useful if I already know Google Sheets?
Yes, especially if work or study requires Excel files. Your knowledge of tables, references, charts, and analysis will carry over, but you should practise Excel-specific menus and check any features that behave differently. The reverse applies to an Excel user learning Sheets.

Can I learn Excel and Google Sheets at the same time?
You can, but beginners often find it clearer to learn one program first. Once you understand core spreadsheet concepts, compare how the other program handles the same task. This reduces confusion between similar-looking commands and helps you see which skills transfer.

How long does it take to learn spreadsheets?
It depends on your goal and how often you practise. Basic data entry, formatting, and sorting take less learning than building a dependable report or automating a workflow. Set a specific task as your target and judge progress by whether you can complete and check it independently.

Do I need a paid course to learn Excel or Sheets?
No. Free lessons and practice can be enough for many goals. A paid course may be useful if it offers a clear sequence, feedback, exercises, or a credential you specifically need. Review its syllabus and terms before paying.

Will an Excel workbook always work the same in Google Sheets?
No. Sheets can open and export Excel files, but some features, formatting, or formulas may change during conversion. For an important workbook, keep the original, convert a copy, and check calculations and presentation in the destination program.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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