# You Suck at Excel

• Excel uses R1C1 mode internally. Columns are numbered, not lettered, and relative references are much more clearly differentiated from absolute references.
• Use a $ to lock a relative reference on a given axis, like $A1or $R$5.
• Paste values pastes without formatting or formulas.
• & for string concatenation.
• Ctrl+D to fill downward.
• Select a range before entering data, so the Enter key moves you exactly where you want to go.
• ⌘A selects outwards until it hits white space, so it’s a good way to select tables.
• Ctrl+backtick switches between formulas being hidden/visible.
• ' to insert text (tell Excel not to interpret the following as a number, for example).
• Name cells to avoid intractable formulas.
• vlookup is slow! Use index(match()) instead.
• Use tables instead of loose groupings of rows.
• Goal seek allows you to set a value by changing something else.
• Use pivot tables to answer arbitrary questions or perform summarization on a table of data.

Lots of useful nuggets in here, but there’s a weird adversarial, edgy vibe going on. Maybe some sort of inside joke about Google Sheets?

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