Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet program. It is often used by businesses to track expenses and income. It can also be used by individuals to make charts, do math and statistical problems, and organize data.
Even if you’ve never used Excel before, it’s easy to learn. Many people train themselves to use Excel by reading tutorials on Reddit. Many others learn by watching YouTube videos.
There are many free and paid professional Excel classes as well. These courses often give you much more guidance about learning Excel.
Featured Programs
Disclaimer: Some courses may include an affiliate link. Courses were chosen first based on the methodology with affiliate links only added after the ranking was complete.
Some of the best online Excel training programs have a fee associated with them. However, if you’re serious about Microsoft Excel training, a paid course might provide you the best opportunity to learn.
In this article, we outline ten of the best online Excel courses to help you get started.
Methodology to Determine the Best Online Courses for Excel
Choosing which Excel courses are best for you can be hard. There are many options to choose from, including free and paid courses. Having so many options can be a little confusing.
Some courses are designed for beginners. Others are geared towards people that have some experience with Excel. It’s important to know what level of learning you need.
Some Excel online training is more highly rated than others. Courses that have a track record of quality can give you peace of mind that you’ve chosen the Excel training that’s best for you.
Lastly, some free online Excel trainings (and paid ones, for that matter) offer more flexibility to complete the course than others. This is an important factor to consider because strict timelines might not suit your needs.
With all this in mind, we’ve ranked the top 10 Excel courses according to the following criteria:
- Affordability
- Learning Level
- Course Ratings
- Flexibility
Below are more details about each of these ranking criteria.
Affordability
No matter your reason for learning Excel, you want your money to go as far as possible.
Fortunately, there are many free online Excel classes you can choose. Many of the paid Excel courses are also very budget-friendly with a small fee to take the class.
Either way, affordability is often the biggest factor for students’ seeking opportunities to take online classes.
This criterion is scored as follows:
- Free: 5 points
- Under $10: 4 points
- $11-20: 3 points
- $21-30: 2 points
- Over $30: 1 point
Learning Level
Most free online Excel courses are geared toward beginners. Paid courses are usually more advanced, with a greater level of information throughout the course.
Beginner courses definitely have their worth. However, advanced courses hold more weight in our rankings. This is because advanced courses take more time to plan. They also require more detailed lessons and activities. Students in advanced Excel classes gain more knowledge and skills, too.
This criterion is scored as follows:
- Advanced: 3 points
- Intermediate: 2 points
- Beginner: 1 point
Course Ratings
When selecting the best online Excel course, it’s important to consider the experiences of learners that came before you.
Most Excel trainings have ratings from previous students that give you insight into the quality of the course. While ratings from other students shouldn’t be the only criterion you use to determine a course’s worth, they can help you “peek behind the curtain.” That is, ratings give you real-world feedback on a course before you enroll.
This criterion is scored as follows:
- 5 stars: 4 points
- 4.5+ stars: 3 points
- 4+ stars: 2 points
- 3.5+ stars: 1 point
- No ratings: 0 points
Flexibility
Learning a new skill takes time. For most of us, extra time isn’t in great supply. This means that many people looking for the best online Excel training want courses that offer flexible learning.
Some courses require just a few hours of study that can be done at your own pace. Others are much more involved with specific deadlines over several weeks or even several months. Yet others offer accelerated learning experiences that cut down on the total time of the course.
The key to this part of our methodology is whether learning can be done at your own pace. The more freedom students are given to complete the class (i.e., full-time, part-time, accelerated courses), the higher the ranking.
This criterion is scored as follows:
- Highly flexible: 2 points
- Moderate flexibility: 1 point
- Low flexibility: 0 points
Ranking the Best Online Courses for Excel
#10: VBA Class
The VBA class is structured with real-world examples that assist you in learning how to use macros in Excel.
This is one of the most comprehensive Excel classes online and takes you from beginner to expert in using VBAs to automate data organization and analysis.
This structured program includes discussions of useful theories for using VBAs. You’ll learn how to automate data analysis. You also gain the skills needed to create reports and models from data.
Topics in this VBA course include:
- How to create advanced user forms
- Understanding loops and conditions
- How to write VBA code
- Working with cells and ranges
- How to debug your code
This class is offered by Chandoo.org and includes 13 weeks of lessons. You get six months’ access to the online classroom (with the entry-level paid option) as well as a free e-book on how to make charts in Excel. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Points: 4
Affordability: Fees vary, but start at $97 (at the time of this writing).
Learning Level: Intermediate
Rating: None
Flexibility: Moderately flexible. Membership gets you at least six months’ access, but 12 months’ access at the most. Though learning is self-paced, it must be completed within the timeframe associated with your membership level.
#9: Data Visualization With Charts & Graphs
As the name indicates, this class is solely focused on how to use charts and graphs in Excel.
With detailed course materials to guide you, you’ll learn how to harness the power of the data visualization tools Excel has to offer. Not only that, but you’ll learn which tools are best for what kind of data.
This course gives you interactive lessons with hands-on demos to help you solidify your understanding of the lesson content. There are also learning exercises with each lesson that give you a chance to put your learning to the test.
Topics you explore in this Excel training include:
- Bar charts and column chart
- Line charts and trend lines
- Pie charts and donut charts
- Tree maps and sunbursts
- Heat maps and contour charts
These topics are explored in a series of more than a dozen Excel demos. Demonstrations are adapted from actual data used by Excel experts.
Data Visualization With Charts & Graphs is offered by Excel Maven and is geared towards existing Excel users that want to enhance their skillset. You get downloadable project files and other resources. This includes course quizzes and homework exercises. There is a fee for the course, but you get lifetime access to all content. There is also a 100% money-back guarantee.
Points: 5
Affordability: $29.00 (at the time of this writing).
Learning Level: Beginner
Rating: None
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Learning is self-paced, and with lifetime access, you can take as long as you wish to complete the course. Most lessons are under 10 minutes in length for easy consumption of information.
#8: Problem Solving With Excel
In this beginner class, you will learn how to use Excel to solve complex problems, specifically those that most often occur in business settings.
To begin, you will learn the essential features and functions of Excel. This is done through guided demonstrations so you can see exactly how to approach problem solving as the teacher has done it.
Lessons build on one another and help you practice what you’ve learned. The capstone project at the end of the course allows you to demonstrate the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired in the class.
Along the way, you’ll learn how to use:
- vLookups
- Data cleansing
- Logical functions
- Pivot Tables
- Advanced formulas
Offered on Coursera in partnership with PwC, this is one of the best online Excel courses thanks to its focus on specific problem-solving methods. It is a 100% online course with flexible deadlines to meet your specific needs. There are course videos, readings, and quizzes. You also get a certificate once you complete the training.
Points: 7
Affordability: Enrollment is free, but fees are associated with some features of the class. Fees are generally around $50, but vary. Other costs might be involved as well. Learn more about Coursera pricing.
Learning Level: Beginner
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (out of 3,510 ratings)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Not only are the lessons short, but you also get lifetime access to them. There are about 13 hours of work to complete using deadlines of your choosing.
#7: Excel Skills for Business Specialization
Focused on using Excel in business situations, this course teaches you how to use the Excel interface with confidence. You also learn how to use formulas and functions to perform basic calculations.
Students in this course also learn how to format spreadsheets. You gain the skills needed to create charts and graphs to represent data in visual form, too.
This is one of the best online Excel trainings because it is a beginner-level course that takes you step-by-step through the basics. Whether you’ve never used Excel before or just need a refresher, you will learn all the essentials you need for success.
Other learning topics in this course include:
- Basic Excel terms
- How to enter basic data
- How to write formulas and functions
- Formatting and styling spreadsheets
- Spreadsheet management
This is the first course in a four-part series of beginner to advanced courses offered by Coursera. This class offers flexible learning, but it is suggested that the class be completed in six weeks. There are approximately 18 hours of work involved in this class.
Points: 7
Affordability: Enrollment is free, but fees are associated with some features of the class. Fees are generally around $50, but vary. Other costs might be involved as well. Learn more about Coursera pricing.
Learning Level: Beginner
Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (based on 6,089 ratings)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Students can set their own deadlines and reset them as needed. Most lessons are less than 10 minutes in length, which makes completing the lessons easier.
#6: Managing and Analyzing Data in Excel
This intermediate Excel training aims to help you make sense of large amounts of data. You will do this by learning how to organize data and use data analysis tools in Excel.
Using functions, you’ll see how to sort and filter data. You are also schooled in how to work with tables. Additionally, this Excel online training touches on eliminating duplicate data and how to isolate data using functions.
On top of that, you’ll acquire skills to :
- Convert lists to tables
- Sort data using multiple keys
- Create automatic subtotals
- Create custom filters
- Use the aggregate function
Using the knowledge and skills you gain from this course, you will be able to manage huge amounts of data. Furthermore, you will have the know-how to glean the most important information from data sets in a short amount of time.
Offered by LinkedIn in partnership with Lynda.com, this course is just over 2.5 hours in length, yet jam-packed with information. Enrollment is free for 30 days.
Points: 7
Affordability: Enrollment is free, but fees of at least $19.99 per month apply after the initial one-month free trial. Try a free trial for Linkedin Learning.
Learning Level: Intermediate
Rating: None
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Students learn at their own pace. Individual lessons are just minutes in length, making it easy to complete each task when you have time to do so.
#5: Excel 2016
This free online Excel training is a broad overview of Excel 2016’s features and functionalities. It is designed for beginners. However, users with more experience might find it useful as a refresher course.
There are six modules in this class. Each one has multiple lessons on specific topics. This includes how to get started with Excel and how to use Microsoft’s OneDrive. You’ll also learn how to create, save, and share workbooks.
Other topics of study in this course are:
- Working with cells and sheets
- Using formulas and functions
- Sorting, filtering, and grouping data
- Using Pivot Tables
- Using what-if analyses
This free online Excel course offered by GCF Global also includes many extras. There are free resources that help you learn more about using Excel. There are also many videos with the course that can be accessed for free on YouTube.
Points: 8
Affordability: Free (at the time of this writing).
Learning Level: Beginner
Rating: None
Flexibility: Highly flexible. With free access to course materials, you can complete the lessons according to your schedule. Each lesson is designed to be finished in a few minutes time for easier course completion.
#4: Microsoft Excel: Basic – Advanced
This course helps novice Excel users become experts. Beginning with the basics and ending with advanced topics, you’ll learn all the skills you need to use Excel effectively in real-world situations.
The focus of this Excel training is on building practical skills. You will learn how to be a better user of Excel. You also develop skills that enable you to complete tasks faster.
Students learn the Excel interface and how to use statistical functions to carrying out formulas.
In fact, you learn advanced skills such as:
- How to sort and filter data
- How to create and format Pivot Tables
- How to use data validation to restrict data entry
- How to customize page setup options for printing
Additionally, this course includes personalized learning and premium video tutorials. You can learn on the go with your phone too. Instruction is provided by award-winning teachers.
You can take this Excel online training through GoSkills. It involves about 26 hours of work. An Excel certification is offered after successful completion of the class.
Points: 9
Affordability: $39.00 (at the time of this writing)
Learning Level: Beginner to advanced (scored as advanced)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 1,565 ratings)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Students can work at their own pace to complete each micro lesson. Lessons take about 30 minutes to complete.
#3: Excel Master Class – Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts
By the end of this master course, you will know how to use Pivot Tables for data analysis. Furthermore, you’ll be able to use Pivot Tables to summarize large amounts of data.
This is the third course in the series. It is for advanced students. The course outcomes listed below align with the Microsoft exam 70-779 on analyzing and visualizing data with Microsoft Excel.
You can expect to learn the following in this Microsoft Excel training:
- How to create Pivot Tables
- How to aggregate and group data
- How to create a trend analysis
- How to filter pivot tables
- How to analyze data using contribution analysis
Additionally, this class covers frequency analysis and conditional formatting. You’ll also be introduced to Interactive Dashboards and Power BI.
This training is offered by Udemy. The course includes 11 articles and 4.5 hours of on-demand video. There are also 6 downloadable resources. You get full lifetime access as well as a certificate of completion when you finish the course.
Points: 9
Affordability: $99.99 (at the time of this writing).
Learning Level: Advanced
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (out of 56 ratings)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. With lifetime access, you can work at your own pace. Many lessons are less than five minutes in length for quick learning when you have time.
#2: Microsoft Excel – From Beginner to Expert in 6 Hours
This is one of the best Excel courses online because of the breadth of information it contains. You start by learning the fundamentals of using Excel. Then, over the course of 75 video lectures, you acquire advanced skills that make you an Excel expert.
Another reason why this class is ranked as one of the top Excel classes online is that it was developed by a Microsoft Certified Master Instructor. That instructor, Todd McLeod, has more than 20 years of experience teaching people how to use Excel.
Because of McLeod’s expertise, this course is laser-focused on the important components you need to learn. Learning targets include:
- How to enter and edit data
- How to use tools like sorting, filtering, and subtotaling
- How to transpose data
- How to format worksheets
- How to adjust the way data is displayed in Excel
You also learn how to integrate Excel with Microsoft Word. Printing and sharing in Excel are further topics of discussion.
This Microsoft Excel training offered by Udemy is broken down into 75 short video lessons. All told, about 6.5 hours of instruction is included. There are also 63 downloadable resources. Students get lifetime access to the course as well.
Points: 10
Affordability: $24.99 (at the time of this writing).
Learning Level: Beginner to advanced (ranked as advanced)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (out of 11,661 ratings)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. This course is designed for students to learn at their own pace. Video lectures are available on demand, and individual lessons are short. Lifetime access gives you all the time you need to complete the course.
#1: Excel Essentials: The Complete Excel Series – Level 1, 2 & 3
This Microsoft Excel training is a series of lessons that take you from absolute beginner to Excel expert.
Level 1 is a base course that introduces you to the program and gets you familiar with Excel’s tools and features. Level 2 takes you into more advanced territory with more than six hours of course materials that cover custom formatting, data importing, and creating named ranges. The third and final level includes 11.5 hours of coursework, including 3.5 bonus hours of students’ questions answered.
All told, this course includes 26.5 hours of on-demand video and 116 downloadable resources. You get full lifetime access to the course and can access the course on mobile or TV. With the successful completion of this course, you get a certificate to verify your new skills.
Specifically, this course teaches you how to:
- Build your own spreadsheets from scratch
- Create relational databases
- Automate report generation
- Build your own simple and complex formulas
This course is offered by Udemy and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Points: 12
Affordability: $9.99 (at the time of this writing)
Learning Level: Beginner to advanced (scored as advanced)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 10,901 ratings)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Students can work at their own pace. The course is structured, so it does not have to be completed all at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I teach myself Excel?
Yes! Learning how to use Excel simply requires time, effort, and hard work. You can teach yourself the basics of Excel, and as your skills grow, you can move onto intermediate topics. And once you’ve mastered those, you can teach yourself advanced Excel skills.
Teaching yourself gives you the flexibility to learn what you want, when you want. You can also work at your own pace using the resources of your choosing. You have to be very diligent in your work and adhere to deadlines you create. By establishing clear goals, you can help yourself stay on track to complete your studies of Excel in a timely fashion.
There are hundreds of free online Excel trainings to guide you, too. Many of these free resources are basic, but intermediate and advanced options can be found as well.
For a deeper level of learning, taking one of the many paid Excel classes online isn’t a bad idea. These courses are usually very flexible and allow you to work at your own pace. With materials like video tutorials, articles, and downloadable assets, you can extend your learning even further than what you can do on your own.
Free or paid Excel classes online often provide the structure that many students need. Though learning on your own is an option, having specific lessons to follow can be advantageous for many learners. However, teaching yourself how to use Excel can give you a great sense of accomplishment, and it’s hard to beat the flexibility of making the decisions of what to learn for yourself.
What is the best free online Excel course for beginners?
While there are many excellent free online Excel courses for beginners, only one truly free course made this list. That course is Excel 2016 from GCF Global. In fact, it ranked as number five on our list ahead of several paid courses (and others that have free enrollment with fees later on).
Aside from being a free online Excel training, this course has the advantage of covering multiple topics for Excel beginners. As noted above, the class begins with a “how to get started in Excel” lesson. From there, it builds to more advanced topics (though these more advanced topics are still at the beginner level). If you’re looking for a broad overview of critical Excel features and functions, this might be the class for you.
Is there advanced training for Excel online?
Absolutely! There are free and paid Excel trainings online that you can use to learn more advanced skills.
In some instances, courses have a mixture of beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons. These types of courses are ideal for new Excel users that need to first build foundational skills, and then learn how to use Excel for advanced tasks.
However, if you already have experience with Excel and want to expand your skillset, individual advanced classes can be found on many different websites. Looking at our rankings above, you can see that the top four courses are either advanced or mixed classes that include advanced coursework.
What is the difference between learning Excel online and learning it in an in-person class?
There are many differences between learning Excel online and learning it in a normal classroom setting.
First, online learning is often much more flexible. You can learn at your own pace. You can also often choose what topics you learn and when. Additionally, you can choose between free and paid Excel classes online.
Secondly, online learning is often less expensive than traditional classroom learning. As already noted, many Microsoft Excel trainings are free. Many more paid courses are budget-friendly too.
Third, online learning lets you learn Excel from anywhere. Since there is no need to drive to a specific place, you can continue your learning when you travel. Likewise, when you’re at home sick or when other things might prevent you from attending a typical class, online learning is available.
Lastly, today’s online courses offer students many resources for learning. This includes video tutorials and lessons. Online courses often have interactive components too. This might be message boards where you can chat with other students.
In-person classes offer face-to-face contact that online courses might not. Likewise, taking an Excel course from an accredited college or university can be advantageous for earning credits toward a degree.
Fortunately, most colleges and universities offer online Excel courses. This means you can get the benefits of online learning while earning credit towards a degree.
What is the advantage of Excel training with a certificate?
There are many benefits to getting a certificate in Excel.
First, a certificate is a way to show your skills. It gives your resume a boost by showing that you have taken action to learn more. A certificate also demonstrates that you have completed a course in Excel.
Second, getting a certificate gives helps you compete for jobs. Employers tend to hire employees that can prove they have certain skills. Certification is one way of doing that.
Third, if you complete a certification course, you can test your Excel skills. Instead of just learning new skills, certification requires that you apply what you’ve learned. Again, potential employers are more likely to hire you if you can prove you have Excel expertise.
Finally, if you complete a formal Microsoft Certification Course, you might make more money. This professional certification proves that you have completed specific learning targets. Furthermore, Microsoft Certification Courses require that you master specific skills in Excel. This is important when applying for jobs because employers will be drawn to your application because of the certification.
What is the best online Excel training with a certificate?
Many excellent online Excel trainings offer a certificate. Based on our rankings, though, the top option is Excel Essentials: The Complete Excel Series – Levels 1, 2, and 3. There are many reasons why this class is the best option for online Excel training with a certificate.
First, the course is comprehensive, so even if you have zero experience with Excel, you can learn basic skills. From there, you can explore intermediate and advanced topics that make you an expert in using this program.
Second, the course is extremely affordable at just $9.99 at the time of this writing. Compared to other fee-based courses on this list, this price represents huge savings.
Third, there are excellent tools that come with this class. This includes well over 100 downloadable resources to extend your ability to learn and grow as an Excel user. There are nearly 30 hours of on-demand video and hours and hours of question and answer videos to further your learning.
Lastly, this course offers lifetime access, so you can take your time working through its lessons. Alternatively, if you need to come back to the course to refresh your understanding of specific topics, you can do that for life.
Are there free online Excel classes with a certificate?
Problem Solving With Excel, which is ranked number eight on our list, offers a certificate and free enrollment. However, there are fees associated with the course later on, so this doesn’t exactly meet the criteria of being a free course and offering a certificate.
Likewise, though there are three other courses on our list that offer certifications, none of the courses are free. These trainings range in price from $9.99 up to $99.00.
Searching for free online Excel classes with a certificate doesn’t yield any results, either. Most “free” Excel courses that offer a certificate require you to pay fees at some point, even if enrollment is free. If you really want or need a certificate, you’ll need to find a fee-based course to take.
Which Excel course is best for my resume?
The best Excel course for your resume depends on the type of job you want.
For example, if you want to be a bookkeeper, an advanced Excel course is a good idea. Our top entry, Excel Essentials: The Complete Excel Series – Level 1, 2, and 3, would work well. This is because bookkeepers need to be able to create spreadsheets. They also must be able to track and organize a lot of information. Advanced Excel courses allow you to do just that.
However, if you need basic Excel skills for an entry-level office position, a beginner or intermediate course might be enough.
Take, for example, the sixth entry on our list, Managing and Analyzing Data in Excel. This is an intermediate course that focuses on organizing, sorting, and examining data. As an office assistant, you might need to be able to create simple tables. Being able to sort data using filters and perform basic calculations like generating sums and subtotals is helpful too. This course helps you learn those skills and more.
As another example, if you’re applying for a job that requires a lot of data analysis, a specific Excel course might be needed. The third entry on our list, Excel Master Class – Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts, is a good example. As noted earlier, this is an advanced course that focuses on aggregating group data. You also learn how to perform trend analysis. These are not skills that every job requires. However, employers in data analysis will look for this knowledge in their applicants.
Again, the more you tailor your Microsoft Excel training to the type of job you wish to have, the more effective it will be in impressing employers.
Which Excel course is best for business applications?
The seventh entry on our list – Excel Skills for Business Specialization – is a great choice. This course starts small and helps you learn basic Excel terms. You also learn how to use the Excel interface, so it’s a great beginner course.
More importantly, the skills you gain in this online Excel course are especially useful in business. Not only do you learn how to do complex calculations, but you also learn how to format data. Additionally, you learn how to manage spreadsheets to organize lots of data.
This step-by-step course is easy to follow and done completely online. It’s relatively short, too. With about 18 hours of coursework, this class can be completed in a few weeks working just a few minutes a day. That makes it a great option for business owners that don’t have time to take an intensive class.
What is the best Excel course for finance?
Many Excel courses are specifically designed for application in the finance industry. Many of these courses are offered completely online, and while most are fee-based, you can find some free Excel courses for finance.
Though it didn’t make our list of rankings, Udemy’s Beginner to Pro in Excel: Financial Modeling and Valuation is an excellent option. This course takes you on a tour of the most common features of Excel. You also learn how to use advanced features related to finance.
For example, this course teaches you how to build profit and loss statements, and do so from raw data. Additionally, you master the technique of building cash flow statements.
Other advanced topics include how to build valuation models and how to assign value to a company. You also learn how to create models with multiple outcomes and design eye-catching visuals to present professionally.
This class is a bestseller on Udemy and has a rating of 4.5 stars based on 16,749. The course is affordable, too, at just $9.99 at the time of this writing.
Are there free Excel training courses directly from Microsoft?
Microsoft does not offer any free online Excel training. However, they do have an Excel Help Center with hundreds of tips, tricks, and tutorials on how to master excel.
The Help Center has an easy-to-use search function so you can find specific resources to answer your questions. It also has resources divided into common categories, such as:
- Rows, columns, and cells
- Formulas and functions
- Formatting
- Tables and charts
- Pivot Tables
The Help Center also offers many different video tutorials. These tutorials focus mostly on basic functions of Excel. This is a great option for new Excel users who need to get familiar with Excel.
Microsoft provides users with hundreds of Excel templates, too. By using templates, you can quickly get your project started. These templates also assist you in organizing your data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand manner.
While these resources from Microsoft are not complete courses, their tutorials are in-depth. They are also easy to understand and easy to access. In fact, Microsoft sponsors a monthly video series on Excel. In the series, you can learn about existing features, what’s new, and features that will be released in the future.
OCR Staff
December 2019
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