📒 Hints & Tips: Become a Google Sheets Guru

Google Sheets is a powerful tool that can help you organize and analyze your data. Whether you’re a student, a business owner, or just someone who wants to keep track of their personal finances, mastering Google Sheets can be incredibly helpful. In this article, we’ll explore some tips and resources for becoming better at using Google Sheets:

1. Take Advantage of Templates

Google Sheets offers a variety of pre-built templates that can help you get started with different types of spreadsheets. Whether you’re creating a budget, tracking your workout progress, or planning a project, there’s likely a template that can save you time and help you get organized. To access the templates, simply go to the Template Gallery in the Sheets menu.

2. Explore social media

Believe it or not, there is now a sizeable corner of social media focused on Google Sheets and other spreadsheet software. Whether TikTok, Instagram or YouTube is your preferred platform, you should be able to find an online creator sharing their top advice and bite-size tips.

3. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time when working in Google Sheets. Instead of clicking through menus or using the mouse to perform actions, you can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly navigate and edit your spreadsheet. To view a list of keyboard shortcuts in Sheets, press Ctrl + / on Windows or Cmd + / on a Mac.

4. Use Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting allows you to automatically highlight cells that meet certain criteria. For example, you could use conditional formatting to highlight cells that contain a certain keyword or value, or to highlight cells that fall within a specific range. To use conditional formatting, select the cells you want to format, then go to Format > Conditional formatting in the Sheets menu.

5. Explore Add-Ons

Google Sheets offers a variety of add-ons that can extend its functionality. For example, you can use add-ons to import data from other sources, create charts and graphs, or automate certain tasks. To view and install add-ons, go to Add-ons > Get add-ons in the Sheets menu.

6. Learn Formulas and Functions

Formulas and functions are powerful tools that can help you perform calculations and analyze your data in Google Sheets. Some common formulas and functions include SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, and IF but there are now hundreds of functions built in to Google Sheets. Check out our list of available formulas for more information.

7. Pivot Tables

Pivot tables are another powerful feature in Google Sheets that can help you summarize and analyze large amounts of data. With pivot tables, you can quickly create summaries and charts that show trends and patterns in your data that are automatically kept up to date with your source data. Pivot tables also allow you to filter and sort data without affecting the layout of the source data.

8. Community Forums

Community forums including the official Google Docs Editors Community or Stack Overflow are a great place to ask questions and get help from other users. The forums are very active and have a large user base, so you can often get answers to your questions quickly. You can also search for answers to previously asked questions