Learning roadmap for Excel for Mac 2011

Follow this roadmap of training and Help topics to learn how to use Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011 in a systematic, step-by-step approach.

1. Become familiar with Excel

Title Description
Video: What’s new in Excel for Mac 2011 Download this series of videos that provide a short introduction to some of the new and important features in Excel for Mac 2011.
Video: Excel for Mac 2011 Basics Whether you’re brand new to Excel for Mac 2011 or need a refresher, download this series of videos that provide an overview of essential concepts to help you become productive quickly.
Tutorial: Excel Basics Download this .pdf for a step-by-step tutorial covering the same concepts as in the Excel basics video, only using text and images.
Video: Up to speed with the Office for Mac ribbon Get familiar with the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 ribbon, which combines the Formatting Palette and Elements Gallery from previous versions of Office, giving you quick and convenient access to the features and tools that you use the most.
Start with a template to create a new document Learn how to find templates for budgets, lists, reports and more by using the Excel Workbook Gallery.

2. Work with sheets and data

Title Description
Insert or delete cells, rows, columns, or sheets Work with cells, rows, and columns.
Copy and paste specific cell contents Use the Paste Special command to copy and paste special cell contents or attributes.
Freeze column headings for easy scrolling Keep column headings visible while you scroll.
Adjust the column size to see everything Change the width of columns so that you can see all the data in cells.
Show or hide sheets Display only those sheets that you want to appear in your workbook.
Protect a sheet Prevent unauthorized changes, moves, or deletions of important data.
Highlight patterns and trends with conditional formatting Change the appearance of cells based on certain criteria, for example, all cell values in the top 10% of a range.

3. Work with functions, formulas, and lists

Title Description
Enter a formula Learn the elements of a formula as well as how to enter a formula on a sheet.
Tutorial: Get Started with Formulas and Functions Download this .pdf and create and use simple formulas and functions to do basic mathematical calculations.
Calculation operators and order of operations Learn about the different kinds of operators (for example, +, -, /, and *) and the order in which they are applied.
Switch between relative and absolute references Learn the difference between relative and absolute cell references and how to switch between them.
Have Excel complete your lists Automatically complete common lists, such as the months of the year or the days of the week.
Tutorial: Sort and Filter Lists Download this .pdf and learn to arrange a list alphabetically or numerically, and filter a list to show specific items.
Video: Manage your data with Excel Tables Use Excel tables to quickly sort, filter, and format worksheet data.

4. Work with charts and graphics

Title Description
Create a chart Learn the basics of charts, including the elements of a chart, which chart is appropriate for your data, and how to apply chart layouts and styles.
Edit data in a chart Add chart and axis titles, change the axis scale, add data labels, and more.
Add error bars or up/down bars to a chart Use error bars to indicate potential error amounts in relation to each data point.
Video: Spot trends with sparklines Watch this short video overview on how to use sparklines, which are small charts inside of cells, to reveal data trends.
Add or replace a picture Add pictures or clip art to a worksheet by using the Media Browser.

5. Analyze, share, and collaborate

Title Description
Video: Summarize your data with Pivot Tables Watch this short overview on how to use Pivot Tables to quickly summarize and analyze large amounts of data.
Create a PivotTable Learn the two different ways to create a Pivot Table and how to use the Pivot Table Builder to add, move, and arrange fields.
Video: Access your workbooks anywhere Watch this short video overview on how to open and edit workbooks that are saved on Windows Live SkyDrive directly from Excel for Mac 2011.
Predict data trends Create a projection based on an existing series of data.
Save a document to SharePoint or SkyDrive Use Excel for Mac 2011 to check out a SharePoint file so that only you can make changes.

6. Explore other useful resources

Title Description
Interactive: Can't find it in Office for Mac 2011? Use this visual, interactive guide to find where Excel 2008 commands are located in Excel 2011.
Excel keyboard shortcuts See the full list of keyboard shortcuts, organized into logical categories.
Customize the ribbon Rearrange, show, and hide tabs on the ribbon.
Known issues in Excel 2011 See a list of known issues as well as potential workarounds.

See also

What’s new in Excel for Mac 2011

Excel for Mac 2011 Training

Technical support options

 
 
Applies to:
Excel for Mac 2011