Microsoft Excel Essentials

  • Free
  • Paid certificate
  • Course certificate
  • Beginner
Provider
Alison
Cost
Free
Certificate
Paid
Level
Beginner
Format
Self-paced
Language
English
Subjects
Excel
Source
Alison
Last verified
14 Sep 2026

A video-led introduction to Excel for people starting from nothing. The course opens with launching the program, opening and saving workbooks and personalising the interface, then explains how a spreadsheet works and how to enter numbers, text and dates and adjust the view. The second half turns to calculation: basic formulas, the essentials of lookup and logical functions, handling times and dates, and creating graphs and charts from your data.

Alison rates it Beginner Level, lists an average duration of 3 to 4 hours, and notes that the modules contain video; it is self-paced, available in English and CPD-accredited, with an assessment at the end. The course is free to study in full. As with other Alison courses, the certificate offered at the end is an optional purchase in digital or printed form; if you do not want to pay, a free Learner Record documents your completion.

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What you’ll learn

  • Launch Excel, open and save workbooks and personalise the interface
  • Enter numbers, dates and text and adjust the worksheet view
  • Write basic formulas
  • Use the essential lookup and logical functions
  • Work with times and dates
  • Create graphs and charts from your data

Who it’s for

Complete beginners who want a current Excel introduction with charts and lookup functions included; more experienced users will find it too basic.

Source: Alison (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change

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