Excel beginner: entering data, ranges, sorting and filtering
A hands-on course for people new to Excel, or who use it occasionally, in any office role. No prerequisites. You'll enter IDs, dates and long numbers so Excel keeps them correctly, select and fill ranges with the mouse and keyboard, turn a range into a table with a frozen header row, sort by several levels including a custom order, and filter by values and conditions without confusing anyone who opens the file next. It complements 'Spreadsheet fundamentals for office work', which covers layout, formulas and rounding. Instructions follow Microsoft Support for Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows; menus differ slightly on Mac and the web.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 68 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Enter text, numbers, dates and IDs so Excel stores them as the right type, including leading zeros and long numbers
- Select ranges and fill cells quickly with the fill handle, Ctrl+Enter and Flash Fill
- Convert a range to an Excel table and freeze the header row
- Sort a table by several levels, including a custom order, without breaking rows
- Filter a table by values and conditions, and clear filters before sharing
Course outline
- 1.Entering text, numbers, dates and IDs as the right typeLesson · 14 min
- 2.Selecting ranges and filling cells quicklyLesson · 13 min
- 3.Converting a range to an Excel table and freezing the header rowLesson · 10 min
- 4.Sorting by several levels without breaking rowsLesson · 13 min
- 5.Filtering by values and conditions, then clearing filters before sharingLesson · 10 min
- 6.Excel beginner: entering data, ranges, sorting and filtering: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Excel beginner: entering data, ranges, sorting and filtering: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Microsoft Support: Sort data in a range or table in Excel
- Microsoft Support: Filter data in a range or table in Excel
- Microsoft Support: Create and format tables
- Microsoft Support: Fill data automatically in worksheet cells
- Microsoft Support: Using Flash Fill in Excel
- Microsoft Support: Select cell contents in Excel
- Microsoft Support: Freeze panes to lock rows and columns
- Microsoft Support: Keeping leading zeros and large numbers
- Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Excel
See it with your own jobs and topics
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