For good reason, Microsoft Excel is the go-to spreadsheet application for many people. Excel offers a wealth of tools that let me manipulate, organize, analyze, and format data effectively. While it's been a staple in corporate offices, research firms, and financial institutions, I've also found Excel handy and robust for everyday use.

Whether I'm managing my household budget, keeping track of small business inventory, or helping a teacher friend with daily attendance, Excel makes these tasks more manageable and makes you more productive once you get the hang of it. So, let's dive into some tips that have helped me master Excel.

6 Resize your columns and rows

Since some fields will be larger than others, resizing helps keep everything visible

As you start entering data into your spreadsheet, you’re liable to find text and even large numbers can get cut off by the next column. There is no need to worry because you can resize those columns and rows to offer perfect visibility for everything.

1. Select the column(s) or row(s) you want to resize.
2. Choose the Format button on the Home ribbon.
3. You can auto-resize your rows and columns, specify the size, or reset to default.

5 Learn the essential functions

Functions help power users work smarter, not harder

While you could perform most calculations in Excel through arithmetic expressions, that doesn’t really count as mastering the application. You also need to learn the essential functions, at a bare minimum.

You can quickly insert a function in the formula bar using its name. Excel will help you fill out everything required for that formula.

=SUM(A2:A12)

You can also use the Function Builder in the Home ribbon to find additional functions to help up your productivity. Click the downward triangle next to the SUM function symbol, then More Functions to access it.

4 Make your font and cell formatting work for you

It’s great for visuals but also pushes the ‘Work smarter, not harder’ button

Your font and formatting make the difference between squinting to see all of your data and being able to view it quickly and easily. This means making wise choices in font, style, alignment, and more.

The Home ribbon provides quick access to many essential formatting tools, including the ability to change your font face, size, style, and alignment.

There are even more options, including custom formatting for numbers, currency, and more, that you can apply to a single cell or a selection of cells.

1. Choose the cell or cells you want to format.
2. Click Format > Cells from the menu bar.
3. The Format Cells dialog allows you to choose a formatting category (like General, Number, Currency, and more).
4. Other tabs allow you to adjust your selected cells’ alignment, font, border, fill, and protection.

3 Add data visualization design

Table and conditional formatting make your information even easier to understand at a glance

You can also apply table or conditional formatting to your cells. Table formatting can help tell different rows apart, while conditional formatting applies color, bars, or gradients depending on the values in your cells.

To format your data as a table, select the rows, columns, or range of cells you want to format.

1. Click Format as Table and choose your preferred design.
2. Choose whether your selected range contains headers in the following dialog.
3. When Excel applies the formatting, it also turns your headers into dropdown menus to sort and filter your data.

If you want to apply conditional formatting, choose the rows or columns you want to change.

1. Click Conditional Formatting.
2. The options will allow you to set rules based on your values, making your data quicker to analyze at a glance.
3. Once applied, your data is even easier to interpret quickly.

2 Easily add or remove cells, rows, or columns

When you leave out or discover new data you want to include, this beats starting over

If you’ve spent some time building your spreadsheet, filling in the data, and getting everything formatted the way you like it, your heart might sink when you realize some data needs to be inserted. Before you start cutting, copying, and pasting, remember that you can easily add or remove cells, rows, and columns.

1. Highlight the column or row near where you want to insert a new one or the row or column you want to delete.
2. Right-click the column or row heading, then click Insert or Delete.

1 Visualize your data with charts

Walls of text and numbers are difficult to understand, so turn it into an effective chart

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and a good chart is the spreadsheet equivalent of a picture of your data. Here’s how you can turn all of the data you so painstakingly entered into a chart that’s easy to understand.

1. Highlight all the data you want included in your chart.
2. Click the Insert ribbon.
3. Choose the type of chart you want to use. Excel includes a Recommended Charts button that offers several choices it detects could be suitable, or you can choose your own.
4. Once your chart is inserted, you can edit the text by clicking elements like the chart title or axis labels.
5. You can also modify your chart design by using the Chart Design ribbon. Note that this ribbon only appears when you select a chart.

Make the most of your tools by becoming a master of them

Like any tool, whether it’s software or something physical like a hammer or saw, making the most of it requires attaining a level of mastery. These tips and tricks will have you well on your way to becoming a Master "Excelsmith," if there is such a thing.