Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful tools out there for number-crunching. While there are alternatives to Microsoft's Office suite, you may be comfortable with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint if you've been using them for a long time. Thankfully, you can carry over the same level of comfort when using Office on your smartphone. I recently tried using Microsoft Excel's mobile version since I had to get some work done on the go. I was initially apprehensive, since Excel works best with a keyboard and mouse. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the end of it, since Microsoft has attempted to make Excel quite intuitive on mobile.

So, if you recently picked up an Office 2024 license, or you got an Office 365 subscription free with your laptop and want to take a look at some spreadsheets while you wait for your flight, here are a few ways you can improve your experience when using Excel on a mobile device.

5 Easy access to the function library

Use formulas with ease

One of the most vital aspects of Excel is using mathematical functions and formulas to perform calculations. Whether you want to add the contents of two cells or use trigonometric functions, Excel has dedicated formulas for everything. All of these functions and formulas are present in the Microsoft Excel app for mobile devices too.

All you have to do is hit the fx button next to the formula bar to access the function of your choice. Then, fill in the rest of the formula by manually adding values or selecting relevant cells with data.

4 Simple selection and navigation

No need for finger gymnastics

I initially thought navigating around Excel on a smartphone was going to be tough. While it's certainly not as straightforward as using it on a full-fledged computer, there are a few gestures that improve the experience. For example, there's a scroll handle for scrolling through large spreadsheets. This ensures you don't spend a lot of time swiping your finger on the screen.

If you want to select and make changes to a single cell in a spreadsheet, you can zoom in by pinching two fingers, just the way you would zoom into a picture. This makes it easy to edit cells, since tapping precisely on a cell in the zoomed-out mode is tough. When you select a cell, you will see two selection handles at the corners of the cell. You can drag them in any direction to select all the cells in that direction. This is useful for copying the values of multiple cells at once.

Along with these gestures, you can also emulate the way you use Excel on a PC, but by replacing the mouse cursor with your finger. For example, you can double-tap on a cell to edit its contents, move a column or row by pressing and holding on it, and even increase the width or height of a row/column by holding and dragging it from the edge.

While it does take some getting used to, navigating through spreadsheets on Excel for mobile isn't too challenging.

3 Multiple templates to get started

From budgeting to analytics

Microsoft understands that creating every element of a spreadsheet from scratch can be a chore on a device with a small screen. Hence, Excel on mobile has many templates from which to choose. Whether you want to create a workbook to track your monthly expenses or analyze the sales of your business, all you have to do is select from a bunch of available templates and fill in the relevant data.

Apart from the ease with which you can do this, another advantage is how quickly you can get work done on your smartphone. An app like Excel that requires a learning curve is suddenly more accessible on a mobile device thanks to easy-to-use templates.

2 Easy sorting and filtering

Power tools at your fingertips

If you've worked with lots of data in Excel, you will surely be aware of sorting and filtering tools on the platform. They allow you to segregate data based on certain parameters like date, weight, etc., and can be extremely helpful when working with large sets of numbers. Thankfully, Microsoft hasn't kept such tools out of the mobile version of Excel. You can select the data of your choice and apply a filter just the way you would on the full version of Excel.

Once you filter/sort the data, you can choose the parameters for which you want to apply the filter. Then, use the gestures mentioned above to peruse and adjust the spreadsheet. Another cool feature I noticed is that when you select multiple cells, the Excel app displays quick solutions at the bottom of the screen like the sum of selected cells, maximum value, average, etc. Thanks to this, you don't even have to use formulas to perform simple functions.

1 Import data from pictures

Make tables from photos

This has to be my favorite feature so far on the mobile version of Excel. As the name suggests, Excel on mobile offers the ability to click a picture from within the app to import the data straight onto your spreadsheet. I personally found this to be useful for scanning receipts or any hand-written calculations by converting them into digital form.

Simply go to the Insert section and select Data from Picture to open up the camera. Point it to any form of data and hit the shutter to import it. I do experience some issues with the formatting when clicking pictures of numbers that haven't been clearly written, but that's something you can fix manually, since the majority of the work would already be done by the app.

Data crunching at your fingertips

Whether you're a business owner, an accountant, or you work with numbers on a regular basis, I urge you to try Excel on your mobile device. I went in with a lot of apprehension too, but came out pleasantly surprised by the host of features. My dad is a chartered accountant, so Excel is his bread and butter. When I made him try the app on his phone, he also felt comfortable using it and said he sees himself using it occasionally when he's not around his computer.

Of course, the experience isn't going to be as smooth as using Excel on a PC, since there are some limitations of a small screen and the lack of a keyboard and mouse. But the good part is if you happen to bump into issues or aren't able to figure something out, the Excel app has a built-in search functionality that will tell you where a particular tool is.