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Switching to Sheets from Excel

Differences at a glance
In the past, you might’ve used the consumer (such as Microsoft® Office® 2013) version of Microsoft® Excel®
outside of work. You’ll find many similar features, such as charts and pivot tables, and additional benefits when
you use Google Sheets.
Get Sheets:  sheets.google.com  Android app | iOS app
Feature In Excel excel In Sheets sheets
Based
on
Office
2013

Real-time Add collaborators* Add collaborators

collaboration See changes as they occur* See changes as they occur
Add and reply to comments* Add and reply to comments
Chat within the spreadsheet in real-time* Chat within the spreadsheet in real-time
*Excel
Online
only,
requires
Microsoft
account

Share your Email a copy as an attachment Email a copy as an attachment

spreadsheet Share a link in an email or chat window* Share a link in an email or chat window
Publish on the web* Publish on the web
*Excel
Online
only,
requires
Microsoft Share directly in Sheets
account Insert your Sheets file in an email
Embed in Google Sites

Set sharing 2 access levels 4 access levels

access View only View only
Edit access Edit access
*Excel
Online
only,
requires
Microsoft Comment only
account Owner (can
transfer
ownership)

Control sharing 3 ways to control visibility* 6 ways to control visibility

visibility Specific people Specific people or Google Groups
Anyone with the link Anyone with the link
Public on the web (searchable
on
the
web) Anyone in your domain with the link (not
searchable
in
Drive)
*Excel
Online
only,
requires
Microsoft Everyone in your domain (searchable
in
Drive)
account Public on the web (searchable
on
the
web)
Set sharing expiration dates

Version control Access detailed versions of your Access detailed versions of your spreadsheet
spreadsheet Revert to an earlier version
Revert to an earlier version See who made which changes
See who made which changes
*Excel
Online
only,
requires
Microsoft
account

Work with Excel Open your spreadsheet in Excel 3 ways to work with Excel files
files Convert Excel files to Sheets files in Drive
Open Excel files directly in Drive (without installing Office) and save
them to Drive
Open Excel files in Office and save them to Drive

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Switching to Sheets from Excel

Feature In Excel excel In Sheets sheets

Based
on
Office
2013

Security and Disable options to forward, copy, or print Disable options to download, copy, or print spreadsheets for
protection spreadsheets* people with comment or view access
Protect spreadsheets and ranges with an Protect spreadsheets and ranges with ACL-based protection
encrypted password Prevent others from sharing spreadsheets
* Requires
the
Windows
Rights
Management
Services
(RMS)
Client

Create charts Line, pie, bar, and area charts Line, pie, bar, and area charts
and graphs Scatterplots Scatterplots
Histograms Histograms
Maps Maps
*Requires
Microsoft
add-in
software

Formulas and Use formulas (built-in

functions) Use formulas (built
in
functions)
pivot tables Create pivot tables or pivot charts Create pivot tables
Get instant charts, graphs, and summary statistics

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Switching to Sheets from Excel

Work with spreadsheets

Your most important Excel features exist in Sheets, too.

1 Customize your spreadsheet and data.

Note: To improve compatibility with Excel keyboard shortcuts, you can override browser shortcuts.

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Switching to Sheets from Excel

2 Work with rows, columns, and cells.

Add rows, columns, and cells—Select a cell or block of cells. Then, on the menu bar, click Insert and choose where to add the row,
column, or cells.

Delete or hide rows and columns—Right-click the row number or column letter and select Delete or Hide.

Delete a cell or a block of cells—Select the cells you want to delete. Click Edit > Delete cells and shift up, or Edit > Delete cells and shift
left.

Move rows and columns—Click the row number or column letter to select it. Then, drag it to a new location.

Freeze header rows and columns—Keep some data in the same place as you scroll through the rest of your spreadsheet. On the menu
bar, click View > Freeze and choose an option.

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Switching to Sheets from Excel

3 Click Share to share your spreadsheet and then choose what collaborators can do. They'll also
receive an email notification.

Share or unshare Edit content directly Add comments

Can edit
  
Can comment
  
Can view
  

4 Collaborate with your team in real time. 5 Create different versions and copies of your
spreadsheet.

Make a copy—Create a duplicate of your spreadsheet. This is a

great way to create templates.
See revision history—See all the changes you and others have
made to the spreadsheet or revert to earlier versions.
Download as—Download your spreadsheet in other formats, such
as Excel or PDF.
Publish to the web—Publish a copy of your spreadsheet as a
webpage or embed your spreadsheet in a website.
Email as attachment—Email a copy of your spreadsheet.

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Switching to Sheets from Excel

Work with functions

Your most important Excel functions exist in Sheets, too.
Note: You can add formulas automatically or create custom functions and macros using Google Apps scripts.

AVERAGE Statistical Returns the numerical average value in a dataset, ignoring text.

AVERAGEIFS Statistical Returns the average of a range that depends upon multiple criteria.

CHOOSE Lookup Returns an element from a list of choices based on index.

COUNT Statistical Returns the count of the number of numeric values in a dataset.

COUNTIF Statistical Returns a conditional count across a range.

DATE Date Converts a provided year, month, and day into a date.

FIND Text Returns the position at which a string is first found within text.

GETPIVOTDATA Text Extracts an aggregated value from a pivot table that corresponds to the specified row and column headings.

IF Logical Returns one value if a logical expression is true and another if it is false.

INDEX Lookup Returns the content of a cell, specified by row and column offset.

INT Math Rounds a number down to the nearest integer that’s less than or equal to it.

LOOKUP Lookup Looks through a row or column for a key and returns the value of the cell in a result range located in the same
position as the search row or column.

MATCH Lookup Returns the relative position of an item in a range that matches a specified value.

MAX Statistical Returns the maximum value in a numeric dataset.

MIN Statistical Returns the minimum value in a numeric dataset.

NOW Date Returns the current date and time as a date value.

ROUND Math Rounds a number to a certain number of decimal places according to standard rules.

SUM Math Returns the sum of a series of numbers and/or cells.

SUMIF Math Returns a conditional sum across a range.

TODAY Date Returns the current date as a date value.

VLOOKUP Lookup Searches down the first column of a range for a key and returns the value of a specified cell in the row found.

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Switching to Sheets from Excel

Do more with Sheets

1 Get instant charts and pivot tables for your 2 Edit Office files on any device, whether or not

data using Explore. Learn more you have Office. Learn more

3 Summarize your data with pivot tables. 4 Filter data in shared spreadsheets without

Learn more changing what collaborators see. Learn more

5 Create surveys and more in Google Forms 6 Summarize data with charts and graphs in
and then see real-time responses in Sheets. your spreadsheet. Learn more
Learn more

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