Google Sheets guide for someone who knows nothing about spreadsheets?

September 11, 2023 9:36 AM

I'm looking for a good guide (written, or video) on how to use spreadsheets, but specifically Google Sheets, for a complete noob. I realize I can look on Google, or YouTube, but I am looking for a first hand recommendation, from a community like this.

I am relatively computer savvy on a Mac, but spreadsheets have always fallen through the cracks for me. I've just never needed them.

Starting a new job, where there some use is probable.

I don't need to be a wizard, just the basics, with room to grow.

A lot of guides I'm running across assume you're already proficient in spreadsheets, and it just translates from Excel.

If you, or someone you know, was ever in the same boat, where did you turn to?

posted by jstncwlcx to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

I don't have a specific course in mind, but you asked where I'd turn. I really like the LinkedIn Learning courses (formerly Lynda.com). You may likely have a free account through your library, but if not, a month of access would be well worth it.

I did some digging, and this one is geared toward the Mac version of Excel, but it looks like it offers a nice introduction to what is excel and how to use it. As you mention, it may be easier to find courses for Excel than for Sheets, which really is quite similar.
posted by hydra77 at 10:07 AM on September 11, 2023

Something to keep in mind is that while the menu structure of Sheets is fairly different from Excel at times, 90% of what happens in the spreadsheet itself - especially for basics - is, intentionally, exactly the same. Excel is absolutely dominant in this field, so Google's team took pains to match its behavior, logic, formula structure, etc. There are exceptions, but by and large, if you google "how do I do X in excel" it really will work 1:1 in Sheets.
posted by Tomorrowful at 10:11 AM on September 11, 2023

You Suck at Excel with Joel Spolsky is very good. Just about everything in it is directly applicable to Google Sheets as well. (Some of the differences mentioned in the video are no longer different, such as the named-range interface in the top left corner.)
posted by Phssthpok at 10:52 AM on September 11, 2023

Zapier is an automation company but they have what I think is a very useful 'assume I know nothing about spreadsheets' tutorial on using Google Sheets.

For anything beyond this basic level, I find the best help can be gained by thinking about what you want to do and then googling that specifically. For example, something like "how to create subtotals in Google Sheets" If there's no results for that, you've probably got the vocabulary slightly wrong. Try googling "how to create subtotals in Excel" and see if there's a different word for subtotals and then google that with Google sheets instead of Excel.

I'm not an Excel/Sheets goddess, but I'm widely regarded as very proficient in spreadsheeting by my more basic colleagues because I can write things like Index/Match lookups and the secret truth is, literally every time I write an Index/Match query, I google it. I started out by googling things like "look up a the values from this table in another table" until I learned that bit of vocabulary, but I still follow a tutorial every time.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:03 AM on September 11, 2023

Adding to the suggestions above to look specific things up as you need them, it can also be helpful to just watch some videos to get a sense of what kinds of things people even do with spreadsheets in the first place. For that - i.e., for getting a sense of the possibilities - it doesn't really matter if the tutorial is about Sheets or Excel, or even if it's beginner or more advanced. The reason I recommend that is because sometimes it's hard to google specific things as you need them when you don't even know that they exist. You want to get to a point where when there's a problem you need to solve, maybe you don't remember how to solve it but you have a vague sense of some possible approaches you've seen before, which you can then look up.

Unfortunately I don't have any particular recommendations. I'd probably watch one of the basic videos listed above, get comfortable with what it teaches, and then start searching for stuff like "cool things you can do with Excel".
posted by trig at 12:21 PM on September 11, 2023

I don't want to start by being negative but IMHO the world would be a much better place if most people who created spreadsheets had not bothered or had asked a grown up to do it for them. No specific recommendations but...

You don't say whether you are expected to create or just use existing spreadsheets. If the latter then be very suspicious of what you are given.

Spreadsheets are essentially programs but done in a way which is especially difficult to comprehend, debug or even document. A spreadsheet which isn't correct is potentially damaging to you. The fact that it isn't reporting an error is meaningless. Is the answer correct? Are you calculating what you want to calculate?

From the outset learn good practices, use range names where possible, know when to use relative or absolute references. Know how formulae work, e .g. do you know if there is a difference between 1+2*3 and 1*2+3?
Ensure your formulae are working on all expected data and nothing more (or less). Keep a low profile, don't become known as the person who can fix other people's spreadsheets. That way lies madness (or a lucrative consulting career).
posted by epo at 1:38 PM on September 11, 2023