Free Sample
The Purple Guide to Learning Excel Spreadsheets in 10 Days
A 10-day starter plan to build your first real spreadsheets, from blank grid to usable tool
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: First Day
Today is the day you finally open Excel and actually use it. Maybe you've been putting this off because you're not sure where to start, or maybe you've previously opened it, stared at the grid for a minute, and closed it again. That's exactly why this first session is designed the way it is: small, concrete, and with a real win at the end. No theory, no 'getting to know the interface' lectures. You're going to do something with the program, even if it feels clumsy at first.
First things first, let's find the program. If you're on a Windows computer, click the Start button and type "Excel". If you see it in the list, click it. If you don't have it installed, don't panic. You can open a free web version by going to office.com in your browser and signing in with a free Microsoft account. You can also use Google Sheets in a browser window – it's not Excel, but for what we're doing today, it's basically the same idea: a grid of empty boxes that you can type into. The point is to get started, not to debate software choices.
When the program finally opens, you'll see one of two things: either a welcome screen with templates, or a fresh, blank grid. If you see templates, just click "Blank workbook" or "Blank spreadsheet". If you're already looking at a grid of boxes, you're in the right place. That grid is called a spreadsheet,