9 Excel Mistakes You Should Never Make

Excel makes managing complex data easy, but a few common mistakes can turn that simplicity into frustration. These errors can lead to inaccurate results, make debugging difficult, or even cost you hours of work. So what are some of these pitfalls that you need to avoid when working in Excel?

1 Reliance on hard-coded values

One common mistake I made as a beginner was to use hardcoded values ​​in formulas, which means entering numbers or values ​​directly into a formula instead of referencing cells. This approach makes tables less flexible and more difficult to update, as each instance must be manually modified if you change the data.

Manually updating formulas can be tedious and increases the likelihood of errors. Instead, you must refer to cells in formulas. This way, you only need to update a value in one place and all related formulas are automatically adjusted, making the table much easier to manage and maintain.

2 Formulations are too complicated

I avoid using overly complex formulas to make my spreadsheets easy to manage, debug, and edit. While Excel allows us to use nested functions, I avoid folding too much into a single cell. This makes my spreadsheets easier to understand and makes things simpler for others who may need to work with them.

I’ll create a few more columns for intermediate calculations that I can reference later in my main formula. Breaking up complex logic in this way makes my formulas less error-prone. I can also update data or formulas with minimal effort whenever adjustments are needed. So always keep your formulas simple from the start to avoid future frustration.

3 Print without preview control

When I first started using Excel, I would print spreadsheets without previewing them, resulting in clipped data, blank pages, or misaligned content. Since Excel doesn’t automatically format the data perfectly for printing, I had to reprint several times, wasting ink, time, and money—not to mention frustration.

Now I always preview the table before printing, which allows me to catch formatting issues and adjust the margins, orientation, and scale to get the perfect print. This way I make sure all the important data fits on the page and is easy to read. If your prints often turn out poorly, take a moment to preview them first – it will save you time, effort and resources.

4 Creating too many worksheets

I was creating too many sheets in one workbook, making it difficult to find data or calculations for myself and others. This habit also complicated referencing data on multiple sheets in formulas and made auditing a challenge. Additionally, each additional sheet increased the file size and slowed down performance.

To avoid these problems, I always merge related data into one sheet and organize them using tables. Instead of creating separate sheets, I use filters or pivot tables for specific subsets and keep the sheet names clear and consistent. If my workbook grows, I will add a summary or index with hyperlinks for easy navigation.

5 Missing time-saving Excel formulas

Many users who are not familiar with Excel’s advanced functions and formulas solve tasks manually that can be easily automated. This slows down data processing and increases the likelihood of errors. It also makes it difficult to maintain consistency and manual updates become a problem later on.

I always check if Excel has a feature to automate repetitive tasks that would otherwise take time. You can explore free resources or consult the Excel forums. Microsoft Copilot is also a useful tool for finding the right formula. If you’re hesitant to use a formula to avoid messing up your data, try it out on a sample set first to gain confidence.

6 Forgetting to enable autosave

Whenever I lost hours of work whenever Excel crashed unexpectedly or when I accidentally closed a file without saving it. Because of this, I had to start from scratch, miss deadlines and deal with unnecessary stress. To prevent this, I now rely on Excel’s autosave and autorefresh features.

Auto-Save saves my data in real time; if connected to OneDrive, it will also create a backup copy. AutoRecover saves my files at regular intervals so that I can restore unsaved files in the event of a crash. I know that my work is safe, I no longer have to worry about power outages, falls or forgetting to save. It’s good to be calm!

7 Failure to secure sensitive information

Like many Excel users, I overlooked basic security practices and shared my spreadsheets without password protection. This increased the risk of unauthorized access to my files, either on my device or the recipient’s device. While using public Wi-Fi, my sensitive documents could have easily been intercepted by cybercriminals, although this never happened.

Now I always password protect my Excel files before sharing and only give the password to specific recipients. This ensures that even if someone intercepts my documents, they won’t be able to access the content. I also use Excel’s function to lock specific cells, keeping certain data hidden from others without locking the entire file.

8 Ignoring proper data formatting

When I started using Excel, I underestimated the importance of proper data formatting. This made my spreadsheets difficult to read, analyze and update. When shared, they often confuse recipients, leading to misinterpretation of data. Also, bad formatting made my spreadsheets look unprofessional.

I now use the correct formats for currencies, percentages, dates and more. I choose simple fonts, highlight important data with colors that are easy on the eyes, and align numbers to the right, text to the left, and headings to the center. For sorting and filtering to work properly, I avoid merging cells and instead use alignment options to manage broader data.

9 Skipping regular file backups

While Excel features like AutoSave and AutoRecover help protect against accidental data loss in the event of a crash or power outage, there’s always the risk of corrupting the original file, losing the device that contains it, or accidentally deleting it. Without a backup, you could end up recreating lost work, which used to be very frustrating for me.

I always back up my documents in multiple places to avoid hassles and missing deadlines. I’ve connected OneDrive to automatically save a copy of my data and version history, which is very useful when referring to different versions of my file. I also back up my files to an external drive to ensure my data is safe and accessible from multiple locations.