New in Microsoft Excel 2021 (Standard or via 365)
Excel 2021 has a few new features coming, including 9 new functions which will probably be the newcomers that you are most likely to use.
A couple of big points to note now though are:
If you have Microsoft 365 (what was called Office 365) then you will probably already have the new Excel functions for 2021 now. As always, if you want to share a spreadsheet with users who are not on Excel 2021 (or 365) then do not use the new functions. You need to make sure that your file only uses functions that are compatible with the earliest version of Excel that the people who open your file have.
Here are the new features we believe are most useful.
1. Co-authoring - i.e. multi-user access to files
This is a big improvement available only in Excel 365. Multiple users can access and edit the same file at the same time - and you see the edits appear before your eyes as they are saved. The file needs to be saved in a shared cloud location - e.g. OneDrive or SharePoint. No more waiting for other people to close the file before you go in.
2. XLOOKUP function
With XLOOKUP, you can look in one column for a search term and return a result from the same row in another column, regardless of which side the return column is on. You can also use wildcards in your search term. It's an improved version of VLOOKUP, essentially.
We made a video about XLOOKUP that you can find here on our YouTube channel.
3. Unhide many sheets at the same time
You can hide any worksheet to remove it from view. The data in hidden worksheets is not visible, but it can still be referenced from other worksheets and workbooks, and you can easily unhide hidden worksheets as needed. Right-click on any visible sheet tab and choose Unhide.... Then press and hold CTRL, and click the sheet names to select them in the dialog box that appears or press and hold SHIFT to select from one entry in the list through to another.
4. Workbook Statistics
This can provide some useful information about a file if you're wondering why it's so large or want to check for external connections and lots more. It's under the Review tab on the Ribbon.
Software-Matters have been experts in bespoke Excel systems since 1995.
Find out more about how we can help you with your project by emailing us via our Contact page or giving us a call on 01747 822616. We give free advice!
If you would like to read more about the different Excel versions follow the links below.
- What's new in Microsoft Excel 2024
- What's new in Microsoft Excel 2019
- What's new in Microsoft Excel 2016
- What's new in Microsoft Excel 2013
- What's new in Microsoft Excel 2010
- What's new in Microsoft Excel 2007
- Benefits of using Microsoft Excel
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