Excel still handles a large share of business workflows in 2026, from budget models to ops trackers to weekly reporting. Employers value people who can turn messy sheets into clean, auditable outputs.

The best courses teach the fundamentals quickly, then push you into real-world scenarios: formulas, PivotTables, Power Query, charts, and controls that prevent errors. Use the picks below to build proof you can ship work, not just talk about it.

Factors to Consider Before Choosing an Excel Course

• Career goal: reporting analyst, finance, operations, or project roles. Each demands specific formula depth, charting skill, and daily automation habits.
• Experience level: beginners need fundamentals first. Working professionals should focus on Power Query, PivotTables, and building error-proof models faster.
• Learning style: self-paced is flexible, cohorts add deadlines and feedback. Choose the format you can sustain consistently every week.
• Portfolio focus: complete guided projects that mirror real work. Hiring teams trust dashboards, trackers, and documented assumptions over claims always.
• Time commitment: match hours to your calendar. Short courses build basics fast, longer tracks deepen analysis, templates, and workflows reliably.

Top Excel Courses to Launch Your Career in 2026

1) Data Analytics in Excel, Great Learning Academy Pro+

Duration: 5 hours of video content, including 2 guided projects

Short overview

This premium Excel course focuses on analytics workflows and excel for data analysis, including cleaning data, writing reliable formulas, building PivotTables, and creating decision-ready visuals.

It includes two guided projects with functional requirements and step-by-step support so that you can practice like an analyst. The pacing aligns with working schedules and ends with portfolio-friendly deliverables.

Key highlights

• Must write about getting a certificate from Great Learning and access 20-plus latest courses with Academy Pro.
• GL Coach provides instant clarification of doubts, curated materials, AI-assisted mock interviews, and a smart resume builder that puts your new data science competencies in the spotlight for recruiters.
• Guided Project 1: AeroMax Airways: Data-driven insights for optimizing airline operations and passenger experience, using flight delays, costs, and satisfaction signals
• Guided Project 2 StellarMart Analytics: optimizing retail performance through data insights, covering sales trends, regional performance, and category analysis
• Earn a project certificate for each completed guided project

Learning outcomes

• Clean and structure datasets for analysis and reporting
• Build PivotTables and visuals that explain trends clearly
• Deliver workbook-based insights with documented assumptions

2) Excel Essential Training Microsoft 365 LinkedIn Learning

Duration: 2 hours 56 minutes

Short overview

This course teaches core Excel skills in a clean sequence: entering and organizing data, using basic functions, formatting tables, and building charts. 

The instructor-led walkthroughs help you avoid common mistakes and learn shortcuts. It works when you want a quick, structured refresher before deeper analytics work begins.

Key highlights

• Strong baseline for daily spreadsheet work and reporting
• Clear walkthroughs on formatting, functions, and data organization
• Good prep before PivotTables and Power Query heavy courses

Learning outcomes

• Use essential functions correctly and consistently
• Format and present sheets for stakeholders
• Build simple charts that support decisions

3) Excel Fundamentals DataCamp

Duration: 16 hours

Short overview

This track builds spreadsheet fundamentals through interactive exercises and practice datasets. You learn formulas, data prep, visualizations, and reporting patterns, then apply them in short project tasks. 

The track is updated regularly and encourages steady repetition, which helps retain keyboard-level fluency for day-to-day analysis tasks within teams.

Key highlights

• Interactive practice that builds speed and accuracy
• Coverage from prep to formulas to visual reporting
• Structured progression that supports steady weekly learning

Learning outcomes

• Write formulas with fewer logic errors
• Prepare data for consistent reporting
• Create visuals that summarize performance clearly

4) Advanced Excel Formulas, Functions, PivotTable, PivotChart, Power Pivot Udemy

Duration: About 3.5 hours on-demand video

Short overview

This course concentrates on advanced formulas, PivotTables, PivotCharts, and Power Pivot concepts. It breaks topics into sections like conditional logic, lookups, text functions, and auditing. 

The goal is to help you build complex models that stay readable and easier to maintain. It suits learners who prefer focused, topic-based practice.

Key highlights

• Strong focus on formulas, lookups, and model structure
• Sections on auditing and worksheet protection
• Useful when you want targeted skill upgrades

Learning outcomes

• Build robust lookup and conditional logic models
• Audit formulas and reduce spreadsheet risk
• Create Pivot-based reporting views efficiently

5) Free Excel Course for Beginners, Great Learning Academy Free

Duration: 6.75 learning hours

Short overview

This beginner-friendly course covers Excel from first principles: interface basics, cell referencing, tables, formulas, sorting, filtering, date and time functions, and practical charts. As an excel course online free option, it gives you a clear starting point without adding pressure.

The lessons are self-paced and updated for 2026. It is designed to help you handle everyday spreadsheet tasks confidently before you step into analytics projects.

Key highlights

• Must write about getting a certificate from Great Learning and access 20-plus latest courses with Academy Pro.
• GL Coach provides instant clarification of doubts, curated materials, AI-assisted mock interviews, and a smart resume builder that puts your new data science competencies in the spotlight for recruiters.
• Course modules include cell referencing, tables, basic formulas, sorting, filtering, and a ChatGPT for Excel module

Learning outcomes

• Organize data with tables, sorting, and filtering
• Apply core functions for daily tasks
• Create basic charts for clear communication

6) Excel Skills for Business Specialization Coursera

Duration: Four courses totaling about 107 hours

Short overview

This specialization teaches business-focused Excel skills through four courses with downloadable workbooks and applied exercises. 

You practice dashboards, automation ideas, data cleaning, and advanced formulas in realistic scenarios. The workload is substantial, so it suits learners ready to invest time and build strong spreadsheet discipline for reporting-heavy roles.

Key highlights

• Applied examples with downloadable workbooks and full datasets
• Strong emphasis on practical challenge exercises
• Multi-course structure that builds from essentials to advanced dashboards

Learning outcomes

• Build dashboards and complex business models
• Clean and manage larger datasets
• Apply advanced formulas for reporting and forecasting

7) Getting Started with Microsoft Excel LinkedIn Learning Path

Duration: About 3 hours of content

Short overview

This learning path bundles four short courses that cover workbook setup, formatting, basic formulas, lookups, and PivotTable foundations. 

The sequence is designed for beginners who want a guided structure without a long program. It works well when you need competence quickly for office reporting, coordination work, or entry-level analyst tasks.

Key highlights

• Short path that stays focused on essentials
• Covers lookups and PivotTable basics for early reporting needs
• Good on-ramp before deeper analytics tracks

Learning outcomes

• Create clean workbooks with consistent formatting
• Use lookups and basic PivotTables correctly
• Build confidence for routine reporting tasks

Conclusion

Choose one track, block weekly time, and finish the guided work. Build a dashboard, budget model, or KPI tracker from your dataset, then write a readme explaining assumptions and checks.

If you are new, start with free online course to gain momentum and a credential, then move into deeper projects that sharpen speed and accuracy. Keep versions, collect feedback, and let your portfolio prove you deliver on deadlines.