The Excel Help Function

The Help function is one of the best tools that Excel provides for users.

The universal shortcut to using help is of course the F1 function key on your keyboard.

Versions prior to 2007 have a help search box and also a menu option. Version 2007 & 2010 have a help button (?) located at the top-right side.

Excel provides online help as a first line of assistance, but if you are not able to access the web then there is limited support via the Excel help function, available on your hard drive.

From within Help, you can click on "Table of Contents" to easily navigate and search for topics. As with a web page click the back and forward buttons at the top left of any window and you can click "Keep on Top" to keep the help window on the screen.

When using Help it often helps to read through the numerous examples. Text can be printed or copied into an application such as an Excel worksheet. This allows users to practice and test that they understand what they were looking for.

People learn in different ways and reading on-screen help is just one of them. Many prefer listening to a training instructor while others prefer reading manuals or forum posts. It is good to have a variety of reference material available.