Google Sheets for Beginners: 10 Formulas Every Professional Should Know
Learn the 10 Google Sheets formulas you'll use most at work, including SUMIF, COUNTIF, IF, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, FILTER and UNIQUE, with simple examples.
Google Sheets is one of the most in-demand skills for office jobs, virtual assistants and data entry work. You don't need to know hundreds of formulas. These 10 cover most everyday tasks.
Every formula starts with an equals sign =. In the examples below, imagine a simple sales sheet: names in column A, regions in column B and amounts in column C.
1. SUM: add numbers
=SUM(C2:C100)
Adds up every number in C2 to C100. Use it for totals of sales, expenses or hours.
2. AVERAGE: find the average
=AVERAGE(C2:C100)
Gives you the average of a range, like average sale value or average score.
3. COUNTIF: count things that match a condition
=COUNTIF(B2:B100, "Lagos")
Counts how many rows have "Lagos" in column B. You can also count numbers, for example =COUNTIF(C2:C100, ">50000").
4. SUMIF: add only what matches
=SUMIF(B2:B100, "Lagos", C2:C100)
Adds the amounts in column C only where the region in column B is "Lagos". Perfect for totals by region, client or category.
5. IF: make decisions
=IF(C2>=50000, "Target met", "Below target")
Checks a condition and returns one result if it's true and another if it's false.
6. IFERROR: hide ugly errors
=IFERROR(C2/D2, 0)
If the calculation produces an error (for example, dividing by zero), it shows 0 instead of #DIV/0!. Wrap it around lookups too.
7. VLOOKUP: look up a value in a table
=VLOOKUP("Ada Obi", A2:C100, 3, FALSE)
Finds "Ada Obi" in the first column of A2:C100 and returns the value from the 3rd column. The FALSE means "exact match", which is what you want almost every time.
8. XLOOKUP: the more flexible lookup
=XLOOKUP("Ada Obi", A2:A100, C2:C100, "Not found")
Searches A2:A100 and returns the matching value from C2:C100. Unlike VLOOKUP, the result column can be anywhere (even to the left), and you can set what to show if nothing is found.
If you're starting fresh, learn XLOOKUP. It's easier to read and harder to break when columns move.
9. FILTER: pull out matching rows
=FILTER(A2:C100, B2:B100="Lagos")
Returns every row where the region is Lagos, and updates automatically when the data changes. Great for quick reports without copying and pasting.
10. UNIQUE: remove duplicates
=UNIQUE(B2:B100)
Lists each region once. Combine it with other formulas, for example =SORT(UNIQUE(B2:B100)) for an alphabetical list.
Bonus: clean up messy text
=TRIM(A2)removes extra spaces=PROPER(A2)turns "ADA OBI" into "Ada Obi"=A2&" "&B2joins text from two cells
Practise with real data
The fastest way to learn formulas is to use them on real tasks: a budget, a customer list, a sales tracker. Pick one of your own spreadsheets and try three formulas from this list today.
In our Google Workspace Mastery Course, you'll practise all of these with guided lessons and graded assignments, plus charts, pivot tables, conditional formatting and data validation.
Founder of First Tech Hub Solutions. Success helps graduates, virtual assistants and early career professionals build practical digital skills with Google Workspace, freelancing on Upwork and remote work.