Create more useful spreadsheets with these Excel add-ins

Office is the most popular office suite in the world, not in vain is it the proposal used by millions of people and it does not stop growing. There are several applications that are part of this package, among which we find Excel. It is a program for making spreadsheets and working with numerical data mainly. It has a multitude of built-in functions, but we can improve Excel with add-ins .

Say that initially we find a user interface made up of thousands of cells. These allow us to work with numerical values ​​and formulas that we are applying based on the needs of each case.

Excel functions that make working with numeric data easier

As we mentioned, this is a powerful program that is used in a multitude of environments, both professional and more domestic or related to education . It is more than likely that most of you know that this software solution focuses on working with numerical data and formulas . Thus, for all this we find a series of sheets with a huge number of cells. It is in these cells that we can enter the data and numbers with which we are going to operate to achieve an end.

At the same time we have access to a good number of formulas and functions that will greatly facilitate our work. To say that despite the fact that at first the user interface we are talking about may seem somewhat confusing, it is very functional. This is because its cell-based design actually allows us to handle numbers, formulas, and results in a much more effective way. In addition, these elements that we are talking about are fully customizable, both in their appearance and in their content. This allows us to adapt them to work with other types of data and elements.

In turn, in the Insert menu, we find all the additional objects and functions that we can make use of here. In short, if what we need is an account management program, one of the best solutions is Microsoft’s Excel . And here we find a very useful application largely thanks to the innumerable number of functions included.

How to access Excel add-ins

Also, if we want or need it, we can use other elements that are responsible for increasing the functionality of the number application. This is precisely the case that we will talk about in these same lines. Specifically, we refer to a type of element that can also be very useful. It is worth mentioning that those of you who make intensive use of the program will sometimes need certain functions that are somewhat more specific.

Therefore, for this there is nothing better than the add-ins that we can use in Microsoft Excel . For those of you who do not know what we really mean, say that these are small additions that are integrated into the program and give us additional functionality. To access this that we are commenting on, we only have to go to the Insert menu and display the list of My add-ons .

Excel add-ins to increase its functionality

That is why below we are going to show you some of the best accessories that you can add to this program. Say that some of these elements are already pre-installed in the program, while others can be added by hand. What’s more, it should be mentioned that this is something that we can carry out directly in Excel itself. To start and see what we have here at our disposal, we open the program normally.

Then we go to any document or spreadsheet , even if it is empty. Thus, for the task that we propose here, we have to go to the Insert menu of the program interface. Then we find a button called Shop , in addition to another that says My add-ins in Excel.

As you can imagine, in the second access we find the add-ons that are already installed in the program. Meanwhile, by clicking on the Store button, we access the Microsoft store where we find the rest. Of course, the most interesting thing here is to be able to search and choose between new ones to install .

Wikipedia

As you can imagine, this is an Excel add-in that gives us direct access to the most famous virtual encyclopedia in the world. In this way, while we work on our personal project in the program, we have the opportunity to search for all kinds of data and information that we need.

In addition, all this will be of enormous use to us when it comes to doing more professional or education-related work more quickly.

Microsoft Visio Data Visualizer

As we mentioned before, this is a program that focuses on the treatment and management of numerical data . That is why in addition to the formulas that we use here, it is also important that we know how to manage and display them in the most efficient way. Precisely to help us better structure and visualize all this, we can use Microsoft Visio Data Visualizer.

This plugin gives us the opportunity to create high-quality Visio flowcharts. It also proposes a good amount of flow diagrams with cross functions and organization charts.

Scan-IT to Office

On the other hand, we find this useful proposal that allows us to capture data from the mobile terminal. And is that thanks to Scan-IT to Office, we find a very useful solution for data collection from the mobile in real time. This is something we achieve by scanning barcodes remotely for integration into Excel.

Symbols and Characters

Although the main purpose of this program is the treatment with numerical data, it is not the only type that we can make use of here. We tell you this because working with texts is also very important. Moreover, serve as an example that thanks to Symbols and characters, we have the possibility of facilitating the use of special characters in the program itself.

At the same time, this complement that we are talking about provides us with words with phonetic signs, symbols, check marks, arrows, stars, emoticons , etc. In the same way, here we are going to find mathematical and monetary symbols that will surely be very helpful.

Mini Calendar

This other complement that we are talking about now, allows us to add a small monthly calendar to the spreadsheet in which we work. With it we will have the possibility of consulting and entering dates directly from Excel itself. It is worth mentioning that all this will be especially useful for working with time sheets, schedules , project plans, calendars, etc.

And it is that in these projects it is usually very necessary to frequently consult a personalized calendar. We will also have a date selection function to work with them in a faster way.

Web Video Player

Next we will talk about the add-in called Web Video Player that we can add to Excel. As you can imagine, it allows us to insert and play videos from the streaming portals YouTube and Vimeo in the program. For all this that we tell you, we only have to install the add-in in the Excel sheet and then specify the URL of the video that we want to implement.

 

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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