Excel vs Google Sheets: formulas that carry over, and what differs
Most of what you learn in Excel works in Google Sheets: the same operators, the same cell references and $ signs, and nearly all the common functions. The differences are in a few Sheets-only functions, in array formulas, and in small details like separators.
The practice exercises on this site run in an Excel-style grid. The skills carry over, and this guide shows where to be careful.
Functions that work the same
SUM, AVERAGE, IF, IFS, SWITCH, COUNTIF, SUMIFS, VLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH, TEXTJOIN, FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE exist in both. Newer functions such as XLOOKUP, XMATCH, SEQUENCE and LET have also been added to Google Sheets.
Cell references behave identically: A1, $A$1, A$1 and $A1. F4 toggles the dollar signs in both.
Functions that exist only in Google Sheets
QUERY runs a small database-style query on a range. ARRAYFORMULA applies a formula to a whole range. IMPORTRANGE pulls a range from another spreadsheet. SPLIT and JOIN cut and glue text. REGEXMATCH, REGEXEXTRACT and REGEXREPLACE work with patterns. GOOGLEFINANCE fetches market data, and SPARKLINE draws a tiny chart in a cell. The guides on QUERY and on ARRAYFORMULA and IMPORTRANGE explain the main ones.
Features that exist only in Excel
Power Query and Power Pivot, Excel Tables with structured references, Goal Seek and Solver as built-in tools, and VBA macros are Excel features. Google Sheets uses Apps Script for automation instead of VBA.
Array formulas work differently
In Excel 2021 and newer a formula such as =A2:A10*2 spills its results into the cells below by itself. In Google Sheets a plain formula over a range returns only one value, so you wrap it: =ARRAYFORMULA(A2:A10*2). Functions that return a list by nature, like FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE, spill in both.
Separators and function names
Excel translates function names and separators into the language of your installation. Google Sheets keeps its function names in English, and the argument separator follows the spreadsheet's locale setting (File > Settings): a comma in many regions, a semicolon in others. If a formula copied from a website shows an error, check the separators first.
Sharing and files
A Google Sheet lives online and several people can edit it at the same time. An Excel workbook is a file, though Excel for the web and OneDrive offer shared editing too. Each can open and save the other's format (.xlsx and Google Sheets), and simple formulas survive the conversion. Functions that exist in only one of them show errors in the other.
Common mistakes
Copying a Sheets-only function into Excel. QUERY or IMPORTRANGE give #NAME? in Excel.
Fix: Replace them with FILTER, SUMIFS or Power Query in Excel.
Expecting a formula over a range to spill in Sheets. It returns a single value.
Fix: Wrap it in ARRAYFORMULA, or use a function that returns arrays natively.
Frequently asked questions
Should I learn Excel or Google Sheets first?
Either one. The core skills (references, SUMIFS, lookups, IF) are identical, so you can practise here and use them in both.
Is there a Google Sheets version of these lessons?
The practice grid is Excel-style. The content model keeps formulas in a form that can be shown in either, but Sheets-only functions are explained in guides for now.
Related functions
- XLOOKUPXLOOKUP searches one column or row and returns the matching value from another, in any direction, with a built-in 'not found' message.
- FILTERFILTER returns the rows of a range that meet a condition, and spills them into the cells below.
- SUMIFSSUMIFS adds up values that meet several conditions at once, such as paid orders from one region.
- TEXTJOINTEXTJOIN joins the text from a range with a separator such as a comma, and can skip empty cells.