The 10 Most Useful Google Sheets Functions

Google Sheets is a powerful tool for organizing and analyzing data. Whether you're adding numbers, working with text, or searching for information, these built-in functions can save time and effort. Here are ten of the most useful Google Sheets functions.

1. SUM – Add Numbers Quickly

The SUM function adds up a group of numbers automatically, saving you from typing them one by one. It’s useful for totaling budgets, scores, sales, or any list of numbers. If you have values in cells A1 to A5 and want to add them, type:
=SUM(A1:A5)
📌 Tip: You can sum an entire column using =SUM(A:A), but avoid this if the column contains text.

2. AVERAGE – Find the Middle Value

The AVERAGE function calculates the mean (average) of a group of numbers, making it useful for finding test score averages, monthly expenses, or sales trends. If your test scores are in cells B1 to B4, you can find the average by typing:
=AVERAGE(B1:B4)
📌 Tip: If you want to find the middle number (median) instead of the mean, use =MEDIAN(B1:B4).

3. IF – Make Decisions Based on Conditions

The IF function helps Google Sheets make a choice between two outcomes based on a condition. It’s great for grading, checking if sales goals are met, or categorizing data. If a student’s score (in cell C1) is 60 or more, we want to say "Pass." If not, we say "Fail."
=IF(C1>=60, "Pass", "Fail")
📌 Tip: You can check for multiple conditions using nested IF statements, like:
=IF(C1>=90, "A", IF(C1>=80, "B", IF(C1>=70, "C", "Fail")))

4. COUNT – Count Numbers in a List

The COUNT function counts how many cells contain numbers, making it useful for tracking the number of completed orders, sales transactions, or students who submitted homework. If you want to count how many numbers are in A1 to A10, type:
=COUNT(A1:A10)
📌 Tip: If you need to count both numbers and text, use COUNTA instead.

5. MEDIAN – Find the Middle Number

The MEDIAN function finds the middle number in a list of values. This is useful for analyzing grades, salaries, or any data where extreme values might affect the average. If you have test scores in cells C1 to C7 and want to find the middle score, use:
=MEDIAN(C1:C7)
📌 Tip: The median is different from the average because it isn’t affected by very high or very low numbers.

6. CONCATENATE – Join Words Together

The CONCATENATE function combines text from different cells into one, which is useful for merging first and last names, creating custom messages, or formatting addresses. If A1 has "Hello" and B1 has "World," you can combine them with:
=CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1)
This will show: Hello World
📌 Tip: You can also use =A1 & " " & B1 as a shorter alternative.

7. LEFT, RIGHT, MID – Pick Parts of Text

These functions extract specific parts of text, making them useful for formatting data, cleaning up text entries, or working with product codes. LEFT takes the first few characters (=LEFT("Google", 3) → "Goo"), RIGHT takes the last few characters (=RIGHT("Google", 3) → "gle"), and MID pulls characters from the middle (=MID("Google", 2, 3) → "oog").
📌 Tip: If you need to split words based on a space or comma, use the SPLIT function instead.

8. VLOOKUP – Find Something in a Table

The VLOOKUP function searches for a value in one column and returns related information from another column, making it useful for looking up prices, grades, or employee details. If a table has student names in column A and their scores in column B, you can find "Sarah’s" score with:
=VLOOKUP("Sarah", A1:B10, 2, FALSE)
📌 Tip: If the data is not sorted and you want an exact match, always use FALSE as the last argument.

9. HYPERLINK – Create Clickable Links

The HYPERLINK function makes text clickable, allowing users to quickly access websites, documents, or email addresses. To create a clickable link to Google, type:
=HYPERLINK("https://www.google.com", "Click Here")
This will show Click Here, and clicking it will open Google.
📌 Tip: You can also link to other sheets within the same file using #Sheet2!A1.

10. SPLIT – Separate Words Into Different Cells

The SPLIT function takes text in one cell and divides it into multiple cells based on a separator, which is useful for separating names, breaking up lists, or organizing imported data. If A1 has "Apple, Banana, Cherry", and you want to split them into different cells, use:
=SPLIT(A1, ", ")
This will put Apple in one cell, Banana in the next, and Cherry in another.
📌 Tip: If the separator is a space, use =SPLIT(A1, " ") to break the text into words.

Final Thoughts

These Google Sheets functions can help with math, text, searching, and organizing information. Whether you're managing finances, tracking data, or working on a project, learning these functions will save you time and make your work much easier!

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