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Mar 02
enter exponents in Excel

How to Email an Excel attachment From Google Sheets!

By Blog, Video

We’ve all experienced working on Google Drive or Sheets and then needing to send the document to a colleague or friend, only to be stumped by the various drop downs and buttons to look through to figure out how to do what we intend successfully and quickly. So, today I’m going to show you an easy way to convert a Google Sheet to an Excel .xlsx document to email as an attachment.

  1. You will want to pull up the Google Sheet you want to send. Here’s how to do it: go to “File”, and then select “Email”.
  2. In the “Email this file” pop up, you will be able to input the receivers name (if their name and email are already in your address book) or their email address. This doesn’t require somebody to have a Google account or that they are a collaborator on the document. So, you can also type in personal email or something else or paste in something.
  3. Also, in the “Email this file” pop up, you can see that the subject is the title of the particular form you’re sending. Then, below that, you put a message about the document or informing your colleague about anything.
  4. Finally, at the very bottom of the pop up, you will change the “File type” from pdf to Microsoft excel. And then click send. The document will send as a .xlsx attachment.

The document can be opened in Google Sheets again, downloaded and opened in Microsoft Excel, or some other program that can read .xlsx files.

For a more visual step by step example, or if you’re just a visual learner, here is my video going through all the steps to email an excel attachment!

If this helped you out, please take a moment to browse my website. Check out my YouTube channel @In30Minutes for other helpful tips and tricks. For more information, you can reference my book about Google Drive that explores docs, sheets, slides, and many other Google apps. It’s currently in its third edition and available on in30minutes.com. Additionally, you can find multiple other guidebooks for any of your other technological needs on the website. We also have cheat sheets for Google sheets, both basic and intermediate level.

Dec 21

How to calculate the yield on a CD in Excel

By Blog, Video

Today I’m going to show you how to calculate the yield and compound interest for a certificate of deposit or a loan with the FV() function in Microsoft Excel. You can find the video explaining this on my YouTube Channel @In30Minutes .

Option 1: Using a Calculator

There are two ways you can calculate yield of a CD. However, the first way you can calculate yield is in a less efficient way by using a calculator.

Let’s say that you have a $10,000 certificate of deposit. What you’ll just do is simple multiplication. Let’s say it has a 2% interest rate. Then you’ll press the equal button ten times, and it’ll give you a value.

The problem with this method is it’s not really calculating interest the way banks calculate interest. It may give you the wrong value not only because it’s not calculating monthly interest, but also because you might press the equal button eleven times or nine times if you’re not being careful.

Option 2: Pasting a Formula into Excel

So, the way that you should do it is by using Excel, which fortunately has a formula that will make it really easy to calculate. It might seem daunting at first, however once you understand the way it works, it’s actually quite easy. Here is the formula: =FV(RATE, NPER, PMT, PV).

Calculate a certificate of deposit’s future value:

  • Use =FV(RATE, NPER, PMT, PV) formula
  • FV is the future value
  • RATE is the interest rate for the period
  • NPER is the number of periods (months, years)
  • PV is the present value or the principal
    • PV is negative to reflect a deposit
  • PMT is zero (no additional payments)

For example, to input yield for $10,000, 5-year CD at 2% interest compounded monthly into the formula would look like: =FV(0.02/12,5*12,0,-10000). So, you can take this formula and paste is in Microsoft Excel, when you press enter it will calculate it automatically. In this case, the final value of account is $11,050.79.

Option 3: Calculating a Column in Excel

Shows how to format Excel to yield and compound interest for a CD

There’s another way you can calculate the yield on a CD using the above formula If you have numbers that are already inserted into a column. Instead of typing in the value into the last place, (PV), of the formula, you would type in the cell of the Excel column.

Then we’re going to just paste that formula and press enter, to give you the final value. You can drag this formula down and press enter to generate the final value of the other numbers in the column.

This is a quick way to calculate the value of a deposit or any other sort of loan, borrowing, or any scenario where you want to calculate the interest on a compounded monthly basis.

If this helped you out, please take a moment to browse my website and check out my YouTube channel @In30Minutes for other helpful tips and tricks. For more information on how to get the most out of excel, check out my book Excel Basics: in 30 Minutes, as well as the Excel cheat sheets that are created with examples like this.

Jun 24

How to convert Google Sheets to Excel on an iPhone

By Blog, Video

Learn how to convert Google Sheets to Microsoft Excel .xlsx using the iOS Google Sheets mobile app on an iPhone or iPad. In this 90 second video, learn how to convert between Sheets and Excel using your iPhone or iPad! This technique uses the Google Sheets mobile app for iOS, available for free on your iPhone or iPad. Narrated by the author of Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes and Excel Basics In 30 Minutes. https://in30minutes.com

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Microsoft video, nor do I represent Microsoft Corporation. Please review Microsoft’s terms of service before using this feature. i30 Media Corporation cannot be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, arising out of or in connection with the use of this video.

Web: https://in30minutes.com/?y
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DTPiG4
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@in30minutes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/in30minutes

Feb 24

How do they compare? Excel Online vs. Google Sheets

By Video

Which is better, Google Sheets or Excel Online (Microsoft’s free online spreadsheet program)? The Excel Online vs. Google Sheets differences are narrowing, but there is one clear winner. Most of the features are compared side by side in the first six minutes of the video. The video is narrated by Ian Lamont, author of Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes and Excel Basics In 30 Minutes.

Jan 27

How to edit Excel files in Google Sheets using Office Compatibility Mode

By Video

If you don’t own Microsoft Excel, it is still possible to perform limited editing of MS Excel spreadsheets inside of Google Sheets using Office Compatibility Mode. This short video (less than 5 minutes) explains the special Chrome Extension required to use Office Compatibility Mode, and then shows how to edit Excel files in Sheets, using as an example an .xlsx file inside of Google Sheets. The narrator is Ian Lamont, author of the top-selling Excel Basics In 30 Minutes and Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes.

Jun 07

How to sort in Excel: The five-minute tutorial

By Blog, Video

This short, five-minute tutorial will show you how to sort in Excel. It uses a simple, three-column spreadsheet file that shows the annual bonus amounts for employees in various departments.

The concept is covered in “Excel Basics In 30 Minutes”, but it’s also useful to see it being done on the screen, as the video below shows.

Sorting is a very useful way to alphabetize lists, rank lists from highest to lowest (or vice-versa), or sort by multiple criteria (in the video below, department is the key criteria, followed by amount of the bonus).

However, sorting can be a tricky thing, too. A common mistake is failing to “expand selection”, which means only one column will be selected for sorting. The result? The data will be mixed up because the other columns weren’t sorted at the same time. This type of mistake has led to people being sent the wrong mail, as well as financial errors. Don’t let it happen to you!

For more information about sorting and other basic Excel functions, read “Excel Basics In 30 Minutes”. It’s inexpensive — less than the cost of a pizza! Go to this page to see reviews, and this page to place your order.

Video tutorial: Sorting Please “Like” and share after you watch it!

Apr 25

How to export an Excel chart as a JPG, PNG, or GIF image file

By Blog, Video

If you’ve ever wondered how to export an Excel chart to a JPG, PNG, GIF, or other file format, the following two-minute video shows how, using a simple right-click over the image and selecting “Save As”. Note that if you don’t see the “Save As” option, select “Copy” instead. Then, open up Paint or any other image editor and paste the image, then save it as a JPG, PNG, GIF, etc.

Exporting images from Excel is useful for people who need to bring the image into other applications, such as:

  • WordPress or other blogging software
  • Email programs (Outlook, Gmail, etc.)
  • Word processors (Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs, Scrivener, etc.)
  • 93
  • Photo software (iPhoto, Picasa, Flickr, etc.)
  • Presentation software (Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Presentations, etc.)

The narrator of the video is the author of “Excel Basics In 30 Minutes”, a guide that contains many more tips and how-to instructions that will get you up to speed with Excel in no time. Visit this page to see purchasing options for “Excel Basics In 30 Minutes”.

Mar 27

How To Convert CSV Files In Excel

By Blog, Video

If you work with data, you’ll eventually have to deal with CSV files. This short video explains what comma-separated value files are, and how to convert CSV files in Excel. Several examples containing text data (in the form of a list of first and last names, as well as a CSV download from a banking site) are shown being imported into Excel and flowed into the spreadsheet cells. The narrator is Ian Lamont, author of Excel Basics In 30 Minutes and other In 30 Minutes™ titles.

Press the icon in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to see the video in all of its full-screen glory.

Mar 26

The Goodreads Giveaway Effect For Excel Basics

By Blog

Earlier this month, the Goodreads Giveaway for Excel Basics In 30 Minutes was officially launched. As of this writing, the registration is still open. For the next two weeks, you can sign up for the giveaway and have a chance at winning one of 25 free copies of the paperback (126 people have already signed up). The details to join the giveaway are at the bottom of this page.

However, one thing I wanted to highlight about the giveaway was the impact of the listing on the sales and marketing of the book. I track marketing data very carefully. Shortly after the Goodreads Giveaway was launched, there was a measurable increase in the number of books sold on Amazon and iTunes. In addition, I saw on the Goodreads Giveaway listing page that about 30 or 40 people had listed it as “to-read”. My hypothesis: People who saw the giveaway wanted to mark it for future reference, and in a few cases they wanted it right away — and went to Amazon or iTunes to buy the ebook version. Several people also bought the paperback version.

This is not a best-selling In 30 Minutes™ title, but the boost was welcome. I’m looking forward to the end of the promotion, and sending out the free copies to 25 lucky winners (selected by Goodreads). I’m also looking forward to getting feedback from those readers.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Excel Basics Giveaway

Excel Basics In 30 Minutes

by Ian Lamont

Giveaway ends April 11, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Mar 23

How to convert .xlsx files to Google Sheets

By Blog, Video

In six minutes, learn how to convert .xlsx files to Google Sheets, a free online spreadsheet program that is part of the Google Drive office suite. If you have Excel 2010 or 2013, this is a way to get the files into Google Drive. The technique also works with .xls files in older versions of Microsoft Excel. Three examples are given, with step-by-step instructions of how to handle the conversion process. There are also some warnings about formatting problems which can occur when the Microsoft Excel documents are imported into Google Drive.

Start the video below. To see the video full-screen, press the icon on the bottom bar of the video.

The narrator of the video is the author of Excel Basics In 30 Minutes, which you can buy here for the Kindle, iPad, or Nook, or download as a PDF. There is also a paperback edition available.