Basic tasks in Excel for the web

By using Excel for the web, you can use your web browser to create, view, and edit workbooks that you store on OneDrive or Dropbox. If your organization or school has a Microsoft 365 plan or SharePoint site, you can also create and store workbooks in libraries on your site. This article walks you through the basic tasks: creating a workbook, sharing it, editing in your browser, working with others, and printing.

Create an online workbook

  1. Open your OneDrive by selecting the OneDrive icon in your system tray.
  2. Select + Create or upload > Excel workbook.
  3. To rename the workbook, select the generic name of the new file on the top ribbon (usually something like Book1). In the File Name box, enter a new name.

Share workbooks online

After you create your online workbook, you can share it with friends, coworkers, or the public. People can view your worksheets, sort and filter data, and drill into the details of PivotTables on the web or on a mobile device.

To share a workbook, select Share, and then enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with or Copy Link to get a link that you can email to your contacts.

Edit in the browser

If you try to enter data, set up a formula, add charts, or apply basic formatting and nothing happens, you're probably in read-only view. Here's how to switch to editing view:

Select Editing.

Screenshot that shows the file in Editing view.

For more advanced editing options, select Open in Desktop.

Excel for the web saves your work automatically. However, if you change your mind about any changes you just made, select Undo or press Ctrl+Z.

Work together on the same worksheet

When you work with others in Excel for the web, you can edit the worksheet as you usually would. When others edit the worksheet, Excel for the web shows their presence and the updates right away. This feature works only when everyone is working in Excel for the web.

Screenshot that shows a label stating that two people are editing the current document.

Other versions of the Excel app also let you work with others at the same time. For more information, see Collaborate on Excel workbooks at the same time with co-authoring.

  1. Select the cells or chart you want to print, and then go to File > Print. To print the entire worksheet, don't select anything before you go to the Print command.

    Screenshot that shows to print selected cells.

  2. If you change your mind about printing a selected area, choose the Print Active Sheets or Print Entire Workbook print option, and then select Print.

  3. If the final print preview looks right, select Print.

    Screenshot that shows the printable view of a worksheet.

For more information, see Print gridlines in a worksheet.