Ever found yourself copying a few rows from an Excel spreadsheet into another part of your workbook, only to repeat the whole process when your data changes? There's a better way. Excel's TAKE function lets you extract the rows and columns you need, so you can build focused reports that update automatically.

Excel has hundreds of functions, and nobody needs to know them all. But a few are worth keeping in your back pocket because they save you headaches as your data changes. TRIMRANGE is a great example. When you build a spreadsheet that's going to grow, you usually leave room for data you haven't entered yet. Those empty cells can turn dynamic array results into a mess, but TRIMRANGE quietly trims the blank edges off a range and keeps things tidy.

Microsoft has spent what feels like years pushing Copilot updates into Excel, but for me, it's the little usability improvements that make the biggest difference when you use the app every day. A small change to a dialog box can save you a few clicks, remove an annoying extra step, or make a good habit easier to stick to. One recent change to the way Excel creates tables is a good example, and it's something I've wanted for years.