8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets

Most people only use Excel as a tool to organize data, but its versatility goes far beyond spreadsheets. You can use it to play fun games, create beautiful works of art, and even organize your life using it as a calendar.

Table of Contents

1. Play classic games

One of the coolest things you can do with Excel is turn it into a gaming platform with a little creativity and some basic formulas. For example, you can create a Tic-Tac-Toe game by customizing cells to form a grid and using formulas to track the player's moves.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Tic Tac Toe Game in Microsoft Excel

If you're feeling adventurous, you can try creating games like Minesweeper, Snake, or Pac-Man, with the help of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) scripts. You don't have to start from scratch either - many Excel game templates are available online.

2. Solve Sudoku puzzles

In addition to classic games, you can turn an Excel spreadsheet into an interactive Sudoku solver. A notable example comes from Reddit user /u/KrakenOfLakeZurich, who designed an impressive Sudoku solver entirely in Excel using only formulas and conditional formatting. This setup turns a basic spreadsheet into a dynamic puzzle solver, where you enter the given numbers of a Sudoku puzzle and Excel fills in the blanks.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Sudoku Solver in Excel Spreadsheet

Excel's conditional formatting visually highlights valid moves, while formulas ensure Sudoku rules are followed - no repeating numbers in rows, columns, or grids.

3. Edit image

One of the lesser-known but surprisingly powerful features in Excel is the ability to edit images. It goes beyond the basic cropping, rotating, and resizing options – Excel offers other editing tools to enhance your images.

After inserting an image into your Excel spreadsheet, you can go to the Picture Format tab , where you'll find options to apply shadows, reflections, and soft edges to create a more polished, professional look. Like other Office applications, Excel also includes Picture Styles , which allow you to apply various borders and 3D effects to your images.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Edit images in Excel spreadsheets

These options can be really useful if you're in a pinch and need to quickly improve an image - whether it's adjusting the style or even removing the background. Once you're done editing, you can save the image by right-clicking on it and selecting Save as Picture .

4. Create Artwork

This may sound unusual—or even strange—but Excel’s AutoShape feature can help you create stunning works of art. One of the most famous examples of this is Tatsuo Horiuchi, a Japanese artist who turned Excel into his canvas. Using tools like AutoShape, Horiuchi created intricate landscapes that proved that Excel is more than just for calculations.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Myojin Shrine grounds covered with trees created with Excel

To create your own artwork, go to Insert > Illustrations > Shapes and use Excel's line tool as a precision tool to sketch out complex shapes or outlines. Then, pair it with Excel's fill tool for shading and coloring, turning your spreadsheet into a canvas.

For a creative approach, you can use Excel's grid structure as your canvas. By resizing cells into small squares, you can turn each cell into a "pixel" and color it differently to create anything from simple designs to complex, mosaic-like images.

5. Generate a password or random number

You don't have to rely on online password generators to create strong passwords. Excel's built-in functions like RAND and RANDBETWEEN can help you generate complex, random passwords in seconds. For example, to create a random 8-character password that includes letters, numbers, and special characters, you can use the following formula:

=TEXTJOIN("", TRUE, CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)), CHAR(RANDBETWEEN(33,126)))
8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Excel displays random passwords generated using formulas

Additionally, you can use Excel's RAND, RANDBETWEEN, and RANDARRAY functions to generate random numbers. This is especially useful when you need to select winners from a list of entries, generate random samples for surveys, or assign numbers to sweepstakes entrants.

6. Send mass emails

If you need to send personalized mass emails to a group of recipients, Excel can help. With Mail Merge, you can easily customize and send mass emails directly from Microsoft Word , using data stored in an Excel spreadsheet.

To do this, you'll first need to organize your recipients' details — like names, email addresses, and other personalized information — into columns in Excel. Then, you'll need to create an email draft in Word and link to your Excel file via Mail Merge . This feature lets you insert personalized fields (like names, addresses, or specific offers) into your email template, ensuring each person receives a tailored message.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Excel Data Source Example for Mail Merge

Once everything is set up, Mail Merge will automatically fill in the details for each recipient, and you can send personalized emails in bulk – all from within Word. While this process takes a bit of time and effort to set up, it can save you hours when sending personalized emails to large groups.

7. Create custom forms

Excel can be a powerful tool for creating interactive, fillable forms, whether they're surveys, questionnaires, or feedback forms. To get started, you'll need to enable the Developer tab , which gives you access to a variety of form controls like text boxes, checkboxes, and drop-down menus.

Once enabled, you can add various controls to your form by selecting them from the Controls group . For example, you can insert check boxes for yes/no questions or drop-down lists for multiple choice choices.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
The Developer tab in Excel shows a checkbox.

After you design a form, you can ensure data integrity by protecting your worksheet. You can customize protection settings to control user interaction, such as allowing users to fill out a form while preventing other changes.

8. Create a personal calendar

If you like using Excel, why not turn it into your personal calendar? Excel offers a variety of templates for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning that you can easily customize. Just choose a template you like, then adjust the layout to fit your work or personal schedule.

The main advantage of using Excel as a calendar is the level of customization it offers. You can modify colors, fonts, and even apply conditional formatting to highlight important dates, meetings, or tasks. This allows you to create a calendar that is not only functional, but also visually appealing.

8 Ways to Use Excel Beyond Spreadsheets
Calendar showing January in Excel

Overall, the potential of Excel goes far beyond managing numbers and data. Take the time to explore its creative applications and who knows, you might unlock a whole new level of productivity and creativity.

Sign up and earn $1000 a day ⋙

Leave a Comment

SUBTOTAL Function: Calculates the total value of a filtered list in Excel

SUBTOTAL Function: Calculates the total value of a filtered list in Excel

The sum function when filtering data is very important for Microsoft Excel users. This article will summarize for you how to filter and calculate sum in Excel using Subtotal.

How to Export Airtable to Excel and Google Sheets

How to Export Airtable to Excel and Google Sheets

Airtable lets you create and share relational databases easily. Export your Airtable data to Google Sheets or Excel to enjoy the benefits of advanced charts and data visualization.

Effective ways to use ChatGPT in Excel

Effective ways to use ChatGPT in Excel

Curious about how ChatGPT can enhance your Excel experience? Here are some tips for using ChatGPT in Excel.

The Best Free Family Tree Templates for Microsoft Word and Excel

The Best Free Family Tree Templates for Microsoft Word and Excel

If you don't know how to create a family tree from scratch, these Microsoft Word and Excel templates can help you.

Why are so many people stopping using Google Sheets and going back to Excel?

Why are so many people stopping using Google Sheets and going back to Excel?

For a while, Google Sheets lured people away from Excel. But many people came back after realizing that Google Sheets is far from beating Excel.

How to use the TREND function in Excel

How to use the TREND function in Excel

You can calculate and visualize trends in Excel using the TREND function. Here's how to use the TREND function in Microsoft Excel.

How to Use Excels Regex Function to Power Up Your Searches

How to Use Excels Regex Function to Power Up Your Searches

Regex functions change that. Now you can specify exactly what you need—complex patterns, partial matches, or extracting structured data—without the effort.

How to fix the error of printing blank pages in Microsoft Excel

How to fix the error of printing blank pages in Microsoft Excel

How to fix the error of printing blank pages in Microsoft Excel. Why do some Excel documents not display data or contain blank pages when printed? Below are the reasons

How to pin Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to the corresponding app icon on the Windows 11 taskbar

How to pin Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to the corresponding app icon on the Windows 11 taskbar

How to pin Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to the corresponding app icon on the Windows 11 taskbar, How to pin Office files to the taskbar icon on Windows 11? Invite

How to fix the error of not being able to save Excel files on Windows

How to fix the error of not being able to save Excel files on Windows

How to fix the error of not being able to save an Excel file on Windows. If you can't save the Excel file, don't worry too much. Below are ways to fix the error of not being able to save the above Excel file

How to insert a picture into a cell using VBA in Excel

How to insert a picture into a cell using VBA in Excel

How to insert a picture into a cell using VBA in Excel, You can easily insert pictures into Excel spreadsheets and edit them with macro code. Here's how to insert images

How to synchronize responses on Microsoft Forms with Excel

How to synchronize responses on Microsoft Forms with Excel

How to sync Microsoft Forms responses with Excel, Want to sync Microsoft Forms responses with Excel spreadsheets? Here's how to do it easily

How to change uppercase and lowercase letters in Excel

How to change uppercase and lowercase letters in Excel

To be able to easily change uppercase and lowercase letters in Excel, Microsoft has given us some functions to convert. The following article will provide the functions to support.

IF and IFS functions in Excel: Usage and specific examples

IF and IFS functions in Excel: Usage and specific examples

The IF function in Microsoft Excel is one of the most commonly used logical functions. In the simplest sense, the IF function will return a result based on one or several input comparison data.

Ways to reduce the risk of birth defects in the fetus

Ways to reduce the risk of birth defects in the fetus

Birth defects are something no one wants. Although they cannot be completely prevented, you can take the following steps to reduce the risk of birth defects in your baby.

What planets are Venus and Venus?

What planets are Venus and Venus?

What are the evening star and the morning star? Here's what you need to know about the evening star and the morning star.

Huawei Mate XT Ultimate screen repair price is as expensive as an iPhone 16 Pro Max

Huawei Mate XT Ultimate screen repair price is as expensive as an iPhone 16 Pro Max

According to the official price list announced by Huawei itself, repairing the Mate XT Ultimate screen will cost up to 7,999 CNY, equivalent to 1,123 USD or nearly 28 million VND, equal to the price of an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Summit supercomputer is about to retire

Summit supercomputer is about to retire

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announced that Summit, the world's most powerful supercomputer in 2018 and 2019, will be shut down in November after nearly six years of operation.

How to connect wifi on Panasonic Smart TV

How to connect wifi on Panasonic Smart TV

Most Panasonic smart TVs support wifi connection so that users can use and experience many useful features, programs and information not only domestically but also abroad.

How to connect wifi for LG Smart TV

How to connect wifi for LG Smart TV

Connecting wifi to LG Smart TV is not too difficult, you just need to follow 4 steps according to the instructions in our article to succeed.

How to connect wifi for Sony Smart TV

How to connect wifi for Sony Smart TV

If you are looking for a way to connect wifi to your Sony Smart TV, please refer to this article of ours!

What order should I watch Attack on Titan?

What order should I watch Attack on Titan?

What is the order to watch Attack on Titan is a question that many people are interested in. This article will tell you how many parts Attack on Titan has and how to watch it.

Thai Alphabet

Thai Alphabet

If you love Thailand and want to learn Thai, the first thing you need to do is get acquainted with and memorize the Thai alphabet.

OpenAI Announces GPT-4.1 - The Smartest Model for Complex Tasks

OpenAI Announces GPT-4.1 - The Smartest Model for Complex Tasks

OpenAI has officially introduced three new models: GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano. These models come with a massive context capacity of up to 1 million tokens and a knowledge limit updated until June 2024.

How to present survey results in PowerPoint or Google Slides

How to present survey results in PowerPoint or Google Slides

You have the survey results in hand but don't know how to present them? Don't worry, this article will guide you how to present the survey in PowerPoint, Google Slides.

200+ first sight words for children learning English

200+ first sight words for children learning English

Sight words are short, common, “easy” words that young children can learn to recognize by seeing them (rather than sounding them out). Here are the first English sight words that children should learn.

Simple Mobile Tools Resold, Putting Companys Android Apps at Privacy Risk

Simple Mobile Tools Resold, Putting Companys Android Apps at Privacy Risk

The latest example of this is the sale of the Simple Mobile Tools suite to ZipoApps, turning once-useful Android apps into potential privacy risks.

Amazon Tribe Finally Connects to the Internet and the Unexpected Consequences

Amazon Tribe Finally Connects to the Internet and the Unexpected Consequences

The reclusive Marubo tribe in the Amazon jungle was connected to the outside world by Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service nine months ago. However, the emergence of this technology has brought unexpected consequences.

Unlocking Baccarats Social Thrills: Tedbets Global Gaming Hub

Unlocking Baccarats Social Thrills: Tedbets Global Gaming Hub

Discover the vibrant social scene of baccarat on Tedbet, where players worldwide connect, chat, and enjoy the excitement of live dealer games.