15 Modern Excel Functions to Master for 2026

Dynamic Data Summarization with Group By and Pivot By

• 📊 The Group By function allows for formula-based data grouping and summarization, acting as a dynamic alternative to PivotTables.
• 🎯 It supports grouping by multiple columns and various calculation functions (sum, average, count), with options for headers and grand totals.
• 🚀 Pivot By function extends Group By by enabling data shaping across columns, mirroring PivotTable functionality for row and column summarization.
• ✨ Both functions are dynamic, automatically updating when the source data changes, and can be linked to slicers with a clever trick.

Excel's Modern Array Toolbox for Data Reshaping

• 🛠️ The Trim Range function and its shorthand, the dot operator (.), eliminate the need for volatile OFFSET functions by trimming trailing empty cells, improving formula efficiency.
• 💡 Trim Referator further simplifies formulas by allowing a dot after the range to trim trailing empty cells, useful for dynamic array formulas that cannot be used within tables.
• 🔄 Two Col reshapes any range into a single column, with options to ignore blanks and scan by column or row.
• ➡️ Two Row performs a similar horizontal reshaping, useful for flattening tables or preparing data for other functions.
• 🧩 Choose Col and Choose Rows allow for precise selection and reordering of specific columns or rows from a range.
• ✂️ Take function extracts a specified number of rows or columns from the beginning or end of an array.
• 🗑️ Drop function removes a specified number of rows or columns from the beginning or end of an array, useful for excluding headers or footers.
• 🔀 Wrap Rows and Wrap Cols reshape a single list into multiple rows or columns, with options to handle empty cells.
• 📈 Expand function increases the size of a range to a fixed number of rows and columns, padding blank cells as needed for consistent array shapes.

Advanced Calculations and Visualizations

• ➕ Scan function simplifies the calculation of running totals by returning intermediate results, ideal for trend tracking and building helper arrays.
• 🖼️ The Image function inserts pictures directly into cells using a URL, supporting various sizing behaviors and alignment, enhancing spreadsheet visualization.

AI Integration with Copilot

• 🤖 The Copilot function brings AI directly into Excel formulas, enabling tasks like data analysis, insight generation, and text extraction through simple prompts.
• ✍️ It can reformat data, classify transactions, explain variances, and generate examples, significantly simplifying complex text manipulation and generative tasks.
• 🚀 Excel's Copilot agent mode represents the next level of automation, capable of planning workflows, building sheets, writing formulas, and creating dashboards from a single prompt.