In this lesson, you can learn how to use filters in Excel.
Excel has a feature of filters that make it easy to find the data you need in your spreadsheets. Filters allow you to view and optionally print only selected data from the table, and perform mathematical operations, taking only the visible data.
We will show you how to use filters in Excel. We will start by explaining the different types of filters available in Excel, and then we will show you how to use them to filter data in a table.
Types of Filters in Excel
There are two main types of filters in Excel: automatic filters and advanced filters.
- Automatic filters are the most common type of filter. They allow you to filter data based on the values in a column. For example, you could use an automatic filter to show only the products that are in the “Category1” category.
- Advanced filters allow you to filter data based on more complex criteria or conditions. For example, you could use an advanced filter to show only the products that are in the “Category1” category and that have a price of less than $100.
How to Use Filters in Excel
To use filters in Excel, you first need to select the range of cells that you want to filter. Then, you can use the following steps:
- Click on the Data tab.
- In the Sort & Filter group, click on the Filter button.
- A drop-down menu will appear. Select the type of filter that you want to use.
- The filtered data will be displayed in the table.
Example – easy filtering by category in Excel
For example, let’s apply filters to a table of products to narrow down the selection by category.
Select the table header row.
Go to the Ribbon. In the Home tab, click the Sort & Filter icon and select Filter from the list.
In the table appeared some buttons to filter the data.
Click on the Categories. In the list, uncheck the category which you want to be hidden (filtered), such as Category2.
After applying a filter, you can’t see products from Category2.
On the picture above, you can also see that some rows are hidden. You don’t see 3 and 10 row. In the B1 cell, you can also see a symbol of filter close to the arrow. That means that this column is filtered.
If you want to filter more, you can. Let’s hide products from Producer3 and Producer5.
You can also filter prices. There’s number filters. Click filter arrow in D1 cell.
I want to find the cheapest. I select Less Than Or Equal To.
My budget is $150.
That’s how I filtered out products which I don’t want in my table.
Now it is much easier to choose one.
Note that you can also use advanced filters in Excel to filter data based on complex criteria or conditions. To do this, you’ll need to use the “Advanced Filter” option in the “Sort & Filter” group.
