{"id":34759,"date":"2025-12-10T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/?p=34759"},"modified":"2025-11-02T20:24:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T02:24:40","slug":"whats-new-in-excel-for-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/2025\/12\/10\/whats-new-in-excel-for-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s New in Excel For 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=\u201d1\u2033 admin_label=\u201dsection\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 custom_padding=\u201d0px||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201drow\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 background_size=\u201dinitial\u201d background_position=\u201dtop_left\u201d background_repeat=\u201drepeat\u201d custom_margin=\u201d||0px\u201d custom_padding=\u201d0|0px|0|0px|false|false\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 custom_padding=\u201d|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d custom_padding__hover=\u201d|||\u201d][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.27.3\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

2025 was a banner year for the Microsoft Excel product team.\u00a0 They pumped out some amazing new features that can save you time and make Excel much more powerful.\u00a0 And of course, new functions (who doesn\u2019t love those?!?).\u00a0 Note that Copilot AI features were not covered in this article \u2013 look for those to be covered in the near future!<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll look at 11 Excel tools that were rolled out over the last year or so across four categories: navigation, content, functions, and automation.\u00a0 Make sure to grab a copy of the example workbook that accompanies this article using the box below!\u00a0 Looking for more Excel tools to leverage in your Excel files?\u00a0 Check out this guide to the Top 50 Excel Features<\/a> and use it as a checklist to test your skills and evaluate your files!\u00a0 And to take Excel even further, check out the XLEV8 Excel Add-in<\/a> \u2013 a collection of hundreds of custom Excel tools that complement these new features quite well in saving you a ton of time in your daily Excel work!<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_signup provider=\u201dmailerlite\u201d mailerlite_list=\u201dXLEV8_WP_API|85744827291928411\u2033 first_name_field=\u201doff\u201d last_name_field=\u201doff\u201d success_action=\u201dredirect\u201d success_redirect_url=\u201dhttps:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Whats-New-in-Excel_Workbook_2025-12-10.xlsx\u201d success_redirect_query=\u201doff|off|off|off|off\u201d title=\u201dDownload Workbook\u201d button_text=\u201dGet Workbook\u201d description=\u201d

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We won\u2019t pass your details on to anyone else. By clicking the sign up button, you agree to our <\/span>Terms of Use<\/a> and <\/span>Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d form_field_text_color=\u201d#000000\u2033 background_color=\u201dRGBA(255,255,255,0)\u201d background_layout=\u201dlight\u201d border_width_all=\u201d3px\u201d border_color_all=\u201d#000000\u2033 border_width_all_fields=\u201d1px\u201d border_color_all_fields=\u201d#000000\u2033 saved_tabs=\u201dall\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][\/et_pb_signup][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

The tools<\/strong><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d1. Navigation pane\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

The bigger your workbook is and the more sheets it has, the more helpful it is to be able to navigate quickly.\u00a0 The Navigation Pane lets you use a right-side pane to search for and navigate to sheets, ranges, tables, charts, and shapes in one spot.\u00a0 Toggle it by going to the View ribbon tab and click the Navigation button.\u00a0 Or use the keyboard shortcut Alt-w-k<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

If navigation is important to you, check out a couple of custom Excel tools I use frequently: the Sheet Action Picker<\/a> lets you shortcut all kinds of sheet actions (jump to front, jump to back, and add table of contents are just a few) and the Global Search<\/a> box lets you search for files, sheets, named ranges and more in one auto-complete search box!
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<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d2. Focus cell\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]It\u2019s easy to get lost in a sea of cell values and lose track of your cursor.\u00a0 Focus cell helps you see where you\u2019re at.\u00a0 It\u2019s helpful for presenting Excel sheets live and also when just trying to navigate and ensure you\u2019re editing the right cell or reading the right row\/column.\u00a0 Toggle it on and off by going to the View ribbon tab and click the Focus Cell button.\u00a0 Or use the keyboard shortcut Alt-w-e-f<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 You can change the color used from the default green if desired.\n\nOne caveat of focus cell \u2013 it stops highlighting when you activate a different app\/window.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, focus cell loses focus (kind of ironic, right?).\u00a0 If that\u2019s important to you, there are long-used workarounds for achieving similar functionality using conditional formatting and VBA events.\u00a0 The Conditional Formatting Picker<\/a> (custom tool) lets you toggle a row\/column\/cell tracker on and off with a shortcut, along with several other helpful conditional formatting options.\n\u00a0\n
<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d3. Right-click command search\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]With thousands of features and commands available throughout Excel, it may not be easy to find what you\u2019re looking for.\u00a0 For a long time, the help function in Excel wasn\u2019t terribly useful.\u00a0 In fact, many hard-core Excel users would pry off the F1 key to not accidentally launch the help menu, which took a few precious seconds!\n\nThe help functionality has gotten a lot better, and it\u2019s easier than ever to find what you\u2019re looking for and launch commands by adding a search box to the top of the right-click menu.\u00a0 Just press the right button on your mouse and search using the box at the top (click the up arrow to jump straight to it).\u00a0 You can also press the menu key (usually to the right of your keyboard\u2019s spacebar).\u00a0 When you see the command you want to run, just arrow down and press the Enter key or click on it.\u00a0 Hover over them to learn more!<\/a>\n
<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d4. Checkboxes\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

You might ask yourself what the big deal is about checkboxes, but the truth is they can be extremely helpful.\u00a0 They give you a visual representation of a TRUE\/FALSE value.\u00a0 They can be formatted and work well with conditional formatting for checklists and trackers of all kinds.\u00a0 To insert a checkbox, go to the Insert ribbon tab and click the Checkbox button.\u00a0 Or use the keyboard shortcut Alt-n-c-b<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

To change the checked state of a checkbox, simply check one with your mouse or select one or more cells and click the spacebar to toggle them.
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<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d5. In-cell images\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]Images haven\u2019t gotten a ton of love in Excel \u2013 it\u2019s something you see more in PowerPoint and other apps.\u00a0 But that changes dramatically with the ability to embed images directly within cells.\u00a0 This works great for icons, logos, product images, avatars, and even QR codes!\n\nThere are two ways to add images directly into cells.\u00a0 First, you can go to the Insert ribbon tab, then click the Pictures button and click Place in Cell.\u00a0 Then select the source (usually \u201cThis Device\u201d for me).\u00a0 Note that the image will resize automatically based on the size of the cell.\u00a0 I recommend aligning it to the center for a clean look.\n\nThe second way to add images is by using the IMAGE function and referencing a file path or a URL.\u00a0 The best part about this approach is that you can use cell references to dynamically build the file path\/URL so that it can change along with your inputs.\u00a0 See this approach in action to dynamically build colored QR codes in the example below (and in the free downloadable workbook!).\n\u00a0\n
<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d6. Show changes\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

From an audit standpoint, the show changes pane is huge.\u00a0 There are entire apps that exist because there hasn\u2019t been an easy way to track and review changes to Excel files, but this changes all that.\u00a0 You can see who made the change, when it was changed, and what was changed.<\/p>\n

You can filter to specific sheets or ranges to narrow down the changes you\u2019re evaluating.\u00a0 To display the track changes pane, go to the Review ribbon tab and click the Show Changes button.\u00a0 Or use the keyboard shortcut Alt-r-g<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d7. Check performance\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]If you\u2019ve used a workbook for a while and watched it grow and evolve over time, you probably know that there are items that can bloat the file \u2013 hidden formats, unused named ranges, and complex formulas, just to name a few.\n\nThe check performance pane is a great way to see where some of these items are so that you can choose whether to clean them up.\u00a0 To show the check performance pane, go to the Review ribbon tab and click the Check Performance button.\u00a0 Or use the keyboard shortcut Alt-r-k<\/strong><\/span>.\n\u00a0\n
<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d8. TRIMRANGE function\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

When dynamic array functions (aka DAFs) hit the scene around 2020, Excel became infinitely more powerful.\u00a0 The ability to spill results across multiple cells gives you so many more options with how to model out your data.\u00a0 Cell references are a key part of any function, especially DAFs.<\/p>\n

There is often a need to build cell references such that they can automatically grow or change with your data.\u00a0 TRIMRANGE lets you do that.\u00a0 By using TRIMRANGE, you can automatically remove blank cells from a reference before<\/strong><\/em> the first non-blank cell and\/or after<\/strong><\/em> the last non blank cell in a row and\/or column. This way you can give yourself plenty of room to go and not worry about updating cell references. And as a bonus, it optimizes the performance of calculations.<\/p>\n

You can also use the dot operator as a shortcut within your cell reference. Add a dot before<\/strong><\/em> the colon to trim the beginning and\/or a dot after<\/strong><\/em> the colon to trim the ending (more common). See the screenshot below for examples of both TRIMRANGE and the dot operator.
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<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d9. Pivot functions\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]PivotTables are one of the most popular and useful tools within Excel for analyzing data and asking on-the-fly questions. But they have structural limitations and they aren\u2019t terribly useful to reference as source data. There have long been workarounds for taking a formula-driven approach to displaying data like PivotTables, but now there are functions built right in with PIVOTBY and GROUPBY!\n\nPIVOTBY allows you to use pivot fields \u2013 data fields, row fields, column fields, and filter fields \u2013 to display your data with one function that spills across multiple cells. There are several options for displaying headers and totals. See an example below of the PIVOTBY function in action.\n\nGROUPBY is very similar except that you can only specify data fields, row fields, and filter fields \u2013 not column fields. That can often make it easier and quicker when you don\u2019t need column fields.\n\u00a0\n
<\/div>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=\u201d10. Regex functions\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.27.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]Regular expressions (also known as regex) are a powerful way to evaluate for patterns in a string of text, numbers, and symbols.\u00a0 They can be extremely specific and complex, and are often used as a part of data validation checks.\u00a0 The Excel team recently rolled out not one but three<\/strong><\/em> regex functions:\n