Some of Excel's most common "best practices" aren't actually best practices at all.Believing the wrong advice can lead to bloated workbooks, broken formulas, and unnecessary manual work.Here are six spreadsheet myths worth leaving behind.
The myth: Merging cells is the best way to clean up your layout The truth: Center Across Selection preserves layout without breaking structure Merging cells might make a header or row of repeated values look tidy, but it can break Excel's underlying data logic.Once you merge a block, sorting or filtering data becomes difficult, and it introduces a range of structural issues that disrupt normal spreadsheet behavior.Center Across Selection (Ctrl+1 > Alignment > Horizontal) gives you the same clean, centered appearance without altering the actual grid structure.
Because the cells remain independent, sorting, copying, and filtering continue to work normally.The myth: Hiding rows, columns, and worksheets secures sensitive data The truth: Proper protection is at the file level It's tempting to think that right-clicking a column or worksheet tab and selecting "Hide" safely tucks away private client information or sensitive calculations.While it might reduce visual clutter, it doesn't provide any meaningful security.
Anyone with access to the file can unhide rows, columns, or entire worksheets in seconds.Even Excel's "Very Hidden" worksheet setting isn't a safeguard, as it can still be exposed by anyone who understands how to access the workbook structure.Hidden content can also leak in more indirect ways.
Copying data into a new workbook or exporting it to formats like CSV can re-expose information you assumed was concealed.Password-protecting the workbook (File > Info > Protect Workbook) adds a stronger layer of control, but it still isn't true data security.For anything genuinely confidential, the safer approach is to store it in a separate, controlled file or dedicated data source, and only bring in the outputs you actually need for your working sheet.
The myth: Helper columns are amateurish The truth: Breaking down your formulas makes sheets easier to read and audit There's a weird office pride around cramming multiple steps of logic into one massive, multi-line nested formula.Many people avoid extra columns out of fear of looking sloppy, but the best spreadsheets value clarity over microscopic density.If you can't read your own formula a month from now, it isn't good design.
Dedicated helper columns isolate intermediate calculation steps to simplify debugging, improve collaboration, and make your logic readable.They also create cleaner inputs for PivotTables, charts, and downstream calculations.Microsoft 365 Personal OS Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android Free trial 1 month Microsoft 365 includes access to Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on up to five devices, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and more.
$100 at Microsoft Expand Collapse The myth: Excel can only handle small datasets The truth: Power Pivot manages millions of rows Many people abandon Excel the moment a dataset reaches seven figures, assuming they've completely outgrown its capabilities.While a worksheet itself has a hard limit of just over 1 million rows, that only applies to data stored directly in the grid.When large datasets (for example, from CSV or database sources) are loaded into Excel's Data Model, the data is stored outside the worksheet grid.
This allows Excel to compress and manage millions of rows, which you can then analyze using PivotTables without running into sheet-level limits.The myth: Saving files as binary workbooks fixes speed issues The truth: Faster spreadsheets depend on smarter workbook design Saving a sluggish spreadsheet as an Excel Binary Workbook (XLSB) instead of a standard XLSX file is often passed around as a magic performance trick.And in some cases, that's true.
XLSB can reduce file overhead and improve open/save performance in very large, calculation-heavy workbooks or older files where speed matters more than portability.However, because XLSB uses a proprietary binary structure rather than Excel's standard XML-based format, it can cause friction with cloud storage, co-authoring, and third-party integrations.For most modern workflows, XLSX remains the more reliable default, with XLSB best reserved for specialized, performance-critical files where compatibility isn't a priority.
In many cases, it's better to optimize the workbook itself before switching file formats altogether.The myth: You need to learn complex VBA code to automate tasks The truth: Modern native tools handle automation without code The outdated belief that automation in Excel requires writing complex macros keeps many users stuck performing repetitive manual chores every single week.While VBA still has a place in advanced or highly customized workflows, most everyday automation tasks no longer require coding.
Excel's built-in tools have moved beyond the old macro recorder.Subscribe to the newsletter for smarter Excel habits Join the newsletter to get practical, myth-busting Excel guidance: concise workbook design patterns, no-code automation techniques, and clear fixes to prevent broken formulas - actionable tips for more reliable spreadsheets.Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe anytime.For example, Excel tables automatically handle expanding datasets, removing tasks that previously required VBA scripts or macros to maintain and extend ranges.Power Query can clean, reshape, and refresh imported data sources through a repeatable process, replacing many routine data-preparation workflows that once required custom automation code.
Features like PivotTables, structured references, and dynamic array functions also reduce the need for scripted solutions by automatically updating results as underlying data changes.Together, these tools can cover many routine automation tasks that previously relied on VBA, allowing most users to build self-updating, low-maintenance workflows entirely within Excel's native features.Better spreadsheets start with better assumptions Dropping these myths makes Excel feel more predictable in your hands, easier to share with others, and far less fragile in real use.
Instead of constantly working around limitations that don't actually exist, your spreadsheets start behaving the way you expect—cleanly, consistently, and without unnecessary fixes getting in your way.That shift is what makes everyday Excel work feel lighter, faster, and more under your control.
Read More
