Excel spreadsheets do a lot of heavy lifting at work, but trying to use them on mobile can be extremely painful. Luckily, there are ways to make reading spreadsheets and adding data to them easier to do while away from your computer. Here are some of the best techniques to make using Excel on smartphones and tablets easier, using native features, integrations, and even platforms to help you build mobile-adapted interfaces for them.
1. Use your camera to import data tables
Excel’s “Insert Data from Picture” feature uses your phone camera to convert a printed table into editable spreadsheet data. The Excel mobile app lets you scan printed or handwritten tables directly into your workbook.
Open Excel on your phone or tablet and tap Insert > Data from Picture to start. Align the capture frame with your table and snap a photo; you can crop the image to the data range and let Excel analyze it. The app will show a preview of the recognized data for you to correct any errors, then just tap Insert to add the data to your sheet. This feature is a huge time saver for entering data from a hard copy without manual typing.
2. Find features fast with the search tool
Digging through menus on a small mobile screen can be frustrating. Excel’s Search (or “Tell Me”) tool helps you quickly find and execute commands.
Tap the magnifying glass icon and type a keyword (for example, "filter" or "sum"). You can simply type a feature name into the search bar to locate it. Selecting a result will immediately perform that action on the current selection – for instance, searching “Bold” and tapping the result applies bold formatting to the selected cell. This way, you don’t need to remember where every option is in the mobile interface; just search, and Excel will do it for you.
3. Speed up data entry and calculation
Excel’s mobile app includes several useful tools to make data entry and calculations quicker:
Numeric Keypad: When editing a cell, tap the "123" key to switch to the dedicated numeric keypad for faster number entry. This keypad also provides easy access to symbols and common spreadsheet operators.
AutoSum and Quick Functions: Use the one-tap AutoSum feature (Σ) under the Home menu to quickly calculate the sum of a column or row. You can also select other functions like Average, Count, Max or Min from the same menu. Excel will insert the formula for you automatically.
Fill Handle: Just like on desktop Excel, you can drag the fill handle to copy formulas or repeat values. Tap a cell to select it, then touch and drag the little handle at the cell’s corner down or across to fill the adjacent cells. This is great for populating a series or copying a formula to multiple rows.
Status Bar Calculations: Whenever you highlight a range of cells, look at the top of the screen. Excel’s mobile status bar instantly displays calculations like the sum, average, and count of the selected cells. This gives you quick insights without having to write a formula or navigate to another menu.
4. Collaborate and sync through OneDrive
Cloud integration helps you share and access your spreadsheets from anywhere. Always save your workbooks to OneDrive or SharePoint so that you can access them anywhere and collaborate in real-time. The mobile app will auto-save your edits to the cloud, allowing you and your colleagues to view and edit the file together simultaneously.
Use the Share button in Excel to invite others or send a link to the workbook. You can also add comments in cells and @mention colleagues to ask questions or request input directly within the spreadsheet. They’ll get a notification and can respond or edit the file. All changes and comments sync across devices, so you can start analyzing data on your desktop and then continue on your phone during a meeting without missing a beat. (Tip: If you need to work offline, use the OneDrive app to make the file available offline or save a local copy; your changes will sync when you reconnect.)
5. Turn your Excel sheet into a custom app
If you’re still finding the mobile experience of using Excel to be a barrier, you can use a no code platform like Glide to create a custom app that’s specifically designed for easy use on mobile devices. This will be especially helpful if you have a spreadsheet you use in the field on a regular basis or if you need to give multiple users access to add or read the data in it. As an added benefit, you can set permissions that make it possible to share your data with clients, customers, and contractors without sharing your entire spreadsheet.
To create an Excel-based web app, just connect an Excel workbook as a data source, and Glide will automatically generate an interactive app interface. You can then customize the app’s screens (list views, forms, charts, etc.) and publish it. This means you and your team can interact with spreadsheet data through a user-friendly mobile app. It’s perfect for scenarios like inputting data via forms, viewing dashboards, or extending Excel functionality to users who don’t want to open the spreadsheet itself. Changes in the app sync back to your Excel file, making sure your core data source is always up to date.
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Use data anywhere you need to
Data is at the core of so many business processes, but so much of the work in the world isn’t done while sitting at a desk. The better you can get at unlocking that data for mobile, the more effective you can be. When the Excel mobile app just isn’t enough, creating a custom mobile interface for your data using Glide will make it possible to use your data in all the ways you need to when away from your computer. You don’t need any coding knowledge or engineering resources to do it. Just hook up your data and begin customizing it.
