Excel

Formulas, pivot tables, charts and automation.

Excel

Excel is slow: 7 hidden settings that actually fix it

monasteele.com

Excel·May 9, 2026

Excel is slow: 7 hidden settings that actually fix it

If Excel takes ten seconds to open a 200-row sheet, the culprit is rarely the file. Here are the seven settings — most of them buried — that bring Excel back to life.

9 min read·By Mona Steele

Excel

#REF!, #NAME?, #VALUE!: every Excel error explained and fixed

monasteele.com

Excel·May 8, 2026

#REF!, #NAME?, #VALUE!: every Excel error explained and fixed

Excel's eight error codes each mean exactly one thing. Once you know the pattern, you can fix any of them in under thirty seconds.

10 min read·By Mona Steele

Excel

VLOOKUP vs XLOOKUP: which one should you actually use?

monasteele.com

Excel·May 2, 2026

VLOOKUP vs XLOOKUP: which one should you actually use?

VLOOKUP is the formula everyone learns first. XLOOKUP fixes nearly all of its problems. Here's a plain-English comparison, real examples, and when to use each.

8 min read·By Mona Steele