Apple's integrated iWork Numbers app is essentially a simplified version of Excel, for which macOS users do not need to pay extra. Often the only factor that holds back new macOS users from using. IPhone and iPad owners have an amazing problem — iOS is the only platform with all major office suites. The good news is: we get to choose between Apple iWork (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and Google Docs (Docs, Sheets, and Slides). The bad news is: we have to choose between Apple iWork, Microsoft Office, and Google Docs. And it can be a. In the world of productivity suites, Microsoft’s Office 365 gets all of the love. Applications like PowerPoint, Excel and Word are staples of the corporate world. On the other hand, often overlooked Apple’s iWork Suite is a fantastic choice for Mac users. That is especially true for anyone who values productivity and collaboration.
One of the aspects new Mac users struggle the most when they just start using their Macs, is the switch from their frequently used productivity applications from PCs to their Mac alternatives. Word and Excel are perhaps the most common examples of this, which is why it is important for Mac users to know as much as possible about any alternative out there.
In a past entry, we have already discussed a few basic aspects that every MS Word user should know about Apple’s own Pages, which is part of its excellent iWork productivity suite of apps. This time, let’s focus on Numbers for Mac, Apple’s (much cheaper but very capable) alternative to MS Excel and some of the things that Windows users looking forward to use it should know.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Iwork Numbers Vs Excel
Just as with Excel, the basic commands of Numbers are located at the top of every Numbers’ document on both its main Toolbar and its Formatting Toolbar.
The main toolbar of Numbers, as is the case with Pages, allows you to perform the most basic options, but is also home to more advanced elements that are usually not as easily accessible on Excel.
For example, the right side of the Toolbar lets you insert different kinds of elements to your spreadsheets, like text boxes, charts and shapes, as well as allowing you to bring up the all-important Inspector Panel and to adjust some of your spreadsheets’ fonts and colors.
The left side of the main Toolbar though, is home to a few far more interesting options. From there, you can access lists of the most important formulas and functions, as well as being able to change the view and overall layout of your spreadsheet. Additionally, the Reorganize button on the toolbar lets you access some really convenient sorting and filtering options with just one click.
The Format and Formula Bars, as expected, behave almost identically as on Excel. There you can adjust the cells’ borders, the alignment and format of the text and much more.
One of the major differences between Numbers and Excel though, is the left panel that is shown by default on Apple’s spreadsheet application.
This area of every Numbers’ document houses three different (and very useful) panes:
1. The Sheets Pane: This is the equivalent of sheets on Excel. The only exception is that in Numbers, you can have different sheets in one single page, and you can control and position each of them independently.
2. The Styles Pane: As its name implies, you can use this pane to apply different styles to any sheet with just a click. What is even more, you can also create your own styles, save them and set the default style for all future sheets.
3. The Instant Calculations Pane: This pane is as simple as it is convenient. It works just like the status bar on Excel when it shows the total of a group of values you select, only that Numbers shows five different operations at the same time instead of just one.
As mentioned above, one of the coolest features of Numbers is that you can have several sheets on one page and choose to arrange them and customize them independently. While it takes a bit to get used to, this feature provides a lot of flexibility, especially when working with smaller sets of data.
That’s all for now. Keep an eye on the site for more tutorials and cool tips on Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and if you want to learn something in particular, let us know in the comments below.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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If you use Microsoft Excel on your Mac, you can save the spreadsheets you create and open them in Numbers, Apple’s spreadsheet app. It’s a handy feature to use in case you can’t access Microsoft’s apps.
Every Mac comes with Apple’s iWork apps: Pages (word processor), Numbers (spreadsheet), and Keynote (presentations). And these apps can import Office documents. Here’s how you can open Excel spreadsheets in Numbers, as well as export Numbers spreadsheets for use in Excel.
How to import Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into Apple Numbers
This procedure works with .xlsx and .xls file formats. You can also import .csv and tab-delimited files.
Iwork Excel Compatibility
- Launch Numbers (it’s in the Applications folder of your Mac).
- In the window that automatically opens when you launch the app, navigate to the location of your Excel file. For example, if it’s in Documents, click on the Documents folder in the left sidebar. (You can also click on the File menu and select Open, then navigate to your spreadsheet.)
- Once you’ve located your file, select it and click Open. A progress window will appear.
- A window may appear, explaining any changes that were made during the import process. The more complicate your Excel spreadsheet (lots of formulas, charts, etc.), the higher the possibility that a change had to be made. The simpler the spreadsheet, the more your file will resemble what you created in Excel.
- That’s it. The Excel file should open in Numbers.
Before you start working on your spreadsheet, look it over carefully. Formatting may have changed, especially with charts. Check to make sure the formulas you are using are intact. There’s always a chance that so much happened during the import that you can’t use your spreadsheet.
How to export Apple Numbers files as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
If you’ve been working in Numbers and will eventually return to Excel, you can export your spreadsheet as an Excel file. Here’s how.
Iwork Vs Excel
- In Numbers, click on the File menu and move your cursor to “Export to.”
- A pop-up menu will appear. Select Excel.
- In the Export Your Spreadsheet window that appears next, you can opt to include a summary worksheet and require a password. Click on Advanced Options, and you can select between .xlsx and .xls file formats. Click Next when you have finished selecting your options.
Iwork Excel 互换
- Choose where you want to save the file and name it.
- When you click Export, this will save the file.