Microsoft Excel Starter Files and Practice Downloads
Start with a small, inspectable dataset
Download the team-and-item practice CSV (115 bytes) for grouping, numeric checks and repeated-match exercises. It contains eight synthetic records and three columns, not formulas, a formatted report or an .xltx template. No paid edition is needed for the basic data and totals exercise described here.
The file contains exactly:
| Team | Item | Units |
|---|---|---|
| North | Pen | 12 |
| South | Pad | 5 |
| North | Box | 7 |
| East | Tape | 0 |
| North | Folder | 3 |
| South | Pen | 8 |
| North | Pen | 2 |
| East | Box | 4 |
Keep both North/Pen records. They are separate records with different quantities, not necessarily accidental duplicates. The zero in the East/Tape record is a numeric zero, not an empty cell.
Choose the correct Excel route
This catalogue targets the free Excel for the web service, checked October 21, 2026, rather than a paid desktop installation. Microsoft’s free-web page describes access through a Microsoft account and OneDrive. No account or signed-in application was used for this catalogue.
Microsoft’s browser-versus-desktop reference lists CSV as supported and says Excel for the web converts it to XLSX when opened. Retain the downloaded CSV locally before opening a working copy in your web environment. Confirm the header and eight records occupy A1:C9; if the content appears in one column or a record is missing, do not proceed with totals.
If CSV opening is unavailable in your account’s current interface, you can enter the small table above into a new workbook instead. That tests the calculation exercise, not the CSV-import behavior. Do not use an untested desktop-menu instruction as a substitute for a web import control.
Acceptance checks before adapting the file
Add formulas in unused cells, outside A1:C9:
| Check | Expected result |
|---|---|
=COUNT(C2:C9) |
8 |
=SUM(C2:C9) |
41 |
COUNT includes the zero. A lower result indicates at least one expected number is missing or stored as text. Do not trust SUM alone, since text can be ignored.
For a grouping exercise, North has four records totaling 24 units; South has two totaling 13; East has two totaling 4. By item, Pen totals 22, Pad 5, Box 11, Tape 0 and Folder 3. Both sets of group totals reconcile to 41. Change C2 from 12 to 13: the overall total becomes 42, North 25 and Pen 23. Restore 12 before repeating the original checks.
The existing multiple matches without FILTER lesson uses this dataset for a historical Excel 2013 desktop method. It is not the procedure for the free web exercise and does not establish web feature parity. Use it only when that lesson’s explicit version scope fits your installation.
Preserve a reusable working copy
Keep your working file in workbook format after adding formulas or formatting; the original CSV is only plain data. Name a clean workbook master separately and copy it before each exercise so the reference rows stay intact. For a desktop-specific native-template workflow, see create a reusable workbook template and check its scope before following it. Renaming this CSV to XLSX or XLTX is not file conversion.
See Excel versions and availability for the distinction between free browser access and desktop licensing.
File integrity and verification
Original download bytes were inspected on October 21, 2026. These synthetic UTF-8, comma-separated files contain no formulas, macros or external links. A SHA-256 match identifies unchanged bytes, not a successful application import.
- multiple-matches.csv: 115 bytes; SHA-256
eb4f62bedbd0efaf35e261ce9562198d1c8172fb90423afc6ba7bb29ba25bbfd.
Expected results were calculated independently from the files. No new application import, save/reopen test or screenshot was produced for this catalogue. Check results in your own environment before adapting the examples to important data.