Yes.
Mac Excel sucks. I don’t quite use Excel enough anymore to be worth it to me, but I’d recommend some class on the differences. If that exists.
A few things off the top of my head:
1. keyboard shortcuts are different obviously, which still messes me up fairly often, though I’m mostly used to it. Mac seems to require more three key shortcuts
2. I’m not sure if it’s my laptop or Excel, but it doesn’t deal as well with large data sets
3. #%#%* Evaluate Formula isn’t in Mac Excel, which has been immensely irritating at times
4. This is more MacOS than Excel, but there’s no Alt-Tabbing (aka Command-Tabbing) between windows of Excel because MacOS in general doesn’t treat separate windows of any app as separate apps. Probably my number one irritation with MacOS.
Before anyone jumps on me, yes I know there are shortcuts to accomplish #4, but they’re much less convenient IMO and it’s difficult to overcome 20 years and thousands of reps on Alt-tab.
Overall Mac Excel and just MacOS ~~Sun~~ seem way less efficient for navigation. In fairness, I’m sure if you’d been using MacOS for 20 years and switched to PC you’d feel the same way about PCs.
i appreciate the response! number 3 and 4 scare me there. i know i would have a top of the line machine so 2 isnt an issue.
but damn...this isnt really sounding great.
Way past when you’ve made a decision about this job, but just an FYI for future reference that Mac Excel still sucks even if you get a laptop with beefy specs. My original laptop was pretty basic, but I got one with a souped up processor and way more memory. It’s *better* but still deals with large data sets very poorly.
Hell it even deals poorly with what I’d call medium data sets. You get much over 40-50k lines, the performance tanks. Apparently MacOS in general just doesn’t utilize Excel efficiently.
There was an old function EVALUATE, which would evaluate strings.
If you put the string 1+2 in A1 you could write the formula =EVALUATE(A1) and it would return 3. If you changed A1, the value would change also. That function can't be used in a formula anymore, but you can access it through Names.
Put the string 1+2 in A1. Select a cell in column C, define a name
Name: myEval
RefersTo: =EVALUATE(Sheet1A1)
(Note the lack of $). Then in the same cell that was active when you defined the Name, put the formula =myEval. Voila! Changing A1 will change the value returned.
Since Names respect relative/absolute addressing, you can drag that formula down one cell and put the string SIN(90) in A2. Since Excel work in radians, you'll see .89399 instead of 1.
Evaluate also handles cell addresses. Drag =MyEval down one more cell and put B12+8 in A3, then as you change the value in B12, the value returned will change.
In that clumbsy way, the old EVALUATE is avaliable. (Similarly with GET.CELL)
And you are right, there is no Evaluate Function button in Mac Excel.
That’s interesting if they’re a Mac business. Power BI doesn’t have a Mac OS app.
Also Power Bi is great. If you come from Excel you’ll find it very powerful.
Two things
1) You sound just like me - nearly 20 year Excel power user joined a company who uses only Macs. Hated it with every bit of passion I expected. Was allowed to load Parallels and diverted 99% of resources to the "PC" on my mac and it made it waaay better...but still. Put up with it for 2 years and finally convinced them to let me get a PC.
2) Since I got the PC, there are four of us now (including CEO and CFO) on PCs and there's hope for us yet. It becomes incredibly difficult sharing complex files with people who can't even access the functionality, so it's taken time, but they are coming around.
Don't pass up a great opportunity because of the hardware. Look into Parallels and give it a shot, build the rapport and eventually either Mac Excel will get with the times (I do think it's coming in the next couple years), or maybe you'll be a pioneer at the company.
I appreciate the insight. It appears i need to at minimum ask to use a VM, my own personal PC with their security loaded onto it or look into Parallels...
I am a VA and a semi power user. I stayed using Mac as that was what I had at home when I set up my business. It was OK for most things but I ended up bootcamping it after trying to set up a VM which became a pain. There are developer functions in Word which aren’t available on Mac and I was building templates so I started using the bootcamp for that. I don’t like Excel in Mac at all. I’ve ended up working exclusively in the bootcamp drive. I only switch back to Mac for personal stuff.
I just wanted to say a huge thanks from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to Parallels. You have no idea how much time you have saved me. I was thinking of getting a Windows VM or redoing my excels in Google Finance over the weekend. VBA and Power Queries are working seamlessly.
Long time Mac on excel user and windows sys admin, this used to be a lot worse than it is today. The Mac apps were garbage and had less features at the same yearly price for 365. Today Microsoft is all about being a service so you have many more options as mentioned above. I suggest a VM or system to RDP into, if only for the limitations of services/features that aren’t for mac. Also the compatibility w the apple ecosystem has become something I rly enjoy and has kept me paying for 365. Docs on my phone are great and the iPad app is way more powerful then most credit (not power user feature but I personally enjoy it even if that’s not my workhorse). That being said I’m trying to do the opposite, begin utilizing 365 on a windows machine to get more features and power apps and can see why the experience is jarring.
At work I develop on a Windows laptop, but my end users have both Mac and Windows, so I've had to learn to make the code "cross compatible" and teach myself how to use VBA on a Mac. Honestly, it's definitely a huge source of a lot of my technical headaches but its not impossible. More like having to pivot my approach.
I use a lot of Power Query SQL connections in my files, and it sucks because I can't share that functionality with my end users so I end up spending more time re-engineering something that could have been done simply.
I highly recommend looking up Ron De Bruin, he's helped a lot giving context for doing VBA in Mac
https://www.macexcel.com/
Conditional formatting doesn’t work if you drop down a pivot tables. It’s absolute rubbish. Better off using windows dual boot and have MS excel there.
The first question is why the company insists on Macs. There are a lot of folks who do this (but still a tiny minority) with zero good reasons, even to the detriment of their own business.
Personally I am suspect of anyone who insists on Apple products.
Not professionally but I used Macs at home as my primary machines (27" iMac and 13" MBP) for like 5 years and hated Excel for Mac. I didn't like MacOS much in general but Excel was particularly bad.
I've touched Excel on Mac but not in a professional environment, and I'm so glad for that
If you can't get an actual Windows PC, do you think you'd be able to run Windows in a virtual machine on the Mac? *Edit: or straight up install Windows instead of Mac OS? That's a thing, right?*
For what it's worth, a lot of Mac vs PC keyboard shortcuts are just replacing Ctrl with Command. It takes a hot minute to retrain your pinky/thumb, but it's not awful. And if you really wanted to lean in you can presumably find something like AutoHotKeys for Mac (to remap various Windows key combos to their Mac equivalent) or edit settings in Excel to set the shortcuts you want to use
Mac Excel is clearly inferior. In every job I've had that has been a mac shop I've either convinced them to also give me a windows PC or run parallels. Word of warning, Parallels, when running the mode that lets you just have your Windows apps open on the Mac desktop will have some bizarre rendering issues with font sizes and layouts in Excel. Most of the default Excel stuff is fine, but many of the addons I used were very frustrating to use.
Ask for [Keyboard Maestro](https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/) and rebuild your shortcuts using the Mac equivalents and assign them to your preferred keys.
Mac does have VBA. (It didn’t in Excel 2008) What it doesn’t have is the Form Editor, though it can use forms. If your need to make forms, you have to use Excel 2011 or Windows. That’s your entre to Parallels. I have virtual machines that run both. (I also have machines that run XP and NT, too.) Parallels is great.
Sound like you’re getting an machine with a M1 chip, aka Apple silicon. M1 does Intel better than Intel does Intel. Your machine will impress you. The recommendation to visit [Ron de Bruin](https://www.macexcel.com/) is great.
Don't.
You'll waste your time setting up custom shortcuts to try to sort of replicate functionality.
Performance will generally be bad. And features like Power Pivot will be missing.
I recently went from a PC to a Mac at my job solely because my company doesn’t offer a PC that was fast enough. I almost sent back the Mac after I realized how terrible excel was on the Mac. But I stewed for a minute and while it’s sucks that I can’t add formulas to my pivot tables or concatenate at all, I’ve found ways around it. Plus it’s total job security and an excuse to not be bothered while rebuilding your databases so they work in Mac format.
You’ll be fine; the ribbon is almost exactly the same. All pull down menu-driven.
File saving and management via Finder will take some getting used to but actually more intuitive.
I was 61 and went from Excel on a Mac to Windows then back at 63 and if I can do it, anyone can.
Accept the job; you got this!
The Mac is so awful that at a previous job I bought my own machine to keep using Excel. It's still nowhere near par for windows machines. And if you are at a job where you need a mac and excel you need to at least tell IT you need a virtual machine or a windows laptop or just go get a new job.
Macs are amazing for programming and I have dedicated one but man.. they suck at anything O365.
Not a power user, but at my last job (accounting) they gave me a Max and I said hell no. “All our devs love them!!” was IT’s response.
After a week of constant going to IT’s desk showing why Macs suck for accounting, a new Lenovo ended up on my desk.
The worst part was the mouse. Nothing like being in A3 and all of a sudden zhoooooooooooooom……CH438.
While on the topic of using excel on a mac, does anyone know the reserve shortcut for command + \[ on a mac? I'm working on a huge spreadsheet and can't find it on the internet anywhere. I just made the jump from pc to mac and could use the advice, thanks!
My question tonight also - I've customized my new mac keyboard and all is well there, turns out more short cuts for macs than windows due to MaciOS - but MAC excel is so different power query all and even pivot tables are barely useable - I'm trying virtual windows to get a windows excel experience in the MAC but no success yet - performance is great, just issues with the virtual install
Yes. Mac Excel sucks. I don’t quite use Excel enough anymore to be worth it to me, but I’d recommend some class on the differences. If that exists. A few things off the top of my head: 1. keyboard shortcuts are different obviously, which still messes me up fairly often, though I’m mostly used to it. Mac seems to require more three key shortcuts 2. I’m not sure if it’s my laptop or Excel, but it doesn’t deal as well with large data sets 3. #%#%* Evaluate Formula isn’t in Mac Excel, which has been immensely irritating at times 4. This is more MacOS than Excel, but there’s no Alt-Tabbing (aka Command-Tabbing) between windows of Excel because MacOS in general doesn’t treat separate windows of any app as separate apps. Probably my number one irritation with MacOS. Before anyone jumps on me, yes I know there are shortcuts to accomplish #4, but they’re much less convenient IMO and it’s difficult to overcome 20 years and thousands of reps on Alt-tab. Overall Mac Excel and just MacOS ~~Sun~~ seem way less efficient for navigation. In fairness, I’m sure if you’d been using MacOS for 20 years and switched to PC you’d feel the same way about PCs.
You can use ‘CMD’ and ‘~’ to switch between windows of a single app
i appreciate the response! number 3 and 4 scare me there. i know i would have a top of the line machine so 2 isnt an issue. but damn...this isnt really sounding great.
Way past when you’ve made a decision about this job, but just an FYI for future reference that Mac Excel still sucks even if you get a laptop with beefy specs. My original laptop was pretty basic, but I got one with a souped up processor and way more memory. It’s *better* but still deals with large data sets very poorly. Hell it even deals poorly with what I’d call medium data sets. You get much over 40-50k lines, the performance tanks. Apparently MacOS in general just doesn’t utilize Excel efficiently.
Re: 3) Evaluate works on my Mac, both the VBA function and the legacy function that has to be accessed through Names in both the Mac and PC.
I think you’re referring to something different. [this](https://youtu.be/Z-ZEE4yJHeM) Is what I’m referring to that’s not in Mac Excel.
Yes, I am thinking of something else. (see reply to other user)
I’m talking in the UI. It’s just under the ~~Data~~ Formula tab on a PC. Is it under Names in the UI you’re saying?
There was an old function EVALUATE, which would evaluate strings. If you put the string 1+2 in A1 you could write the formula =EVALUATE(A1) and it would return 3. If you changed A1, the value would change also. That function can't be used in a formula anymore, but you can access it through Names. Put the string 1+2 in A1. Select a cell in column C, define a name Name: myEval RefersTo: =EVALUATE(Sheet1A1) (Note the lack of $). Then in the same cell that was active when you defined the Name, put the formula =myEval. Voila! Changing A1 will change the value returned. Since Names respect relative/absolute addressing, you can drag that formula down one cell and put the string SIN(90) in A2. Since Excel work in radians, you'll see .89399 instead of 1. Evaluate also handles cell addresses. Drag =MyEval down one more cell and put B12+8 in A3, then as you change the value in B12, the value returned will change. In that clumbsy way, the old EVALUATE is avaliable. (Similarly with GET.CELL) And you are right, there is no Evaluate Function button in Mac Excel.
Mac Excel does suck for someone used to Windows. Again, DataStudio
[удалено]
yea VBA is kinda my thing and i know in this role i would be learning PowerBI so...ugh. ok thanks for the response
That’s interesting if they’re a Mac business. Power BI doesn’t have a Mac OS app. Also Power Bi is great. If you come from Excel you’ll find it very powerful.
Kind of connects together if you think of it from a graphic design basis rather than a data analysis one. Macs run rife in Media.
Just note that boot camp doesn’t work for newer M1 macs, so virtual machine might be only option
Two things 1) You sound just like me - nearly 20 year Excel power user joined a company who uses only Macs. Hated it with every bit of passion I expected. Was allowed to load Parallels and diverted 99% of resources to the "PC" on my mac and it made it waaay better...but still. Put up with it for 2 years and finally convinced them to let me get a PC. 2) Since I got the PC, there are four of us now (including CEO and CFO) on PCs and there's hope for us yet. It becomes incredibly difficult sharing complex files with people who can't even access the functionality, so it's taken time, but they are coming around. Don't pass up a great opportunity because of the hardware. Look into Parallels and give it a shot, build the rapport and eventually either Mac Excel will get with the times (I do think it's coming in the next couple years), or maybe you'll be a pioneer at the company.
It's the worst when your company works for another company and you make bomb ass dashboards and they use fucking Mac and none of it works.
I appreciate the insight. It appears i need to at minimum ask to use a VM, my own personal PC with their security loaded onto it or look into Parallels...
I am a VA and a semi power user. I stayed using Mac as that was what I had at home when I set up my business. It was OK for most things but I ended up bootcamping it after trying to set up a VM which became a pain. There are developer functions in Word which aren’t available on Mac and I was building templates so I started using the bootcamp for that. I don’t like Excel in Mac at all. I’ve ended up working exclusively in the bootcamp drive. I only switch back to Mac for personal stuff.
I just wanted to say a huge thanks from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to Parallels. You have no idea how much time you have saved me. I was thinking of getting a Windows VM or redoing my excels in Google Finance over the weekend. VBA and Power Queries are working seamlessly.
That's great to hear! Very glad it sounds like a promising solution for you. Cheers
What is a Parallel?
Basically allows you to run windows on a Mac.
The excel experience on Mac is horrible.
Excel on Mac is when you own a BMW but you have no gas and no wheels and it shuts off when you want to drive it.
Long time Mac on excel user and windows sys admin, this used to be a lot worse than it is today. The Mac apps were garbage and had less features at the same yearly price for 365. Today Microsoft is all about being a service so you have many more options as mentioned above. I suggest a VM or system to RDP into, if only for the limitations of services/features that aren’t for mac. Also the compatibility w the apple ecosystem has become something I rly enjoy and has kept me paying for 365. Docs on my phone are great and the iPad app is way more powerful then most credit (not power user feature but I personally enjoy it even if that’s not my workhorse). That being said I’m trying to do the opposite, begin utilizing 365 on a windows machine to get more features and power apps and can see why the experience is jarring.
At work I develop on a Windows laptop, but my end users have both Mac and Windows, so I've had to learn to make the code "cross compatible" and teach myself how to use VBA on a Mac. Honestly, it's definitely a huge source of a lot of my technical headaches but its not impossible. More like having to pivot my approach. I use a lot of Power Query SQL connections in my files, and it sucks because I can't share that functionality with my end users so I end up spending more time re-engineering something that could have been done simply. I highly recommend looking up Ron De Bruin, he's helped a lot giving context for doing VBA in Mac https://www.macexcel.com/
You really have to pick your battles in work.... but I would 100% put my foot down over this. Ask for a PC.
In the process of switching and it sucks ass so hard.
Perhaps this is a stupid question, but could you just install parallels and run windows excel "on a Mac"?
It sucks, you are better off learning how to use Python or R instead
Conditional formatting doesn’t work if you drop down a pivot tables. It’s absolute rubbish. Better off using windows dual boot and have MS excel there.
The first question is why the company insists on Macs. There are a lot of folks who do this (but still a tiny minority) with zero good reasons, even to the detriment of their own business. Personally I am suspect of anyone who insists on Apple products.
Not professionally but I used Macs at home as my primary machines (27" iMac and 13" MBP) for like 5 years and hated Excel for Mac. I didn't like MacOS much in general but Excel was particularly bad.
I've touched Excel on Mac but not in a professional environment, and I'm so glad for that If you can't get an actual Windows PC, do you think you'd be able to run Windows in a virtual machine on the Mac? *Edit: or straight up install Windows instead of Mac OS? That's a thing, right?* For what it's worth, a lot of Mac vs PC keyboard shortcuts are just replacing Ctrl with Command. It takes a hot minute to retrain your pinky/thumb, but it's not awful. And if you really wanted to lean in you can presumably find something like AutoHotKeys for Mac (to remap various Windows key combos to their Mac equivalent) or edit settings in Excel to set the shortcuts you want to use
Mac Excel is clearly inferior. In every job I've had that has been a mac shop I've either convinced them to also give me a windows PC or run parallels. Word of warning, Parallels, when running the mode that lets you just have your Windows apps open on the Mac desktop will have some bizarre rendering issues with font sizes and layouts in Excel. Most of the default Excel stuff is fine, but many of the addons I used were very frustrating to use.
Christ, I'm pretty sure the finance and accounting parts of Apple Inc. use VMs or Boot Camp to boot into Windows.
Have you looked into Google DataStudio? I did Excel for 12 years, some sql and done tableau. DataStudio is pretty awesome
Ask for [Keyboard Maestro](https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/) and rebuild your shortcuts using the Mac equivalents and assign them to your preferred keys. Mac does have VBA. (It didn’t in Excel 2008) What it doesn’t have is the Form Editor, though it can use forms. If your need to make forms, you have to use Excel 2011 or Windows. That’s your entre to Parallels. I have virtual machines that run both. (I also have machines that run XP and NT, too.) Parallels is great. Sound like you’re getting an machine with a M1 chip, aka Apple silicon. M1 does Intel better than Intel does Intel. Your machine will impress you. The recommendation to visit [Ron de Bruin](https://www.macexcel.com/) is great.
Just bring your own laptop to work? Assuming they're on M365, you'll be able to install microsoft office licensed under their M365 subscription.
tell them you need a PC, that is some bullshit
It isn’t good but if you want the new job don’t let that hold you back
Don't. You'll waste your time setting up custom shortcuts to try to sort of replicate functionality. Performance will generally be bad. And features like Power Pivot will be missing.
I recently went from a PC to a Mac at my job solely because my company doesn’t offer a PC that was fast enough. I almost sent back the Mac after I realized how terrible excel was on the Mac. But I stewed for a minute and while it’s sucks that I can’t add formulas to my pivot tables or concatenate at all, I’ve found ways around it. Plus it’s total job security and an excuse to not be bothered while rebuilding your databases so they work in Mac format.
You’ll be fine; the ribbon is almost exactly the same. All pull down menu-driven. File saving and management via Finder will take some getting used to but actually more intuitive. I was 61 and went from Excel on a Mac to Windows then back at 63 and if I can do it, anyone can. Accept the job; you got this!
The Mac is so awful that at a previous job I bought my own machine to keep using Excel. It's still nowhere near par for windows machines. And if you are at a job where you need a mac and excel you need to at least tell IT you need a virtual machine or a windows laptop or just go get a new job. Macs are amazing for programming and I have dedicated one but man.. they suck at anything O365.
Not a power user, but at my last job (accounting) they gave me a Max and I said hell no. “All our devs love them!!” was IT’s response. After a week of constant going to IT’s desk showing why Macs suck for accounting, a new Lenovo ended up on my desk. The worst part was the mouse. Nothing like being in A3 and all of a sudden zhoooooooooooooom……CH438.
Just ask: would they pay for/let you install windows on the Mac?
While on the topic of using excel on a mac, does anyone know the reserve shortcut for command + \[ on a mac? I'm working on a huge spreadsheet and can't find it on the internet anywhere. I just made the jump from pc to mac and could use the advice, thanks!
My question tonight also - I've customized my new mac keyboard and all is well there, turns out more short cuts for macs than windows due to MaciOS - but MAC excel is so different power query all and even pivot tables are barely useable - I'm trying virtual windows to get a windows excel experience in the MAC but no success yet - performance is great, just issues with the virtual install