Clean Messy Excel Data Fast (3 Simple Tools)

Real-world Excel data is rarely clean.

Names aren’t formatted consistently, dates come in different formats, and numbers are often stored as text. Before you can analyze anything, you usually have to clean the data first.

In this short video, I walk through three simple Excel tools you can use to clean messy data quickly—no complex formulas or advanced features required.

What the Video Covers

Using a realistic dataset, you’ll learn how to:

• Flash Fill -- Quickly fix inconsistent name formatting and text patterns.

• Text to Columns -- Standardize mixed date formats so Excel recognizes them correctly.

• Paste Special → Multiply -- Convert numbers stored as text into real, usable values.

These are fast, practical techniques you can apply immediately to your own spreadsheets.

Watch the Excel data cleaning video here

If you work with Excel regularly, these are tools you’ll use again and again.

DOWNLOAD:

MessyData-01.xlsx

Download XLSX • 10KB