History of Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft and first released in 1985 for the
Apple Macintosh. At the time, Lotus 1-2-3 dominated the spreadsheet market on MS-DOS, but Excel
quickly gained attention for its graphical interface and ease of use. When Windows became more
popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Excel was released for Windows in 1987, giving it a major
boost. It introduced features like pull-down menus, cell formatting, and the ability to use a mouse,
making it more user-friendly than competitors.
Over the years, Excel became a core part of the
Microsoft Office suite, evolving with powerful tools like PivotTables, macros with Visual Basic for
Applications (VBA), and data analysis functions. It has grown into one of the most widely used
applications for tasks ranging from personal budgeting to complex financial modeling. With the rise
of cloud computing, Excel is now available both as a desktop app and an online version through
Microsoft 365, allowing for real-time collaboration and integration with other tools.