Microsoft Excel is one of the main applications of the Microsoft Office suite. Its first release was in 1987, and since many versions of Excel have been released, becoming the major spreadsheet software worldwide. Currently, Excel boasts over 750 million users around the globe, and any new version of Excel gains new users. In this regard, both the 2016 and 2019 versions are two of the most popular. In this Excel 2016 vs 2019 article, we compare both versions and mention their key differences.

Excel is not the most user-friendly of all the Office applications, both in the 2016 and 2019 versions. However, Microsoft Excel 2019 integrates several new features compared to Excel 2016 and previous versions to improve accessibility. Of course, not all these features are worth mentioning as they’re not so functional or helpful. Let’s see the main features that mark the difference between both software.  

Excel 2016 has some fantastic features that stand out even from the recent versions of the spreadsheet. Many of them were introduced in this version as a major upgrade of the previous tools. Some of them are the following.

Thanks to this feature included in Excel 2016, you can perform a quick search based on terms, words, and phrases for improved functions and operations. Instead of tracing the menu and using complex commands, you can easily type what you want, and the app will give you related options.

To use it, click the text of the same name located to the right of the view tab. Upon doing this, type the task you desire to do, for example, “create a pivot table.”

You might get confused when you’re working with numerous data and fields, and it’s very possible you can’t trace fields easily. This way, you can locate fields while working on pivot tables.

Forecasting is an incredible tool for organizations that need to forecast past their last data point into the future by predicting trends. This way, businesses can organize and plan their investments or productions according to predictions. These are reliable predictions of your data in the future. In consequence, organizations can display these predictions and trends via a line, a bar chart, a graph, or any chart they prefer.

Smart Lookup is a new feature that allows you to perform research while working in the program. To do this, select a cell with words on it and right-click. Next, select Smart Lookup from the menu that appears. 

Microsoft will use a search engine to perform a web search on the word or words you’ve selected. Then, it will display any related Wikipedia entry, general information, definitions, and similar results. Now, just click the source of your interest to open it on a full page in the browser. You can always get a definition of the word or words by clicking the Define tab in the panel.

In Excel 2016 stand-alone, you can find the Power Pivot tab and add-in that allows you to perform powerful data analysis in Excel. Before using it, you need to enable it for the first time. To do this, follow the next steps.

1. Head to File > Options > Add-Ins.

2. Click COM Add-ins in the Manage box, > Go.

3. Check the Microsoft Office Power Pivot box, and click OK.

This spreadsheet version part of Microsoft Office 2016 integrates new charts for incredible data visualizations. Among these, Pareto charts, histograms, and histograms are some of those that will help you incredibly in your future visualizations. 

Tree Map

This chart will provide you with a hierarchical view of your data. This shows you top-level categories and subcategories shown in rectangles grouped from largest to smallest. This way, you can compare all the categories and calculate roughly.

Sunburst

This chart also displays info through a hierarchical view by default. The difference is it’s a multi-level pie chart. Here, the levels are presented in a circle. The innermost categories represent the top-level categories. The next circle show subcategories and sub-subcategories. This chart is great for presentations that display relationships between parts and categories.    

Waterfall

This chart displays a running total of the positive and negative contributions and makes a final net value. This is perfect for visualizing financial procedures, such as income, taxes, inventory, sales prospects, etc.

Histogram

This chart displays several frequencies of a determined data set. This is great to show the number of units sold in a determined time or any quantity in a period.

Pareto Charts

This type of chart is also known as a sorted histogram. It contains bars and a line graph. The bars represent values in descending order, and the line graph the cumulative total percentage of each bar. In one example, the bars can show a determined quantity of successful sales and the line percentage of that bar with respect to the total. To use it, just select the data you want to visualize while charting. Upon doing this, select Insert > Insert Statistic Chart, and under Histogram, choose Pareto.

Box & Whisker

Like the histogram chart, Box and Whisker charts show frequencies with a deeper analysis. Boxes can show a determined quantity of items, while the “whiskers” can show the general prices. Quantities that are outside the whiskers are shown as dots, medium quantities are shown as horizontal lines, and mean prices are shown with an x.

If you want to use Excel for data analysis, you must know that both Excel 2016 and Excel 2019 come with a Quick Analysis tool. To use it, select the data set you to want to analyze and then move the cursor to the lower right corner of your selection. Selecting a small icon that will pop up in the corner, you’ll find various tools to analyze selected cells. For instance, you can highlight some calculations that give you a determined number in the worksheet or get the numerical average of some columns, etcetera.  

This new feature was formerly known as Power Query. It was added as a free add-in to Excel 2013, working with Power Pivot features in Excel Professional Plus. Beyond finding these features and earlier versions, you can also find a similar feature in Power Bi business intelligence software. 

But, what is this feature useful for?

This tool lets you pull in, combine and shape data from different sources, either local or cloud sources, such as CSV files, workbooks, and other databases, such as Azure or Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. You can also use other data types, such as info extracted from Wikipedia.

You’ll find this tool in the Data tab located in the ribbon. There you can select among several options, such as data from files, databases, online services, and more.

Before the 2016 version of Excel, the spreadsheet software had a popular free 3D geospatial visualization tool called “Power Map.” Currently, this tool has been renamed 3D Maps. 

Thanks to this, you can plot geographical regions on a 3D map. First, you need data for mapping and preparing the 3D model to do this.  

Once you’ve prepared the data, you can easily insert it by selecting the insert tab > 3D Map > Open 3D Maps. Maps are also customizable. Of course, this is a bit more complicated and involves multiple stages. If you’re interested in these features, we recommend you view one of the tutorials on the web.

Microsoft Excel 2019 brings several new features, including two new chart types: Funnel charts and Map charts. Both provide different solutions for displaying data. Other elements have to do with the improvement in visualization and functions.  

If you want to display data at multiple stages of the process, Funnel charts are the right tool. For example, a funnel chart can show the incomes you receive in different stages of the sale process. This can also show you the potential sales, clients, and much more information. 

When creating a funnel chart, utilize one column for the stages in the process, and a second column for the values related to each stage. To create the chart, select Insert > Recommended Charts > All Charts > Funnel.

Map charts allow you to compare different regions, countries, counties, areas, even postal codes, and much more. Thanks to the info you enter in the cell, Excel will automatically identify the regions and will create a specific map to display the data.

There are several new Excel functions in Microsoft Excel 2019.  

• CONCAT. This is a more comfortable way to type and support range and cell references.
• IFS. This function is a better and easy-to-use option for the intricated nested IF functions. The advantage is that you can select the order in which conditions are tested. 
• MAXIFS. This tool helps you to return the largest number in a range that meets both single and multiple criteria.
• MINIFS. This function is exactly the opposite of MAXIFS. It returns the smallest number in a range that meets, again, both multiple and single criteria.
• SWITCH. It allows you to evaluate expressions against a list of values. It does so and returns the first matching result. 
• TEXTJOIN. This function combines text from multiple ranges, and a user-specified delimiter separates each element.

The 2019 standalone version of Excel introduced new and incredible visual features to provide a more complete visual experience. Some new features related to this functionality include:

• Convert SVG icons into shapes. This way, you can change the color, texture, or size of the images and icons. You can also transform them into shapes. 
• Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). In this recent version of this spreadsheet software, you can add visual warmth to your files by adding SVGs with adjustable filters. 
• 3D models. You can insert and rotate 3D models into your workbooks.

Excel 2019 has added new ink effects such as galaxy, lava, rainbow, ocean, gold, and silver, among others. Improvements also include customizable pen sets and digital pencils added to the ribbon interface. You can also convert ink drawings into shapes thanks to the Draw Tab. This tab allows you to make annotations on your touch-enabled device.

With the new version, you can easily attach hyperlinks to your files on both your website and cloud storage. Moreover, you can view and restore any changes made to your workbook.

Excel 2019 allows you to scan your documents using security policies for sensitive data, such as bank account numbers, credit card information, and more.

Thanks to the new SAP HANA connector, you can easily import data from different sources in a matter of seconds.

If you’re used to using keyboard shortcuts, let us tell you that Excel 2019 brings a lot of them, more than its predecessor.  

Microsoft Excel hasn’t changed much since its first release. This is great for customers who like to feel familiar with its controls, formula, functions, and interface. Of course, there are relevant changes regarding functions and solutions, but the core is there, very similar to the original.  

The Ribbon was included for the first time in Excel 2007, and since then, it has been incorporated in all the subsequent Excel versions. The ribbon included in Office 2016 and Office 2019 is smaller than the one you find in the older versions. This one is green instead of white, and there you find all the ribbon tabs, such as File, Home, Formulas, etcetera.

The ribbon has several display options, which you can control through the icon located at the top right o the screen. Clicking the icon allows you to customize the following:

• Auto-Hide Ribbon.
• Show Tabs.
• Show Tabs and Commands.

And if you can’t focus on your tasks due to the green color, you can always turn it gray or white, or select the black theme. To do this, head to File > Options > General. Immediately afterward, click the down arrow you find next to Office Theme in the “Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office.” There you can select the color of your preference from the drop-down menu.

When Excel 2016 was released, it was worldwide acclaimed for its real-time collaboration. 

When you collaborate with others live, everyone with access to a document can work on it simultaneously, with everyone seeing what everyone else does as they edit.

But Excel was left out in the cold for live collaboration.

Many people (myself included) expected that Excel 2019 would get co-authoring features, but that’s not the case. To get live collaboration in the Excel desktop client, you have to be an Office 365 subscriber, one of Microsoft's cloud-based services.

To run both Excel 2016 and 2019, your operating system needs either Windows 10 or superior or the three most recent versions of Mac OS. In addition, you have just one option for acquiring Excel 2016 0r 2019: buying a Microsoft Office suite. The stand alone version is currently only available for Excel 2021. 

One advantage of buying a complete suite of Microsoft Office is that you’ll acquire all the other Office apps, such as PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.

Currently, you can get these suites from the Microsoft Store or official channels. Although to get the oldest version between these two, you can buy Microsoft Office 2016 Professional Plus Retail Key Global at €4,20 here, in RoyalCDKeys. This is probably one of the cheapest prices on the market. 

If you prefer to get Microsoft Excel 2019, you can purchase Microsoft Office 2019 Professional Plus Retail Key Global at €9,92. This is a perpetual license for Office, so you don’t have any problem using it all the time you want. Do not forget that the subscription method of Microsoft 365 is not a perpetual version.

The final alternative is to acquire a Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus Key Retail Global at €11,87. Thanks to this, you can develop all strategies for any project you have at the cheapest cost!

Both spreadsheets, Microsoft Excel 2016 and 2019 for Windows operating system are great software and part of the Office apps. The most recent one integrates all the main features of its predecessor and combines them with new functionalities and tools. Of course, you can utilize other options, such as Excel Online, for similar goals. To use it, sign in to your account with your Microsoft ID or e-mail address. 

Still, the online version lacks some of the features and just works for basic procedures. We recommend you use Excel 2019 since this version includes most of the best features of previous versions and one or another major update from time to time.