Have you ever opened an Excel file and felt a pang of unease? Rows upon rows of data, cryptic formulas sprawled across cells, and a tangle of manual formatting that seems one misstep away from chaos.

To apply the dollar currency to a value, select the cell, press Ctrl+1 to launch the Format Cells dialog box, and select "Currency" or "Accounting" in the Number tab. Then, choose the dollar symbol ...