# How to use Microsoft “Money in Excel” to manage finances **URL:** https://www.compsmag.com/blogs/how-to-use-microsoft-money-in-excel-to-manage-finances/ **Author:** Ayushi Chauhan **Published:** 2022-04-08 **Updated:** 2022-04-08 **Categories:** Blogs **Tags:** Blogs Daily, guiderobert, Guides and Tutorials, guiding12, How To Guide, How To Guides, internet tips and tutorials, Tips, Tricks **Reading Time:** 5 min --- This tip is about the how to use Microsoft “Money in Excel” to manage finances. So read this free guide, How to use Microsoft “Money in Excel” to manage finances step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us. ## How to use Microsoft “Money in Excel” to manage finances - Guide If you want to manage your financial accounts but don't need a feature and expensive program like Quicken, Microsoft offers a free add-on service called Money in Excel. This option helps you integrate your bank accounts and other financial data into Excel so you can keep track of your expenses, spending habits, investments, and more. The Money in Excel template can retrieve account information from most major financial institutions. Your accounts are accessed through a third-party plugin provided by Plaid, which manages permissions between you and Microsoft. You connect your financial data to Plaid, but Plaid does not share any credentials with Microsoft. (For more information on the security and privacy aspects of this feature, see Microsoft's Money in Excel FAQ.) You can use Money in Excel to securely connect all your financial accounts – savings, investments, loans, credit cards, etc. From there, the workbook can analyze your data and generate reports. By connecting your bank, loan and credit card accounts, you can easily budget your money with Money in Excel. Money in Excel is an Excel template and add-in that allows users to securely connect bank, credit card, investment and loan accounts to Excel and automatically import their transaction and account information into an Excel spreadsheet. ## How to use Microsoft “Money in Excel” to manage finances ### Log in and update backgrounds in Excel Money in Excel includes a template with an add-in. It does not provide a direct Internet connection in the background. So even though you've connected your account and saved the file, you'll need to log in every time you open it. Also, you need to manually update it to receive the latest transactions and balances. On the next dashboard screen, click Sign in and enter your Microsoft 365 username and password. You should see your linked accounts in the “Funds in Excel” panel. Click Updates at the top of the panel. After a few moments, depending on your internet connection, your data should be updated with the current date and time. Now that you're logged in and have the latest offers and details, it's time to check it out! ### View Snapshots Guide The Snapshots tab in the Money in Excel workbook is a great tool for getting a quick overview of your spending. Start by selecting the month and year at the top of the worksheet. Then check out charts, graphs, and charts to better understand where your hard-earned money is going. The "Current month spend vs previous month spend" bar chart shows the difference in spend between the current month you selected at the top and the previous month. This month's top spending categories display a pie chart showing where your money is going in terms of categories. For example, you can quickly see if you spent more on entertainment than shopping during the month. “Cumulative spend over the month” is a useful chart to help you understand at what point in the month your spending increased. This also includes a useful comparison of the previous month. The two tables at the bottom show the merchants you sent money to during the month. You can see which merchants you pay most often and which merchants receive the most money from you. Each section of the Snapshots tab serves a useful purpose. You can quickly see how your funds are being used and make informed changes. ### View your transactions Just like your bank or credit card company statement, the "Transactions" tab lists the date, merchant, and amount of all incoming and outgoing funds. This tab consolidates transactions from all your linked accounts in one place. All information on the Transactions tab is protected and therefore not editable, with the exception of the Category column. While categories are populated for all transactions, by default they are “best guess” and may include the “uncategorized” category. ### Customize your categories The Categories tab contains all the default categories at the top and cannot be changed. You can use the arrow next to “Category Type” to change it if you wish. Category types include Income, Transfers, and Expenses. Also, if applicable, your newly added category will appear in the highest spend category pie chart on the Snapshots tab. defining up Money in Excel, you've taken a step towards better money management. So now make sure you use it to budget for yourself or your family. See where your money is going, make the necessary changes, and track your finances more efficiently. ## Final note I hope you like the guide How to use Microsoft “Money in Excel” to manage finances. In case if you have any query regards this article you may ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends. --- *End of Article*