I didn't think Excel could handle these 3 tasks—but it did

Most people think of Excel as a place to crunch numbers and build charts, but I've found it can handle far more than that. I was surprised by how far I could push it, using Excel as the hub to automate a tedious Windows task, generate dynamic QR codes, and research country information.

Turn a spreadsheet into a folder generator

Flash Fill builds the commands

Creating dozens or hundreds of folders manually is a time-consuming job. If you already have the required folder names stored in a spreadsheet, you can prepare the layout in Excel and let Windows generate the actual directories in seconds.

This method turns Excel into a quick command generator for Windows. By pairing Flash Fill with a simple Windows batch file, you can automatically generate the required commands. The process uses the MD command, which stands for "make directory"—a Windows command that creates new folders.

This workflow requires Excel for Windows because it uses a Windows batch file to create the folders.

First, prepare the folder names in Excel:

1. Open a new workbook and enter or paste the namesyou want to turn into folders into column Aunder a suitable column header.

2. In column B, type Folder Nameas the header, then enter the first folder command using the formatMD [Name]—replacing any spaces in the folder names with an underscore (_) so they stay together when Windows runs the commands. So, for Matt Turner, you would typeMD Matt_Turner.

3. Select the folder command you just created and press Ctrl+Eto trigger Flash Fill, which generates the remaining folder commands automatically based on your pattern.

Now, create the folders in Windows:

1. Copy the generated folder commands from column B, excluding the header row.

2. Open a new Notepaddocument, then paste the copied lines directly into it.

3. Press Ctrl+Shift+Sto open the Save Aswindow.

4. Choose the folder location where you want the directories to be created, name the file with a .batextension (such as US Soccer.bat—spaces are fine in this name), and click Save.

5. Locate the saved batch file in Windows File Explorer and double-clickit to run it.

Within seconds, the list you prepared in Excel becomes a complete folder structure on your computer.

After the folders appear, you can safely close Excel and delete the temporary BAT file from your system.

Create QR codes that update automatically

IMAGE keeps them in sync

Creating a QR code is simple when you only need a one-off code. The challenge is keeping it up to date when the underlying text or link changes—you usually need to generate a new image and replace the old one. Excel can help you avoid that manual update cycle by displaying dynamic QR codes directly in your worksheet.

This workflow uses a free online service called QR-Server (from GOQR ) to generate the QR graphic, while Excel builds the request and displays the result. The service creates a QR code from whatever information you add afterdata=in this web address:

https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=150x150&data=

In other words, the URL itself becomes a request: everything afterdata=is converted into the information stored inside the QR code. To connect your spreadsheet to this tool, the IMAGE function displays the image returned by the web service, while ENCODEURL converts spaces and special characters into URL-safe characters, helping prevent the request from being misinterpreted.

ENCODEURL is available in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016, but not Excel for the web or Excel for Mac.

The complete formula looks like this if your text is in cell A2:

=IMAGE("https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=150x150&data="&ENCODEURL(A2))Here's the workflow:

1. Enter the text or web address you want to encode into cell A2.

2. In an adjacent cell, paste the above formula, adjusting the cell reference if necessary:

3. Read the security notice that appears, which warns that Excel will send the cell contents to the QR-Server to create the QR code. Only click Paste everythingif you're comfortable sharing that information. For more details, see GOQR's Privacy Policy .

4. Press Enterto generate the QR code inside the cell.

5. Increase the row heightand column widthof the cell containing the QR code to make it larger and easier to scan. You can also adjust the150x150value in the QR-Server URL to request a larger image.

Now, try editing the original text or link, such as changing the website address or replacing it with search keywords or a phone number, and watch the QR code update automatically.

This example uses QR-Server, but any QR code service that returns an image URL can work with the same approach. For business or sensitive data, check your organization's policies before sending information to an external service.

Pull country facts without going to a browser

The Geography data type does the research

Switching back and forth between a web browser and a spreadsheet is a slow way to build a reference table. If you're planning a trip or organizing international data, Excel can retrieve those details using linked data types . This saves a surprising number of trips to a search engine by turning simple country names into data-rich entries.

Instead of treating a country name as static text, Excel can retrieve related fields from Microsoft's connected data sources . After Excel converts the country names into linked data types, you can automatically populate data for capital cities, populations, currencies, and land areas without manually searching for each detail.

The Geography data type is available in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for the web, and the Excel mobile app when signed in with a supported Microsoft account.

Here's how to do this:

1. Enter a list of country namesin a column.

2. Select the cells containing those names and open the Datatab on the ribbon.

3. Expand the Data Typesdrop-down menu.

4. Click Geography.

5. Once Excel recognizes the countries, click the Insert Databutton that appears beside the selected cells, then choose a field, such as Population, Capital, or Currency, to add it to your worksheet.

You can repeat the final step to insert as many fields as you need. Every time you select an additional category, Excel builds out a new column, so you can construct a comprehensive reference table in just a few seconds.

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Excel's biggest surprises are often the features hiding in plain sight

Excel is full of tools that solve problems you might never expect a spreadsheet to handle. These examples are only the beginning—beneath the familiar rows and columns is a vast collection of overlooked tools waiting to be discovered.