Quick answer
There is no free Microsoft Excel certification. The only Excel credential Microsoft issues comes from passing exam MO-210 or MO-211, and that needs a voucher — $104 in the Certiport store1. What is free is nearly everything around it: the objective lists, Microsoft’s own exam-preparation study guides2, and a great deal of course material. Several platforms do advertise a “free Excel certificate”, and some deliver one — but it is a certificate of completion from that platform, not a certification, and on more than one site the course is free while the certificate is not45. If your goal is a line on a CV that a recruiter recognises, budget the $104. If your goal is to learn Excel, spend nothing.
Certificate of completion vs certification
Almost all the confusion in this search comes from two words that sound alike and mean different things.
| Certificate of completion | Certification | |
|---|---|---|
| What it proves | You reached the end of a course | You passed an exam against a published objective list |
| Who issues it | The platform that sold or gave you the course | Microsoft, through Certiport |
| Is there an exam? | Usually a quiz, sometimes nothing | Yes — 50 minutes, hands-on inside Excel |
| Can it be verified by an employer? | Sometimes, via the platform | Yes, through Microsoft’s credential record |
| Typical cost | Free to a few hundred dollars a year | $104 per exam attempt |
The practical test: if nobody watched you do anything in Excel, it is a certificate of completion.
What is genuinely free
Microsoft’s own exam-preparation material
Microsoft’s educator centre publishes exam-preparation study guides for MO-210 and MO-211 as free downloads2. These are the closest thing to an official free course for the certification, and most people looking for “free Excel certification” never find them because they are filed under instructor materials.
The objective lists
Microsoft publishes exactly what each exam tests, with percentage weightings: MO-210 covers worksheets and workbooks, cells and ranges, tables, formulas and functions, and charts; MO-211 covers workbook options, advanced data formatting, advanced formulas and macros, and advanced charts and tables67. Used as a syllabus, that list is a free, complete curriculum — and it works just as well for preparing for an employer’s Excel test as for the exam. We break both down in the MO-210 guide and the MO-211 guide.
Microsoft Learn
Free modules, and you earn badges and trophies for finishing them — but Microsoft Learn does not issue certificates3. Worth knowing before you plan a CV line around it. Neither Excel exam currently has a Learn training path at all: MO-210’s page says “No training available for this exam”6.
The platforms that advertise a free certificate
Search this term and you will meet a page of providers offering a free Excel course with a certificate. Some are straightforward, some are not. Two things are worth checking before you invest twenty hours: whether the certificate is free as well as the course, and what the certificate is a certificate of.
| Provider | Course free? | Certificate free? | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Learn | Yes | No certificate at all | Badges and trophies for completed modules3 |
| Alison | Yes | No — certificates are paid | A free “Learner Record”; the certificate itself costs money4 |
| Great Learning | Yes | No — “a non-refundable fee” | Free beginner course; the certificate is a paid add-on5 |
| Coursera | Some courses, via “Full Course, No Certificate” | No | Full course access without a certificate; certificates need Coursera Plus at $59/month or $399/year8 |
| GoSkills | 7-day free trial | Only within the trial | Certificate of completion; $39/month or $249/year after the trial9 |
| Certiport (MOS) | No course included | Not free — $104 | The actual Microsoft certification1 |
Editorial judgement
We have deliberately not listed every site that ranks for “free Excel certification”. Several of them we could not verify without creating an account, and a claim we cannot check is not one we will repeat. If a provider you are considering is missing here, the two questions above will tell you more than any list: is the certificate free, and did anyone assess your Excel?
When a free certificate is enough — and when it isn’t
A free certificate of completion is fine if you are documenting continuing professional development for an employer who just wants evidence you did the training, if you are early in a self-study path and want a milestone, or if you are adding a line to a LinkedIn profile that nobody will audit.
It is not enough when a job posting explicitly names “Microsoft Office Specialist” or “MOS”, when a recruiter is filtering on a verifiable credential, or when you want the thing itself rather than a proxy for it. In those cases the honest options are to pay the $104, or to skip certification altogether and prepare for the employer’s own test — which, in analyst and finance hiring, is what usually decides the outcome anyway. See Excel tests for jobs.
Two routes that make the exam free to you
The voucher price is fixed, but you are not always the one paying it.
- Your employer. A $104 exam is small enough to sit inside most training budgets and is an easy ask, particularly if your role description mentions Excel.
- Your school or college. Certiport’s programme is widely used in education, and many institutions hold vouchers for enrolled students. If you are studying, ask the department before you buy one yourself.
We are not going to dress either of these up as a loophole. They are simply the two ways most people who hold a MOS certification did not personally pay for it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get certified in Excel for free?
No. The Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification requires passing exam MO-210 or MO-211, and that requires a voucher costing $104 in the Certiport store. What is free is the preparation: Microsoft’s objective lists and its exam-preparation study guides cost nothing.
Where can I get a free Excel certificate?
Several platforms offer free courses, but the certificate is often paid. Alison’s courses are free while its certificates are not; Great Learning’s beginner Excel course is free but the certificate carries a non-refundable fee; Microsoft Learn is free and issues no certificate at all, only badges. Check the provider’s own pricing page before you start.
Is a free Excel certificate worth anything?
It is worth what it says: that you finished a course. That can be useful for a training record or a self-study milestone. It is not a Microsoft credential and it will not satisfy a job posting that asks for MOS certification.
How much does Excel certification cost?
$104 for a Microsoft Office Specialist exam voucher, or $120 with a retake included. A practice-test title adds $40. Microsoft itself publishes no price; its exam pages say the price depends on where the exam is proctored.
Does Microsoft Learn give a free Excel certificate?
No. Microsoft Learn awards badges and trophies for completing modules, not certificates. Neither MO-210 nor MO-211 currently has a Microsoft Learn training path.
Sources
- Microsoft Office Specialist products — Certiport Store. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Microsoft 365 Apps certification preparation materials — Microsoft Learn educator centre. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Microsoft Learn training FAQ — Microsoft Learn. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Is Alison really free? — Alison help centre. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Excel for Beginners — Great Learning Academy. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Exam MO-210: Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps) — Microsoft Learn. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Exam MO-211: Microsoft Excel Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps) — Microsoft Learn. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Coursera Plus and Excel Essentials (Full Course, No Certificate option) — Coursera. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Individual pricing — GoSkills. Accessed September 3, 2026.