7 Best Laptops for Excel of 2024

In this article, you can find the best laptops for Excel in 2024 that we recommend for you (if you want a quick answer, the best laptop for Excel that we recommend currently is Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon).

If you want to work by using Excel, having a laptop that can operate the software well is a necessity. After all, you don’t want your work to be bogged down because of occasional lags or errors.

As a program, Excel also has system requirements that can enable it to run optimally on a laptop. Admittedly, almost all standard laptops can launch and run Excel. However, if you want to have the best performance, then you need to select laptops that can suit Excel requirements best.

With that in mind, we present to you a list of laptops that we think are among the best for Excel. Should you spend a considerable amount of time working in Excel every day, you should consider the choices on this list!

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Image	View on Amazon	Product
	View on Amazon	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
	View on Amazon	Dell XPS 13
	View on Amazon	Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
	View on Amazon	HP Spectre x360
	View on Amazon	LG Gram 17
	View on Amazon	Asus Vivobook 14
	View on Amazon	Apple MacBook Pro M3 16

Want to work faster and easier in Excel? Install and use Excel add-ins! Read this article to know the best Excel add-ins to use according to us!

What are the Best Laptops for Excel?

Here are the laptops that we think can run Microsoft Excel optimally for you.

1. Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon seems to us to be the best laptop you can use to support your Excel-related activity currently. As a laptop coming from the popular Lenovo ThinkPad series, this laptop is reliable and should give you the robust performance level you want when it runs Excel for you.

This laptop has a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 32GB RAM capacity to back up that performance level. These are excellent performance specifications to have for a laptop and shouldn’t have a problem completing complex tasks in Excel for you. The 32GB RAM capacity, in particular, should offer plenty of memory space for large modeling in Excel and heavy formula calculations.

One of the strongest points of a ThinkPad laptop is its keyboard and this laptop is no different. It should give you a comfortable typing feeling as you input your data, type in those formulas, or create macros in Excel. This laptop also has a friendly-to-the-eye display so your eyes shouldn’t be fatigued too much when you need to work in Excel for long hours continuously.

This laptop’s hinge is stretchable up to 180 degrees so you can view its display when working in Excel in a more comfortable position. Its build is solid and durable as well so a few bumps here and there when you bring it around shouldn’t faze it.

So, are you looking for a powerful laptop that can help you work in Excel smoothly whatever the tasks might be? This Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon can be the ideal laptop choice for you!

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 14 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
• Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 14 cores and speed in the range of 1.9-5.2 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 32GB
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 13 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Excellent performance in running Excel
• Solid build
• Sleek and lightweight
• USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports
• Friendly-to-the-eye display
• Stretchable hinge (up to 180 degrees)
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• No SD card reader slots

2. Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS 13 is a good alternative to our previously discussed Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, especially if you are looking for a highly portable laptop.

Sleek, light, and powerful, this Dell XPS 13 is a great laptop that can give us an excellent performance when running Excel. If you want to work productively in the spreadsheet software, this laptop should be capable of supporting you.

Its processor is a 12th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and it has 16GB RAM plus 512GB SSD storage space. These specifications should ensure a better and smoother performance level than many other laptops when you do your Excel task. Furthermore, it also has an excellent battery life as it can last a full day on a single charge to let you stay productive even without a power outlet.

Dell XPS 13 also doesn’t compromise when it comes to design and sturdiness. Dell constructs this laptop with masterfully crafted aluminum and Aerospace-inspired carbon fiber. It also equipped itself with Wi-Fi 6E technology to give you an optimum internet connection speed when you need to work online.

Overall, this easy-to-bring laptop should give you what you need to produce splendid work results in Excel!

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 13.4 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
• Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.1-4.7 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 16GB
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 12 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Excellent performance in running Excel
• Premium build
• Very sleek and lightweight
• Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• No USB-A, HDMI ports, and SD card reader slots
• Average webcam quality

3. Microsoft Surface Laptop 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is an interesting-looking laptop that can provide a great experience when you work in Excel. As the producer of this laptop is the one who also makes Excel for us, you surely cannot go wrong with this choice.

Equipped with a 12th-generation processor, this laptop can help you perform in Excel optimally compared to many other laptops. Whether you need to do complicated data processing or some data modeling, those loads should pose no serious problems to this laptop!

Furthermore, this laptop also has the option to have 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage space as its specifications (the one we recommend has 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage space). This should ensure the best performance to load all of the Excel files you need to work on. If you have the budget for those specifications, you can consider the upgrade to be a sound investment.



The battery is also powerful with up to 18 hours of battery life if you use it for standard Excel work. That should be enough for a full day of work and more without any charging to this laptop. If you are typically a mobile worker, this should help you to work anywhere and anytime you need to.

As for the look, as a stylish laptop, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with the usual Surface Laptop elegant design. Moreover, it is also sleek and light. You can bring the laptop anywhere easily to work on Excel in your favorite places.

From what we see, we regard this Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 to be the best stylish laptop you can use to help you work optimally in Excel. Buy it and try the laptop for yourself!

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 15 inches, 2496 x 1664 pixels
• Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-4.7 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 16GB
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 18 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Excellent performance in running Excel
• Sleek and lightweight
• Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and USB-A ports
• Good battery life
• Good display and sound quality
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• No HDMI ports and SD card reader slots
• Average webcam quality

4. HP Spectre x360

HP Spectre x360 is a laptop that is quite different from other laptops we have mentioned above. If you are looking for a laptop that runs Excel well and can be used as a tablet too, this laptop can be an excellent choice for you.

The 2-in-1 form of this laptop can make your Excel work easier. You can, for example, use its tablet form to review the Excel work you have worked on or do video calls with your colleagues to discuss about your work in Excel on the go. The touchscreen feature that comes with the 2-in-1 form can also give a simpler way of interacting with your Excel workbook when you want to show your work result to other people.

As for the performance of this laptop, you shouldn’t worry. It has a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM capacity which should be up to the task running Excel for you. To help you with your video calls, there is a full-HD webcam and great speakers on this laptop you can use.

Looking for an excellent 2-in-1 laptop that you want to use to run Excel? This HP Spectre x360 is the laptop we recommend for you!

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 13.5 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-5 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 16GB
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 10 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Excellent performance in running Excel
• A flexible laptop you can use in a tablet or tent form
• Sleek and lightweight
• USB-A and Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
• A full-HD webcam
• Great speakers
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• No HDMI ports and SD card reader slots

5. LG Gram 17

LG Gram 17 can be a good choice if you want to look for a large laptop to run Excel for you. The relatively large viewports that this laptop has can be useful to help you see more parts of your worksheets.

For its CPU, LG installs a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor for this LG Gram model. It is an excellent processor with 12 cores to make your data processing in Excel faster. When you need to store files related to your work in Excel internally on this laptop, there is 1TB SSD storage space available.

This model we recommend offers 32GB RAM and 12.5 hours of battery life, one of the better battery specs among laptops currently. The laptop is quite lightweight and has several external connectivity ports as well for HDMI, USB, and SD card. These specs should help you to work in Excel more optimally.

In general, this LG Gram 17 can become a reliable laptop to do your Excel work with, especially if you prefer a large laptop. You may want to consider buying it too with the other laptops that we list here.

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 17 inches, 2560 x 1600 pixels
• Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 12 cores and speed in the range of 2.2-5 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 32GB
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 12.5 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Excellent performance in running Excel
• Quite sleek and lightweight
• A full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
• Friendly-to-the-eye display
• A full-HD webcam
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• Can get hot under an intense workload
• May feel a little bit flimsy

6. Asus Vivobook 14

Asus Vivobook 14 is our choice if you are on a strict budget when looking for a laptop to buy for your Excel work. If you use your laptop mainly to do standard tasks in Microsoft Excel, then this laptop should be able to support you well.

This Asus Vivobook 14 comes with the 12th Gen Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage. These specs should be adequate to let you do many things in Excel smoothly.



The laptop is relatively portable with its 3.31 pounds weight as well. It also has several external ports to connect USB and HDMI cables with. That should help you when you want to do your Excel work dynamically and on mobile.

In terms of battery life, this laptop should be able to last enough hours for you to work on your Excel files significantly. There is a good keyboard quality too so you type in Excel comfortably.

So, do you need a capable laptop to help you work in Excel with the strict budget that you might have? As long as you don’t do complicated tasks in Excel (complex data processing, high-level data modeling, etc), this Asus Vivobook 14 laptop should be a good laptop for you to use.

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 14 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i5 with 4 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-4.4 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 16GB
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 7 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Great performance in running Excel
• Compact design
• Quite portable
• USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports
• Stretchable hinge (up to 180 degrees)
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• No SD card reader slots
• Average display and sound quality

7. Apple Macbook Pro M3 16

Apple Macbook Pro M3 16 is an excellent MacBook model you can use to run Microsoft Excel. A MacBook might lose out to a Windows laptop when it comes to Excel. However, if you heavily prefer a MacBook to a Windows laptop, then this MacBook might be your best bet.

The Macbook Pro with the Apple M3 chip is admittedly superior in terms of performance level to most laptops, Windows or Mac alike. The Apple M3 12-core CPU should be able to handle many tasks related to your work in Excel work smoothly without any problem. Apple claims it offers much faster performance than the previous MacBook generations, even the model with 8GB RAM (this one we recommend has 18GB RAM).

Moreover, it also offers a very long 22-hour battery life! That is much longer than all the laptops we have discussed earlier. With this kind of power, you should be able to work on your Excel tasks anytime anywhere with no issue.

When you need external displays to view more of your Excel work, there are three Thunderbolt 4 ports and one HDMI port on the sides of this MacBook you can use. There is also an excellent webcam, microphones, and speakers so you can have clear communication with your colleagues through video calls.

Therefore, overall, we think this Apple Macbook Pro with the M3 Chip is the best MacBook model you can use to run Excel. If you are an avid Mac user and you want a MacBook to work in Excel, and have the budget, then you might want to consider buying and using this MacBook model.

Key Features

• Screen Size, Resolution: 16.2 inches, 3456 x 2234 pixels
• Processor: Apple M3 Pro with 12 cores and a speed of 4.05 GHz
• RAM Capacity: 18GB
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Battery Life (Estimation): up to 22 hours of usage capacity

Pros

• Excellent performance in running Excel on a MacBook
• Sleek design
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports and one HDMI port
• Long-lasting battery
• Excellent display and sound quality
• Excellent webcam and microphones
• Comfortable keyboard to type on

Cons

• The Windows version of Excel is better

What are the Things to Consider When Buying a Laptop for Excel?

If you want to buy a laptop that you will primarily use to work in Excel, look out for some of these essential aspects!

The first thing is, if you want to work in Excel optimally, you should buy a Windows laptop as the Windows version of Excel seems to be better overall than its Mac version. Unless you heavily prefer a MacBook, we recommend you buy a Windows laptop.

The second thing you should take a look at is the laptop’s CPU and RAM. It is because these are the things that determine whether you can run your Excel program smoothly or not, especially if you often need to work with large data sizes, complex data processing, or complicated data modeling in Excel. For this, we recommend a laptop with at least a late-generation i5 or Ryzen 5 processor and 16-32GB RAM.

Last but not least, we would look at the battery life and the amount of storage. If you often work on your Excel tasks in a place where you can’t charge your laptop, a good battery life is important. Adequate storage space is also great so you will have no problem if you want to store some files related to your work in Excel internally. We recommend a laptop with at least 6-8 hours of normal usage capacity in its battery and 256GB SSD storage space.

What are the Minimum System Requirements to Run Excel?

These are the minimum system requirements if you want to run Excel 2021 on Windows OS.

• 1.6 GHz or faster, two-core processor
• 4GB RAM (64-bit)/2GB RAM (32-bit)
• 4GB available disk space
• 1200 x 768 pixels screen resolution
• DirectX 9 graphics or later/WDDM 2.0 graphics or higher for Windows 10

These are the minimum system requirements if you run Excel 2021 on Mac.

• 4GB RAM
• 10GB available disk space
• 1280 x 800 pixels screen resolution

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Best Laptop Processor for Excel?

Frankly, the best laptop processor for Excel is the most advanced one from Intel, Ryzen, and Apple. After all, the better the processor, the faster and smoother Excel should run on your laptop.

However, for the most optimum ones, we recommend a late-generation i7, Ryzen 7, and Apple M3 processor.

Do the Laptops We Buy Come with Excel Installed?

Not all laptops we buy come with Excel installed. Some simply have it pre-installed and some don’t. You can contact the seller first to make sure about it.

How Do I Install Excel on My Laptop if It Doesn’t Come Pre-Installed?

You can buy the software directly from the Microsoft official store here. After you buy it, you should be able to install it directly on your laptop.

You can also purchase the software in most computer stores near you. If you choose this option, you can bring your laptop to ask the staff there to install it for you directly.

How Much Does Excel Cost?

You can check how much does Excel cost currently in the Microsoft official store link or from where you will purchase it. One thing to note is it is a one-time purchase unless you decide to subscribe to Microsoft 365 too.

Can I Use Excel in Mac?

Sure! We won’t recommend a MacBook in our list if it can’t run Excel at all.

However, the Windows version of Excel seems to be better than its MacBook. This is because the Windows version has more features and better VBA capabilities. Thus, if you want to optimize your Excel utilization, you may want to use a Windows laptop rather than a MacBook.

What are the Differences Between Running Excel in Windows and Mac Laptop?

Although many parts are similar, there are some differences when it comes to running Excel on Windows and Mac. Some of those differences are:

• Different display for some of the feature dialog boxes
• Different codes when we want to summon some specific characters
• Some shortcuts to run functions in Excel are different
• Several types of VBA code can only run in Windows or Mac

What are the Excel Alternatives?

Want to try other spreadsheet software? Here are some of the most viable alternatives you can take a look at.

• Google Spreadsheet: Google’s answer to Microsoft Excel that helps you to work in and save spreadsheet works online for free. Probably the most popular alternative to Excel so far
• Apple Numbers: Apple’s answer to Microsoft Excel that you can use if you are a Mac user. You can access your Numbers work anywhere from any iOS device
• Apache Calc: A part of the Apache OpenOffice software package. It is a free open source program that lets you analyze data thoroughly
• Libre Calc: A part of the Libre Office software package. It is a free open source program that suits personal use mostly
• Zoho Sheet: A cloud-based alternative to Excel. Zoho Sheet can make you store, process, and analyze your data anytime anywhere. Its functionalities mostly target small and medium business owners

However, compared to its alternatives, Excel seems to still have a dominant position in the spreadsheet software industry.

Thus, you may need to think again if you want to choose another software as your spreadsheet software! When you work with your colleagues, it can be complicated if you use another software when your colleagues still use Excel.

How to Maintain the Laptop We Use Primarily for Excel?

Want to take care of the laptop you use for your Excel works well? Here are some tips to do that.

• Do Excel tasks on your laptop on a flat, clean surface whenever possible. Doing them on another kind of surface can potentially damage your laptop and make dirt come inside it. Thus, if you spot a flat and clean surface in the location where you want to work, claim it immediately!


• Put your laptop in a soft case when you bring it around. Bringing your laptop while placing it in a rugged place can potentially bump its LCD and internals, causing it to break. Purchase a laptop bag that complements your laptop nicely so you can put it there and bring it wherever you go


• Always bring your charger when you bring your laptop. Working in Excel until your laptop drops to zero battery power isn’t good as it can shorten its battery life. Always try to bring a charger wherever you work on your Excel tasks so you can charge it if needed. The optimal state of battery power when you use your laptop, by the way, is approximately 40-80%


• Don’t leave it in a dusty environment and around extreme temperatures. Dust can come inside your laptop and block heat from escaping your laptop. Meanwhile, extreme temperatures in places like under direct sunlight or leaving it in a car can damage its machine. Try to avoid both of them when you put your laptop down when or after you work


• Don’t put heavy objects on your laptop. Heavy objects can damage your laptop LCD and keyboard as they keep them pressed against each other. Don’t put anything against the top of your laptop if possible

Wrap Up

Excel is a software many of us use in our daily work. If we want to work optimally in Excel, then we should have a laptop that can support our work purpose well.

There are many choices of laptops you can choose to run your Microsoft Excel. To help you choose and buy the best one, we have discussed seven laptops which should be up to the task.

To summarize it for you, here are those seven laptops we recommend and what they are best for:

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon - Best overall laptop for Excel
• Dell XPS 13 - Best portable laptop for Excel
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 - Best stylish laptop for Excel
• HP Spectre x360 - Best 2-in-1 laptop for Excel
• LG Gram 17 - Best large laptop for Excel
• Asus Vivobook 14 - Best budget laptop for Excel
• Apple MacBook Pro M3 16 - Best MacBook for Excel

We hope our list can help you determine your laptop choice!

Additional Note

You should determine the price of buying Excel if the laptop you want to buy isn’t pre-installed with it. Knowing whether the laptop you buy has Excel or not, therefore, can sometimes be very important. You may need to spend more than you want to if you don’t consider that.



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