# 5 Things the Excel Mobile App Does Better Than the Desktop Version > MakeUseOf's testing shows that the Excel mobile app outperforms the desktop version for real-time data capture, photo extraction, and simplified entry layouts. - Canonical URL: https://coreiten.com/en/article/5-excel-mobile-features-that-beat-the-desktop-version - Language: en - Section: Excel - Author: Sami - Published: 2026-10-15T20:03:26+03:00 - Modified: 2026-10-15T20:03:26+03:00 - Publisher: CoreITen (https://coreiten.com) - Keywords: Excel, Power Query, Solver, Goal Seek, Cards View, Microsoft OneDrive, Data Form, VBA ## Summary While desktop Excel excels at complex tasks, MakeUseOf's Adaeze Uche highlights five specific jobs where the mobile app performs better. - Mobile Excel's Insert Data from Picture feature uses OCR to turn smartphone photos of printed tables or physical invoices into editable cells. - Cards View adapts touchscreens by turning each table row into a vertical digital card, improving upon the desktop Data Form feature. - Cloud storage syncing allows mobile users to capture real-time data like warehouse inventory or sports scores for desktop colleagues to analyze live. - Smartphones serve as practical tools for looking up information away from the desk, such as checking budget targets or warehouse inventory levels. - Administrators can give non-technical field workers simplified mobile entry layouts to prevent them from breaking underlying desktop formulas or VBA macros. **Why it matters:** Understanding the complementary strengths of desktop and mobile Excel helps users optimize their data entry and portability workflows. --- Desktop Excel is the standard choice for complex tasks like macros, Power Query, Solver, Goal Seek, and utilizing keyboard shortcuts. However, according to MakeUseOf's Adaeze Uche, the mobile app is actually the better tool for a handful of specific jobs, particularly when it comes to data entry and portability. ### 1. Turning a photo into a spreadsheet Mobile Excel uses the smartphone camera for its Insert Data from Picture feature. Instead of manually retyping printed financial tables, physical invoices, or photographed schedules into a desktop spreadsheet, users can snap a picture or import an existing image. To use this, open the ribbon and select **Insert** > **Data from Picture**. Users can crop the image to highlight only the desired table. The automated OCR tool then converts the visual data into editable spreadsheet cells, though users must check the results for misread digits or formatting errors before importing. ### 2. Entering records with Cards View Standard spreadsheet grids shrink on mobile displays, forcing users to pinch, zoom, and scroll horizontally. Cards View solves this by adapting the interface for touchscreens, turning each row of an Excel Table into an individual, vertically formatted digital card. After formatting a cell range as a table, tap the Cards View icon under the mobile ribbon by navigating to **Home** > **Cards View**. Users can tap a plus icon at the bottom to add rows, or click any card to edit fields like Date or Amount line by line. A columns icon at the top right allows users to change number formats, add, or delete columns. Uche notes this interface feels more intuitive than the desktop version's Data Form feature. ### 3. Capturing data in real time Smartphones allow users to record information as events happen, rather than retroactively relying on paper notes or physical receipts collected throughout the day. Whether tracking sports match scores, logging warehouse inventory, or recording travel expenses at the register, mobile entry captures data instantly. When the workbook is connected to Microsoft OneDrive or another cloud storage service, this mobile data syncs with the master workbook, allowing colleagues at their desks to analyze live data as it comes in. ### 4. Looking up information away from the desk Mobile Excel serves as a practical information retrieval tool. Opening a workbook on a phone is ideal for finding specific data points rather than attempting to alter complex formulas or rebuild a spreadsheet. Examples include checking inventory levels while walking around a warehouse, referencing budget targets during a meeting, or comparing laptop prices and technical specifications in a store. ### 5. Simplifying data submission for non-technical users Sharing a full spreadsheet with casual users or field workers can lead to broken formulas or formatting errors. On a desktop, they must navigate to the correct sheet, find the next empty row, and enter values carefully. By building a protected master workbook on a desktop and saving it to the cloud, administrators can give field workers access to simplified mobile entry layouts. Workers can simply open Cards View, enter the required fields, and submit the data without interacting with underlying VBA macros or cell structures. ### Combining desktop and mobile workflows Users do not have to choose between the two platforms, as they serve different stages of the same workflow. The desktop version is best for building workbooks with complex formulas, formatting, and macros. Once uploaded to the cloud, the mobile app provides operational portability for daily data entry, combining analytical depth with on-the-go convenience. ## Sources - [makeuseof.com](https://www.makeuseof.com/excel-is-better-on-desktop-except-for-these-things-phone-does-better/) ## Related topics - [Power Query](https://coreiten.com/en/topic/power-query)