Formulas & functions
How a function works, with worked examples you can paste.
- Concatenate Excel Files: Combine Workbooks Step by StepTo concatenate Excel files—combine their data into one workbook—use Power Query in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows: choose Data > Get…
- Concatenate an Excel List: Join Values With DelimitersTo concatenate an Excel list into one cell, use TEXTJOIN: with the values in A2:A6, enter =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:A6). It joins the nonblank…
- Concat Excel Cell Range: Join Cells With Simple FormulasWith the values to join in A2:A5, enter =CONCAT(A2:A5) to combine the range into one text string; for example, Mia, Leo, and…
- Concat Excel Different Sheets: Formulas and ExamplesTo concatenate values from different Excel sheets, use CONCAT with a reference to each sheet, such as =CONCAT(Jan!A2,Feb!A2). Add a text argument…
- Excel CONCAT: Join Cell Values with a FormulaTo combine cell values in Excel, use the CONCAT function: with text in A2 and B2, enter =CONCAT(A2,B2) to join them with…
- COUNTIF Excel: How to Reference Cells in CriteriaTo make COUNTIF use a cell as its criterion, put the cell reference in the second argument: with values in A2:A20 and…
- XLOOKUP Match Mode: Exact, Approximate, and WildcardsIn Excel, XLOOKUP’s match_mode is its fifth argument: use 0 for an exact match, -1 for an exact match or the next…
- VLOOKUP in Excel: Steps, Examples, and Common FixesTo use VLOOKUP in Excel, put the value you want to find in a cell, then enter a formula such as =VLOOKUP(E2,$A$2:$C$5,2,FALSE)…
- Excel IFS List: Syntax, Examples, and Common FixesExcel’s IFS function checks conditions in order and returns the result paired with the first condition that is TRUE. With a student’s…
- Excel IFS for Blank Cells: Formulas and Common FixesTo make Excel’s IFS function return a result when a cell is blank, test for a blank first: with the value to…
- COUNTIF in Excel: Count Cells That Equal a ValueWith values in A2:A10 and the value Apple to match, use =COUNTIF(A2:A10,"Apple") to count cells equal to Apple; if three cells contain…
- VLOOKUP in Excel: Return a Value from Another CellTo make VLOOKUP return a value from another cell, look up a key in the leftmost column of a table and specify…
- SUMIF Excel Shortcut: The Fastest Way to Use ItExcel has no dedicated keyboard shortcut that inserts a SUMIF formula automatically. The quickest method is to type the formula in a…
- If Excel Cell Contains Text: Useful Formulas and ExamplesWith the text to check in A2, use =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("apple",A2)),"Yes","No") to test whether the cell contains “apple” anywhere; the result is Yes when…
- COUNTIF in Excel: Count Cells That Contain NumbersYes—COUNTIF can count cells that meet a numeric condition, and it can find text containing a particular digit. But if you simply…
- COUNTIF in Excel: Count Empty Cells and Blank Cells EasilyIf your cells are in A2:A20, use =COUNTIF(A2:A20,"") to count empty cells. COUNTIF with an empty-string criterion counts genuinely blank cells and…
- COUNTIF Excel Cell Color: Methods That Work ReliablyExcel’s COUNTIF function cannot count cells by fill color on its own: its criteria are based on cell values, not formatting. To…
- SUMIF Excel: Sum Cells Containing Specific TextTo sum values when a related cell contains particular text, use SUMIF with asterisks as wildcards. With descriptions in A2:A100, amounts in…
- SUMIF Excel Cell Value: Criteria, Examples & FixesTo make SUMIF use a value stored in a cell, put the cell reference in its criteria argument. With regions in A2:A7,…
- SUMIF Excel Cell Reference: Syntax, Examples, and FixesWith criteria in A2:A6 and amounts in C2:C6, enter =SUMIF(A2:A6,"North",C2:C6) to add the amounts for rows marked North; if those amounts are…
- Excel INDEX Function: Syntax, Examples, and Common UsesYes. In the English-language version of Microsoft Excel, the function is called INDEX. It returns the value—or, in some cases, the reference—at…
- Excel INDEX Errors: Common Causes, Meanings, and FixesAn Excel INDEX error usually means the requested row or column falls outside the range (#REF!), an index argument is invalid (#VALUE!),…
- Excel MATCH Errors: Causes, Fixes, and Formula ExamplesThe most common Excel MATCH error is #N/A: MATCH cannot find the lookup value in the specified range. For an exact lookup,…
- Excel VLOOKUP Column Index Number ExplainedIn Excel VLOOKUP, the column index number tells Excel which column to return a value from, counting from the left edge of…
- INDEX Excel Arguments Explained: Syntax and ExamplesIn Excel, INDEX returns a value or reference at the intersection of a specified row and column in a range. Its arguments…
- XLOOKUP Excel Cell References: A Practical GuideIn Excel, an XLOOKUP cell reference is the cell or range you tell the function to search or return; for example, =XLOOKUP(E2,A2:A5,B2:B5,"Not…
- XLOOKUP in Excel: Find and Return Data From Another SheetYes. XLOOKUP can search a range on one worksheet and return the matching value from another range on that sheet; the sheet…
- XLOOKUP in Excel: What If the Return Cell Is Blank?If XLOOKUP finds a match whose return cell is truly empty, Excel normally displays 0—not a blank. With lookup keys in A2:A5,…
- VLOOKUP Across Sheets in Excel: Formula and TipsYes. If the value to look up is in A2 on an Orders sheet, and a Product List sheet has lookup codes…
- Sumifs with date range?Learn how SUMIFS handles dates, boundaries, months, extra criteria, and common errors, with clear Excel examples to help you get the right…