Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Deriving a Secant and Cosecant.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 2, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Excel includes many built-in functions that allow you to use a wide range of trigonometric functions. If you need to determine either the secant or cosecant of an angle, you can use the SEC and CSC functions:
=SEC(A1) =CSC(A1)
The value in A1 must be the angle expressed in radians.
Both the SEC and CSC functions were introduced in Excel 2013. If you are using an older version of Excel you can use a simple formula to derive the values. Let's assume that an angle value, in radians, is stored in cell B7. To derive the secant of the angle, you can use the following formula:
=1/COS(B7)
Likewise, if you need to know the cosecant of the angle, the following formula will do the trick:
=1/SIN(B7)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10084) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Deriving a Secant and Cosecant.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
ISBN numbers are used to denote a unique identifier for a published book. If you remove the dashes included in an ISBN, ...
Discover MoreDo you ever have a need to return just a few digits out of a number? This tip shows different formulas you can use to ...
Discover MoreThe filtering capabilities of Excel are excellent, providing you with great control over which records in a worksheet are ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments