Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Using the IF Worksheet Function.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 11, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Excel provides a wide range of worksheet functions you can use. One of the most versatile worksheet functions is IF. This function allows you to test some condition, and then use a value if the condition is true or a different value if the condition is false. For instance, consider the following example:
=IF(A2<C2,"Too low","")
Notice that IF requires three arguments, each separated by commas. The first argument (in this example, A2<C2) is the conditional test. If the test proves true, then the second argument (in this case, the test string "Too low") is used. If the test proves false, then the third argument (in this case, an empty string) is used. In other words, if the value in cell A2 is lower than the value in cell C2, then this formula returns the string "Too low." Otherwise, it returns an empty string.
You are not limited, of course, to returning strings in an IF function. You can return any value you want, including the values stored in other cells. For example:
=IF(A2<C2,B6-B7,43)
In this case, if A2 is less than C2, then the value derived by subtracting B7 from B6 is returned. If A2 is not less than C2, then the value 43 is returned.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10423) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Using the IF Worksheet Function.
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2025-03-11 07:49:57
jamies
And ..
there is a limit to the nesting depth - not least of which is working through the bracketted pairs -
so Excel now allows formulas to be split on entry - so you can have the separate bits of logic on separate lines in the formula entry area.
And - you can also use concatenation of multiple steps - as in
=IF(logical test group1)&IF(logical test group2)&IF(logical test group3)
with the results from failed (logical test groups) being either "", 0, or void and optionally added together or multiplied - for AND and OR effects
so combining the multiple answer sets to get a single result.
And there is the new LET() to make the logic easier - as in specify a name for the result of a logical test group, calculation, or text string
Not forgetting the simple =""&IF(test,"Cell",) to get the False result showing as nothing rather than a numeric 0.
And - for tidy presentation - there is the Formatting facility "Custom"to add commentary entries to the displayed/printed presentation of a value
Google the MS specifications of formatting codes
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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:
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