Divide to numbers in excel

Introduction to Divide in Excel

In Excel, the division is an arithmetic operation commonly used to divide numbers or values of the cell. It is one of the basic mathematical functions essential for solving complex numeric problems. Unlike addition, which has built-in functions such as the SUM function, no such function is available for division in Excel. To divide numbers or values of a cell in Excel, you need to start with an equal sign (=), followed by the numbers you want to divide, and put a forward slash (/) between the numbers.

Businesses often use the divide formula in Excel to calculate and perform various financial and work management tasks. For instance, they might calculate profit margins, monthly budgets, employee wages, expenditure reports, and other important metrics.

Let’s start by understanding how you can perform division in Excel.

Divide Formula in Excel
The arithmetic operation or formula for division in Excel starts with an equal sign (=) followed by entering the values or cell references you want to divide and a forward slash (/) between them.

How to Divide Numbers in a Cell in Excel?

To divide numbers in a cell, directly type the numbers within the cell and apply the divide formula. For example, if you want to divide 10 by 5, enter “=10/5”  in a cell and press “Enter”. The division formula “=10/5” will give a result of 2.

Note: Please start the formula with an equal sign (=) and use the (/) operator between two values in each cell to get the output. Or else Excel will consider the equation as a date. For instance, If you only type 10/5 in a cell, Excel will display 05-Oct.

Example #1

You can download this Divide Formula Excel Template here – Divide Formula Excel Template

How to Divide Numbers Using Cell References?

You can divide the numbers of two cells by specifying the cell references in the divide formula.
For example, we want to divide the Cell A1 value by the Cell B1 value and display the result in Cell C1.

Solution:
Enter the formula “=A1/B1” in Cell C1 and press “Enter”, where the Cell A1 value is the dividend and Cell B2 value is the divisor. The result will be displayed in Cell C1.

Example #2

How to Divide a Column of Numbers by a Constant Number?
Suppose you want to divide the value of each cell of a column by a certain number obtained in another cell. You can easily do this task. In the below example, you will learn how to divide the values of column A by the value of Cell B1.

Solution:
Step 1: Click on Cell C1
Step 2: Enter the formula =”A1/$B$1” and press “Enter”.

Note: The symbol $ in Excel is used for absolute cell references. If you place a dollar sign ($) in front of a row, that row is fixed, and if you place a dollar sign ($) in front of a column, that column is fixed. In the formula =”A1/$B$1”, the value of the divisor is constant as the value of Cell B1.

Result 2 is displayed in cell C1.

Step 3: Now, drag the cell with the formula to get the desired output.

Congratulations, you have successfully done this task.

Example #3

How to Divide Columns in Excel?
You can divide column 1 with column 2 by using the division formula. Consider the below table with numbers in columns A and B. Follow the below steps to learn how to divide two columns in Excel.

Solution:
Step 1: Click on the Cell D3.

Step 2: Enter the formula “=B3/C3” in Cell D3, as shown below.

Result 5 is displayed in Cell D3.

Step 3: Drag the formula on the corresponding cell to get the following output.

Example #4

How to Use the Division (/) Operator with Subtraction Operators (-) in Excel?
Under this method, you will learn to use division operators with other arithmetic operators like subtraction to solve complex division problems.

For example, you have the below data of salespersons and their actual sales in 2021 and 2022. You have to calculate the sales growth percentage for the respective salesperson in 2022. Here, you have to use the division formula along with the subtraction and percentage operator.

Solution:
Step 1: Click on the Cell D3
Step 2: Enter the formula “=(C3-B3)/B3” in Cell D3

Note: Using this formula, “=(C3-B3)/B3”, you can calculate the sales growth percentage for the respective salesperson.

The output is 9%.

Note: The answer to the formula “=(C3-B3)/B3” is 0.091910466. For converting the decimal value into a percentage, select Cell D3, go to the “Home” tab, and click “Percentage” in the Number section. The result is 9%, as shown in the above image.

Step 3: Drag the cell with the formula downwards to get the desired output

The above result shows the sales growth percentage for the individual salesperson.

Example # 5

We have the sales data for five famous companies (Apple, Tesla, Netflix, Starbucks, and McDonald’s) for 2021 and 2022 and the estimated figures for 2023. We need to calculate the percentage growth rate for each company for 2023 using basic mathematical operators such as division, subtraction, and the percentage operator.

Solution:
Step 1: Add the title “% Growth in 2023” to column E, as shown below.

Step 2: Click on Cell E2.
Step 3: Enter the formula “=(D2-C2)/C2”, as shown below.
According to this formula, we will subtract the sales value of 2022 from 2023 and then divide the result by the sales value of 2022. The output is the percentage increase in sales from 2022 to 2023.

Note: In this example, we used the formula’s opening and closing parenthesis, “( )”.

The output is 8%, as shown below.

Note: The formula “=(B2+C2)/D2” will give a decimal value. Thus, convert this decimal value into %.

Step 4: Now, drag the cell with the formula to get the result, as shown below.

The future sales growth in percentage for all five companies in 2023 is now ready.

How to Use the Division Operator (/) with Addition (+)?

Under this method, you will learn to use the division operator with the addition operator (+) with the help of the following examples.

Example #6

Using Nested Parentheses in Division Operator Using Addition (+)
In this example, we will calculate the average of the student’s marks in maths and science by using the division and addition operator.

The formula for calculating the average marks of students is:“Total Number of Marks Scored / Number of Subjects.
Solution:
Step 1: Add a new column, “Average”, as shown below.

Step 2: Enter the formula “=(C2+E2)/2” in Cell F2.
The formula states to add the marks of Maths and Science subjects and then divide by the total subject, i.e., 2.

Result 84 is displayed, as shown in the below image.

Step 3: Now, drag the cell with the formula to the rest of the cells.

The average score of the students in Maths and Science subjects is displayed.

How to Handle #DIV/0! Error Using IF Function?

While executing the division operation on a data set, Excel will display the error of #DIV/0! when the formula tries to divide a number by an empty cell or 0. In the following example, you will learn how to use the IF function, such as the “IFERROR” condition, to prevent and resolve the #DIV/0! Error.

Suppose you have the below table of dividends and divisors. You have applied the division formula to this data, and Excel has shown error #DIV/0! in Cell C3 and Cell C5 because Cell B3 and Cell B5 have no value. Now, you want to overcome this problem.

Solution:
Step 1: Click Cell G2 of the Result column.
Step 2: Enter the IFERROR formula “=IFERROR(E2/F2,””)” as shown below and press “Enter”.

Note: The Formula “=IFERROR(E2/F2,””)” indicates that divide the value of Cell E2 by Cell F2, and if there is an empty cell or 0 value, then leave the cell blank in the result column to avoid displaying of the #DIV/0! Error.

Output 4 is displayed.

Step 3: Drag the cell with the formula as shown below.

The result is displayed above, and Cell G3 and Cell G5 are blank instead of #DIV/0! Error.

Things to Remember while Using the Divide Function in Excel

• Put an equal sign (=) in the cell before using the divide formula.
• While selecting the data for calculation, do not select the row or column headers.
• If there is an empty cell or 0 value in the Cell, then Excel will throw an #DIV/0!
• You should properly use the opening and closing parenthesis in the division formula. For example, formulas like “=10/4-2” will give 0.5 output, and “=10/(4-2)” will give 5 output. Always remember, the “PEDMAS” is the order of calculations in Excel.
• If you want to display only the integer value of a division operation, use the QUOTIENT function of Excel.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Q1. What is the symbol for the divide in Excel?
Answer: The symbol or arithmetic operator used to represent divide or division in Microsoft Excel is “/”, a forward slash. The Excel division formula is “=x/y,” where x is the dividend and y is the divisor.

Q2. How to divide in Excel?
Answer: There are various methods to divide in Excel. You can directly type the numbers in a cell or divide two (or more) numbers by referring to a cell or constant number. As seen in the image below, you must use an equal sign (=) before the division formula and a forward slash (/) between the numbers or cells you want to divide.

Q3. What is the other method for division in Excel?
Answer: The alternate method for dividing numbers is using the “QUOTIENT” formula. When you want to display only the integer part of a division, use the formula “QUOTIENT(numerator, denominator)”. If a division equation has a remainder value, the QUOTIENT function will only return the integer value as an output. For example,” =3/2” returns 1.5 whereas “=QUOTIENT(3,2)” returns 1, where 1.5 is the remainder, and 1 is the integer/quotient.

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This article has been a guide to Dividing in Excel. Here we discuss the Divide Formula in Excel and How to use Divide Formula in various scenarios using practical examples. You also get a downloadable Excel template for your reference. Furthermore, you can read our other suggested articles.

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The Excel Formula for Division helps us perform the mathematical division between two numbers, i.e., one is the numerator and the other the denominator.

Excel doesn’t have an inbuilt Division formula. Therefore, we can use the basic method of using the equal “=” sign, and the arithmetic division operator, the forward slash “/”, to divide the values.

How To Divide Using Excel Formulas?

We can Divide Using Excel Formulas in 2 ways, namely,

1. Basic Division Excel formula.
2. Quotient Excel formula.

Method #1 – Basic Division Excel Formula

1. First, type “=” in an empty cell.
2. Next, for Value1, enter the first value or the cell reference holding the value, i.e., the numerator.
3. Then, enter the “/” forward slash, i.e., the basic division symbol in Excel.
4. Next, for Value2, enter the second value or the cell reference holding the value, i.e., the denominator.
5. Finally, press the “Enter” key to execute the formula, and return the calculated result.

Therefore, the Basic Division Excel formula will be “=Value1/Value2”.

Method #2 – QUOTIENT Excel Formula

The syntax of the QUOTIENT Excel formula is,

The mandatory arguments of the QUOTIENT Excel formula are,

• Numerator: It is the number we are dividing.
• Denominator: It is the numeric value that we are dividing the numerator in excel.

The steps to use the QUOTIENT formula is,

1. First, type “=QUOTIENT(” in an empty cell.
2. Next, enter the numerator and denominator values as numeric values or cell references.
3. Finally, close the brackets and press the “Enter” key to execute the formula.

Basic Formula

Let us consider an example to use the Excel Formula for Division to divide numbers and calculate the percentages.

We have data of class students who recently appeared in the annual exam. We have the name and total marks they wrote for the exam and the total marks they obtained in the exam.

Student	Total Marks	Achieved Marks	Percentage
Ramu	600	490	?
Rajitha	600	483	?
Komala	600	448	?
Patil	600	530	?
Pursi	600	542	?
Gayathri	600	578	?

The steps to find the percentage of students are:

Step 1: Selectcell D2, and enter the formula =C2/B2, i.e., (Achieved Marks / Total Marks).

Step 2: Press the “Enter” key, and drag the formula from cell D2 to D7 using the fill handle. The output, i.e., the percentage of the students, is shown below.

Examples

We will consider a couple of examples using the QUOTIENT Excel Formula for Division.

Example #1

We have a cricket scorecard. The individual runs they scored and total boundaries they hit in their innings. We need to find how many runs once they score a boundary. We need to find how many runs once they score a boundary.

The steps to calculate using the QUOTIENT formula are,

Step 1: Select cell D2, enter the formula =B2/C2, press “Enter”, and drag the formula from cell D2 to D7 using the fill handle.

Step 2: Select cell E2, andenter the formula =QUOTIENT(B2,C2).

Step 3: Press the “Enter” key, and drag the formula from cell E2 to E7 using the fill handle.

[Note: The QUOTIENT function rounds down the values. However, it will not show the decimal values.]

The output is shown below, i.e., Sachin hits a boundary for every 14th run, Sehwag hits a boundary for every 9th run, etc.

Example #2

Let us consider a scenario of a unique problem.

One day I was busy with my analysis work, and one of the sales managers called and asked if I had an online client. I pitched him for $400,000 plus taxes, but he is asking me to include the tax in the $400,000 itself, i.e., he is requesting the product for $400,000 inclusive of taxes.

We need tax percentage, multiplication rule, and division rule to find the base value.

We must apply the Excel formula below to divide what we have shown in the image.

Firstly, the inclusive value is multiplied by 100, and then it is divided by 100 + tax percentage. So, that would give us the base value.

To cross-check, we can take 18% of $338,983, and add a percentage value of $338,983. We should get $400,000 as the overall value.

Sales managers can mention on the contract $338,983 + 18% tax.

We can also do this by using the QUOTIENT function. The below image is an illustration of the same.

How To Handle #DIV/0! Error In Excel Divide Formula?

In excel, when we are dividing, we get excel errorsErrors in excel are common and often occur at times of applying formulas. The list of nine most common excel errors are — #DIV/0, #N/A, #NAME?, #NULL!, #NUM!, #REF!, #VALUE!, #####, Circular Reference.read more as “#DIV/0!”. This section of the article will explain how to deal with those errors.

We have a five years budget vs. the actual number. So, we need to find out the variance percentages.

The steps to apply the Excel formula to divide are,

Step 1: Select cell D2, and enter the formula =(B2-C2)/B2.

By deducting the actual cost from the budgeted cost, we get the “Variance Amount”, and then we will divide the “Variance Amount” by the “Budgeted Cost” to get the “Variance Percentage”.

Step 2: Press “Enter”, and drag the formula from cell D2 to D6 using the fill handle. The output is shown below.

Step 3: The problem here is we got an error in the last year, 2018, i.e., cell D6. Since there are no budgeted numbers in 2018, we got #DIV/0! error because we cannot divide any number by zero.

We can eliminate this error by using the IFERROR function in excelThe IFERROR function in Excel checks a formula (or a cell) for errors and returns a specified value in place of the error.read more.

Therefore, select cell D6, enter the formula =IFERROR((B6-C6)/B6,0), and press “Enter”.

The output is shown below. The IFERROR function in Excel converts all the error values to zero.

Important Things To Note

• We get the “#DIV/0!” error if the denominator is zero.
• We get the “#VALUE!” errorif the numerator/denominator or both the values are non-numeric.
• If we type the backward slash “” instead of the forward slash “/”, we get the “#NAME?” error.

• For the QUOTIENT function, both the arguments are mandatory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Download Template

This article must help understand Excel Formula For Division. Here we divide numbers using forward slash “/” operator & QUOTIENT(), examples & a downloadable template. You can download the template here to use it instantly.

You can download this Division Formula Excel Template here – Division Formula Excel Template

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This article has been a step-by-step guide to Excel Formula For Division Here we discuss how to divide in Excel using the QUOTIENT function and handle #DIV/0! Error, along with practical examples and downloadable templates. You may learn more about Excel from the following articles: –

• Multiply in Excel Formula
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Multiply and divide numbers in Excel

Multiplying and dividing in Excel is easy, but you need to create a simple formula to do it. Just remember that all formulas in Excel begin with an equal sign (=), and you can use the formula bar to create them.

Multiply numbers

Let’s say you want to figure out how much bottled water that you need for a customer conference (total attendees × 4 days × 3 bottles per day) or the reimbursement travel cost for a business trip (total miles × 0.46). There are several ways to multiply numbers.

Multiply numbers in a cell

To do this task, use the * (asterisk) arithmetic operator.

For example, if you type =5*10 in a cell, the cell displays the result, 50.

Multiply a column of numbers by a constant number

Suppose you want to multiply each cell in a column of seven numbers by a number that is contained in another cell. In this example, the number you want to multiply by is 3, contained in cell C2.

Type =A2*$B$2 in a new column in your spreadsheet (the above example uses column D). Be sure to include a $ symbol before B and before 2 in the formula, and press ENTER.

Note: Using $ symbols tells Excel that the reference to B2 is «absolute,» which means that when you copy the formula to another cell, the reference will always be to cell B2. If you didn’t use $ symbols in the formula and you dragged the formula down to cell B3, Excel would change the formula to =A3*C3, which wouldn’t work, because there is no value in B3.

Drag the formula down to the other cells in the column.

Note: In Excel 2016 for Windows, the cells are populated automatically.

Multiply numbers in different cells by using a formula

You can use the PRODUCT function to multiply numbers, cells, and ranges.

You can use any combination of up to 255 numbers or cell references in the PRODUCT function. For example, the formula =PRODUCT(A2,A4:A15,12,E3:E5,150,G4,H4:J6) multiplies two single cells (A2 and G4), two numbers (12 and 150), and three ranges (A4:A15, E3:E5, and H4:J6).

Divide numbers

Let’s say you want to find out how many person hours it took to finish a project (total project hours ÷ total people on project) or the actual miles per gallon rate for your recent cross-country trip (total miles ÷ total gallons). There are several ways to divide numbers.

Divide numbers in a cell

To do this task, use the / (forward slash) arithmetic operator.

For example, if you type =10/5 in a cell, the cell displays 2.

Important: Be sure to type an equal sign ( =) in the cell before you type the numbers and the / operator; otherwise, Excel will interpret what you type as a date. For example, if you type 7/30, Excel may display 30-Jul in the cell. Or, if you type 12/36, Excel will first convert that value to 12/1/1936 and display 1-Dec in the cell.

Note: There is no DIVIDE function in Excel.

Divide numbers by using cell references

Instead of typing numbers directly in a formula, you can use cell references, such as A2 and A3, to refer to the numbers that you want to divide and divide by.

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How to copy an example

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.

Select the example in the Help topic.

Note: Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help

In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.

To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Formulas tab, click the Show Formulas button.

Источник

Multiply and divide numbers in Excel

Multiplying and dividing in Excel is easy, but you need to create a simple formula to do it. Just remember that all formulas in Excel begin with an equal sign (=), and you can use the formula bar to create them.

Multiply numbers

Let’s say you want to figure out how much bottled water that you need for a customer conference (total attendees × 4 days × 3 bottles per day) or the reimbursement travel cost for a business trip (total miles × 0.46). There are several ways to multiply numbers.

Multiply numbers in a cell

To do this task, use the * (asterisk) arithmetic operator.

For example, if you type =5*10 in a cell, the cell displays the result, 50.

Multiply a column of numbers by a constant number

Suppose you want to multiply each cell in a column of seven numbers by a number that is contained in another cell. In this example, the number you want to multiply by is 3, contained in cell C2.

Type =A2*$B$2 in a new column in your spreadsheet (the above example uses column D). Be sure to include a $ symbol before B and before 2 in the formula, and press ENTER.

Note: Using $ symbols tells Excel that the reference to B2 is «absolute,» which means that when you copy the formula to another cell, the reference will always be to cell B2. If you didn’t use $ symbols in the formula and you dragged the formula down to cell B3, Excel would change the formula to =A3*C3, which wouldn’t work, because there is no value in B3.

Drag the formula down to the other cells in the column.

Note: In Excel 2016 for Windows, the cells are populated automatically.

Multiply numbers in different cells by using a formula

You can use the PRODUCT function to multiply numbers, cells, and ranges.

You can use any combination of up to 255 numbers or cell references in the PRODUCT function. For example, the formula =PRODUCT(A2,A4:A15,12,E3:E5,150,G4,H4:J6) multiplies two single cells (A2 and G4), two numbers (12 and 150), and three ranges (A4:A15, E3:E5, and H4:J6).

Divide numbers

Let’s say you want to find out how many person hours it took to finish a project (total project hours ÷ total people on project) or the actual miles per gallon rate for your recent cross-country trip (total miles ÷ total gallons). There are several ways to divide numbers.

Divide numbers in a cell

To do this task, use the / (forward slash) arithmetic operator.

For example, if you type =10/5 in a cell, the cell displays 2.

Important: Be sure to type an equal sign ( =) in the cell before you type the numbers and the / operator; otherwise, Excel will interpret what you type as a date. For example, if you type 7/30, Excel may display 30-Jul in the cell. Or, if you type 12/36, Excel will first convert that value to 12/1/1936 and display 1-Dec in the cell.

Note: There is no DIVIDE function in Excel.

Divide numbers by using cell references

Instead of typing numbers directly in a formula, you can use cell references, such as A2 and A3, to refer to the numbers that you want to divide and divide by.

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How to copy an example

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.

Select the example in the Help topic.

Note: Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help

In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.

To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Formulas tab, click the Show Formulas button.

Источник

Divide

There’s no DIVIDE function in Excel. Simply use the forward slash (/) to divide numbers in Excel.

1. The formula below divides numbers in a cell. Use the forward slash (/) as the division operator. Don’t forget, always start a formula with an equal sign (=).

2. The formula below divides the value in cell A1 by the value in cell B1.

3. Excel displays the #DIV/0! error when a formula tries to divide a number by 0 or an empty cell.

4. The formula below divides 43 by 8. Nothing special.

5. You can use the QUOTIENT function in Excel to return the integer portion of a division. This function discards the remainder of a division.

6. The MOD function in Excel returns the remainder of a division.

Take a look at the screenshot below. To divide the numbers in one column by the numbers in another column, execute the following steps.

7a. First, divide the value in cell A1 by the value in cell B1.

7b. Next, select cell C1, click on the lower right corner of cell C1 and drag it down to cell C6.

Take a look at the screenshot below. To divide a column of numbers by a constant number, execute the following steps.

8a. First, divide the value in cell A1 by the value in cell A8. Fix the reference to cell A8 by placing a $ symbol in front of the column letter and row number ($A$8).

8b. Next, select cell B1, click on the lower right corner of cell B1 and drag it down to cell B6.

Explanation: when we drag the formula down, the absolute reference ($A$8) stays the same, while the relative reference (A1) changes to A2, A3, A4, etc.

If you’re not a formula hero, use Paste Special to divide in Excel without using formulas!

9. For example, select cell C1.

10. Right click, and then click Copy (or press CTRL + c).

11. Select the range A1:A6.

12. Right click, and then click Paste Special.

13. Click Divide.

Note: to divide numbers in one column by numbers in another column, at step 9, simply select a range instead of a cell.

Источник

How to divide in Excel and handle #DIV/0! error

by Svetlana Cheusheva, updated on March 17, 2023

The tutorial shows how to use a division formula in Excel to divide numbers, cells or entire columns and how to handle Div/0 errors.

As with other basic math operations, Microsoft Excel provides several ways to divide numbers and cells. Which one to use depends on your personal preferences and a particular task you need to solve. In this tutorial, you will find some good examples of using a division formula in Excel that cover the most common scenarios.

Divide symbol in Excel

The common way to do division is by using the divide sign. In mathematics, the operation of division is represented by an obelus symbol (Г·). In Microsoft Excel, the divide symbol is a forward slash (/).

With this approach, you simply write an expression like =a/b with no spaces, where:

• a is the dividend — a number you want to divide, and
• b is the divisor — a number by which the dividend is to be divided.

How to divide numbers in Excel

To divide two numbers in Excel, you type the equals sign (=) in a cell, then type the number to be divided, followed by a forward slash, followed by the number to divide by, and press the Enter key to calculate the formula.

For example, to divide 10 by 5, you type the following expression in a cell: =10/5

The screenshot below shows a few more examples of a simple division formula in Excel:

When a formula performs more than one arithmetic operation, it is important to remember about the order of calculations in Excel (PEMDAS): parentheses first, followed by exponentiation (raising to power), followed by multiplication or division whichever comes first, followed by addition or subtraction whichever comes first.

How to divide cell value in Excel

To divide cell values, you use the divide symbol exactly like shown in the above examples, but supply cell references instead of numbers.

• To divide a value in cell A2 by 5: =A2/5
• To divide cell A2 by cell B2: =A2/B2
• To divide multiple cells successively, type cell references separated by the division symbol. For example, to divide the number in A2 by the number in B2, and then divide the result by the number in C2, use this formula: =A2/B2/C2

Divide function in Excel (QUOTIENT)

I have to say plainly: there is no Divide function in Excel. Whenever you want to divide one number by another, use the division symbol as explained in the above examples.

However, if you want to return only the integer portion of a division and discard the remainder, then use the QUOTIENT function:

• Numerator (required) — the dividend, i.e. the number to be divided.
• Denominator (required) — the divisor, i.e. the number to divide by.

When two numbers divide evenly without remainder, the division symbol and a QUOTIENT formula return the same result. For example, both of the below formulars return 2.

When there is a remainder after division, the divide sign returns a decimal number and the QUOTIENT function returns only the integer part. For example:

=QUOTIENT(5,4) yields 1

3 things you should know about QUOTIENT function

As simple as it seems, the Excel QUOTIENT function still has a few caveats you should be aware of:

1. The numerator and denominator arguments should be supplied as numbers, references to cells containing numbers, or other functions that return numbers.
2. If either argument is non-numeric, a QUOTIENT formula returns the #VALUE! error.
3. If denominator is 0, QUOTIENT returns the divide by zero error (#DIV/0!).

How to divide columns in Excel

Dividing columns in Excel is also easy. It can done by copying a regular division formula down the column or by using an array formula. Why would one want to use an array formula for a trivial task like that? You will learn the reason in a moment 🙂

How to divide two columns in Excel by copying a formula

To divide columns in Excel, just do the following:

1. Divide two cells in the topmost row, for example: =A2/B2
2. Insert the formula in the first cell (say C2) and double-click the small green square in the lower-right corner of the cell to copy the formula down the column. Done!

Since we use relative cell references (without the $ sign), our division formula will change based on a relative position of a cell where it is copied:

Tip. In a similar fashion, you can divide two rows in Excel. For example, to divide values in row 1 by values in row 2, you put =A1/A2 in cell A3, and then copy the formula rightwards to as many cells as necessary.

How to divide one column by another with an array formula

In situations when you want to prevent accidental deletion or alteration of a formula in individual cells, insert an array formula in an entire range.

For example, to divide the values in cells A2:A8 by the values in B2:B8 row-by-row, use this formula: =A2:A8/B2:B8

To insert the array formula correctly, perform these steps:

1. Select the entire range where you want to enter the formula (C2:C8 in this example).
2. Type the formula in the formula bar and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to complete it. As soon as you do this, Excel will enclose the formula in , indicating it’s an array formula.

As the result, you will have the numbers in column A divided by the numbers in column B in one fell swoop. If someone tries to edit your formula in an individual cell, Excel will show a warning that part of an array cannot be changed.

To delete or modify the formula, you will need to select the whole range first, and then make the changes. To extend the formula to new rows, select the entire range including new rows, change the cell references in the formula bar to accommodate new cells, and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to update the formula.

How to divide a column by a number in Excel

Depending on whether you want the output to be formulas or values, you can divide a column of numbers by a constant number by using a division formula or Paste Special feature.

Divide a column by number with a formula

As you already know, the fastest way to do division in Excel is by using the divide symbol. So, to divide each number in a given column by the same number, you put a usual division formula in the first cell, and then copy the formula down the column. That’s all there is to it!

For example, to divide values in column A by the number 5, insert the following formula in A2, and then copy it down to as many cells as you want: =A2/5

As explained in the above example, the use of a relative cell reference (A2) ensures that the formula gets adjusted properly for each row. That is, the formula in B3 becomes =A3/5 , the formula in B4 becomes =A4/5 , and so on.

Instead of supplying the divisor directly in the formula, you can enter it in some cell, say D2, and divide by that cell. In this case, it’s important that you lock the cell reference with the dollar sign (like $D$2), making it an absolute reference because this reference should remain constant no matter where the formula is copied.

As shown in the screenshot below, the formula =A2/$D$2 returns exactly the same results as =A2/5 .

Divide a column by the same number with Paste Special

In case you want the results to be values, not formulas, you can do division in the usual way, and then replace formulas with values. Or, you can achieve the same result faster with the Paste Special > Divide option.

1. If you don’t want to override the original numbers, copy them to the column where you want to have the results. In this example, we copy numbers from column A to column B.
2. Put the divisor in some cell, say D2, like shown in the screenshot below.
3. Select the divisor cell (D5), and press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard.
4. Select the cells you want to multiply (B2:B8).
5. Press Ctrl + Alt + V , then I , which is the shortcut for Paste Special >Divide, and hit the Enter key.

Alternatively, right-click the selected numbers, select Paste Special… from the context menu, then select Divide under Operation, and click OK.

Either way, each of the selected numbers in column A will be divided by the number in D5, and the results will be returned as values, not formulas:

How to divide by percentage in Excel

Since percentages are parts of larger whole things, some people think that to calculate percentage of a given number you should divide that number by percent. But that is a common delusion! To find percentages, you should multiply, not divide. For example, to find 20% of 80, you multiply 80 by 20% and get 16 as the result: 80*20%=16 or 80*0.2=16.

In what situations do you divide a number by percentage? For instance, to find X if a certain percent of X is Y. To make things clearer, let’s solve this problem: 100 is 25% of what number?

To get the answer, convert the problem to this simple equation:

With Y equal to 100 and P to 25%, the formula takes the following shape: =100/25%

Since 25% is 25 parts of a hundred, you can safely replace the percentage with a decimal number: =100/0.25

As shown in the screenshot below, the result of both formulas is 400:

For more examples of percentage formulas, please see How to calculate percentages in Excel.

Excel DIV/0 error

Division by zero is an operation for which there exists no answer, therefore it is disallowed. Whenever you try to divide a number by 0 or by an empty cell in Excel, you will get the divide by zero error (#DIV/0!). In some situations, that error indication might be useful, alerting you about possible faults in your data set.

In other scenarios, your formulas can just be waiting for input, so you may wish to replace Excel Div 0 error notations with empty cells or with your own message. That can be done by using either an IF formula or IFERROR function.

Suppress #DIV/0 error with IFERROR

The easiest way to handle the #DIV/0! error in Excel is to wrap your division formula in the IFERROR function like this:

The formula checks the result of the division, and if it evaluates to an error, returns an empty string («»), the result of the division otherwise.

Please have a look at the two worksheets below. Which one is more aesthetically pleasing?

Note. Excel’s IFERROR function disguises not only #DIV/0! errors, but all other error types such as #N/A, #NAME?, #REF!, #VALUE!, etc. If you’d like to suppress specifically DIV/0 errors, then use an IF formula as shown in the next example.

Handle Excel DIV/0 error with IF formula

To mask only Div/0 errors in Excel, use an IF formula that checks if the divisor is equal (or not equal) to zero.

If the divisor is any number other than zero, the formulas divide cell A2 by B2. If B2 is 0 or blank, the formulas return nothing (empty string).

Instead of an empty cell, you could also display a custom message like this:

=IF(B2<>0, A2/B2, «Error in calculation»)

How to divide with Ultimate Suite for Excel

If you are making your very first steps in Excel and do not feel comfortable with formulas yet, you can do division by using a mouse. All it takes is our Ultimate Suite installed in your Excel.

In one of the examples discussed earlier, we divided a column by a number with Excel’s Paste Special. That involved a lot of mouse movement and two shortcuts. Now, let me show you a shorter way to do the same.

1. Copy the numbers you want to divide in the «Results» column to prevent the original numbers from being overridden.
2. Select the copied values (C2:C5 in the screenshot below).
3. Go to the Ablebits tools tab >Calculate group, and do the following:
   • Select the divide sign (/) in the Operation box.
   • Type the number to divide by in the Value box.
   • Click the Calculate button.

Done! The entire column is divided by the specified number in the blink of an eye:

As with Excel Paste Special, the result of division is values, not formulas. So, you can safely move or copy the output to another location without worrying about updating formula references. You can even move or delete the original numbers, and your calculated numbers will be still safe and sound.

That is how you divide in Excel by using formulas or Calculate tools. If are curious to try this and many other useful features included with the Ultimate Suite for Excel, you are welcome to download 14-day trial version.

To have a closer look at the formulas discussed in this tutorial, feel free to download our sample workbook below. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!

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