How to create and if formula in excel

IF function

The IF function is one of the most popular functions in Excel, and it allows you to make logical comparisons between a value and what you expect.

So an IF statement can have two results. The first result is if your comparison is True, the second if your comparison is False.

For example, =IF(C2=”Yes”,1,2) says IF(C2 = Yes, then return a 1, otherwise return a 2).

Use the IF function, one of the logical functions, to return one value if a condition is true and another value if it’s false.

IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false])

For example:

• =IF(A2>B2,»Over Budget»,»OK»)

• =IF(A2=B2,B4-A4,»»)

Argument name	Description
logical_test    (required)	The condition you want to test.
value_if_true    (required)	The value that you want returned if the result of logical_test is TRUE.
value_if_false    (optional)	The value that you want returned if the result of logical_test is FALSE.

Simple IF examples

• =IF(C2=”Yes”,1,2)

In the above example, cell D2 says: IF(C2 = Yes, then return a 1, otherwise return a 2)

• =IF(C2=1,”Yes”,”No”)

In this example, the formula in cell D2 says: IF(C2 = 1, then return Yes, otherwise return No)As you see, the IF function can be used to evaluate both text and values. It can also be used to evaluate errors. You are not limited to only checking if one thing is equal to another and returning a single result, you can also use mathematical operators and perform additional calculations depending on your criteria. You can also nest multiple IF functions together in order to perform multiple comparisons.

• =IF(C2>B2,”Over Budget”,”Within Budget”)

In the above example, the IF function in D2 is saying IF(C2 Is Greater Than B2, then return “Over Budget”, otherwise return “Within Budget”)

• =IF(C2>B2,C2-B2,0)

In the above illustration, instead of returning a text result, we are going to return a mathematical calculation. So the formula in E2 is saying IF(Actual is Greater than Budgeted, then Subtract the Budgeted amount from the Actual amount, otherwise return nothing).

• =IF(E7=”Yes”,F5*0.0825,0)

In this example, the formula in F7 is saying IF(E7 = “Yes”, then calculate the Total Amount in F5 * 8.25%, otherwise no Sales Tax is due so return 0)

Note: If you are going to use text in formulas, you need to wrap the text in quotes (e.g. “Text”). The only exception to that is using TRUE or FALSE, which Excel automatically understands.

Common problems

Problem	What went wrong
0 (zero) in cell	There was no argument for either value_if_true or value_if_False arguments. To see the right value returned, add argument text to the two arguments, or add TRUE or FALSE to the argument.
#NAME? in cell	This usually means that the formula is misspelled.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

IF function — nested formulas and avoiding pitfalls

IFS function

Using IF with AND, OR and NOT functions

COUNTIF function

How to avoid broken formulas

Overview of formulas in Excel

Функция ЕСЛИ в Excel — это отличный инструмент для проверки условий на ИСТИНУ или ЛОЖЬ. Если значения ваших расчетов равны заданным параметрам функции как ИСТИНА, то она возвращает одно значение, если ЛОЖЬ, то другое.

Что возвращает функция

Заданное вами значение при выполнении двух условий ИСТИНА или ЛОЖЬ.

Синтаксис

=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false]) — английская версия

=ЕСЛИ(лог_выражение; [значение_если_истина]; [значение_если_ложь]) — русская версия

Аргументы функции

• logical_test (лог_выражение) — это условие, которое вы хотите протестировать. Этот аргумент функции должен быть логичным и определяемым как ЛОЖЬ или ИСТИНА. Аргументом может быть как статичное значение, так и результат функции, вычисления;
• [value_if_true] ([значение_если_истина]) — (не обязательно) — это то значение, которое возвращает функция. Оно будет отображено в случае, если значение которое вы тестируете соответствует условию ИСТИНА;
• [value_if_false] ([значение_если_ложь]) — (не обязательно) — это то значение, которое возвращает функция. Оно будет отображено в случае, если условие, которое вы тестируете соответствует условию ЛОЖЬ.

Дополнительная информация

• В функции ЕСЛИ может быть протестировано 64 условий за один раз;
• Если какой-либо из аргументов функции является массивом — оценивается каждый элемент массива;
• Если вы не укажете условие аргумента FALSE (ЛОЖЬ) value_if_false (значение_если_ложь) в функции, т.е. после аргумента value_if_true (значение_если_истина) есть только запятая (точка с запятой), функция вернет значение “0”, если результат вычисления функции будет равен FALSE (ЛОЖЬ).
  На примере ниже, формула =IF(A1> 20,”Разрешить”) или =ЕСЛИ(A1>20;»Разрешить») , где value_if_false (значение_если_ложь) не указано, однако аргумент value_if_true (значение_если_истина) по-прежнему следует через запятую. Функция вернет “0” всякий раз, когда проверяемое условие не будет соответствовать условиям TRUE (ИСТИНА).
  
  |
• Если вы не укажете условие аргумента TRUE(ИСТИНА) (value_if_true (значение_если_истина)) в функции, т.е. условие указано только для аргумента value_if_false (значение_если_ложь), то формула вернет значение “0”, если результат вычисления функции будет равен TRUE (ИСТИНА);
  На примере ниже формула равна =IF (A1>20;«Отказать») или =ЕСЛИ(A1>20;»Отказать»), где аргумент value_if_true (значение_если_истина) не указан, формула будет возвращать “0” всякий раз, когда условие соответствует TRUE (ИСТИНА).

Функция Если в Excel примеры с несколькими условиями

Пример 1. Проверяем простое числовое условие с помощью функции IF (ЕСЛИ)

При использовании функции ЕСЛИ в Excel, вы можете использовать различные операторы для проверки состояния. Вот список операторов, которые вы можете использовать:

Ниже приведен простой пример использования функции при расчете оценок студентов. Если сумма баллов больше или равна «35», то формула возвращает “Сдал”, иначе возвращается “Не сдал”.

Пример 2. Использование вложенной функции IF (ЕСЛИ) для проверки условия выражения

Функция может принимать до 64 условий одновременно. Несмотря на то, что создавать длинные вложенные функции нецелесообразно, то в редких случаях вы можете создать формулу, которая множество условий последовательно.

В приведенном ниже примере мы проверяем два условия.

• Первое условие проверяет, сумму баллов не меньше ли она чем 35 баллов. Если это ИСТИНА, то функция вернет “Не сдал”;
• В случае, если первое условие — ЛОЖЬ, и сумма баллов больше 35, то функция проверяет второе условие. В случае если сумма баллов больше или равна 75. Если это правда, то функция возвращает значение “Отлично”, в других случаях функция возвращает “Сдал”.
  

Пример 3. Вычисляем сумму комиссии с продаж с помощью функции IF (ЕСЛИ) в Excel

Функция позволяет выполнять вычисления с числами. Хороший пример использования — расчет комиссии продаж для торгового представителя.

В приведенном ниже примере, торговый представитель по продажам:

• не получает комиссионных, если объем продаж меньше 50 тыс;
• получает комиссию в размере 2%, если продажи между 50-100 тыс
• получает 4% комиссионных, если объем продаж превышает 100 тыс.

Рассчитать размер комиссионных для торгового агента можно по следующей формуле:

=IF(B2<50,0,IF(B2<100,B2*2%,B2*4%)) — английская версия

=ЕСЛИ(B2<50;0;ЕСЛИ(B2<100;B2*2%;B2*4%)) — русская версия

В формуле, использованной в примере выше, вычисление суммы комиссионных выполняется в самой функции ЕСЛИ. Если объем продаж находится между 50-100K, то формула возвращает B2 * 2%, что составляет 2% комиссии в зависимости от объема продажи.

Пример 4. Используем логические операторы (AND/OR) (И/ИЛИ) в функции IF (ЕСЛИ) в Excel

Вы можете использовать логические операторы (AND/OR) (И/ИЛИ) внутри функции для одновременного тестирования нескольких условий.

Например, предположим, что вы должны выбрать студентов для стипендий, основываясь на оценках и посещаемости. В приведенном ниже примере учащийся имеет право на участие только в том случае, если он набрал более 80 баллов и имеет посещаемость более 80%.

Вы можете использовать функцию AND (И) вместе с функцией IF (ЕСЛИ), чтобы сначала проверить, выполняются ли оба эти условия или нет. Если условия соблюдены, функция возвращает “Имеет право”, в противном случае она возвращает “Не имеет право”.

Формула для этого расчета:

=IF(AND(B2>80,C2>80%),”Да”,”Нет”) — английская версия

=ЕСЛИ(И(B2>80;C2>80%);»Да»;»Нет») — русская версия

Пример 5. Преобразуем ошибки в значения “0” с помощью функции IF (ЕСЛИ)

С помощью этой функции вы также можете убирать ячейки содержащие ошибки. Вы можете преобразовать значения ошибок в пробелы или нули или любое другое значение.

Формула для преобразования ошибок в ячейках следующая:

=IF(ISERROR(A1),0,A1) — английская версия

=ЕСЛИ(ЕОШИБКА(A1);0;A1) — русская версия

Формула возвращает “0”, в случае если в ячейке есть ошибка, иначе она возвращает значение ячейки.

ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ. Если вы используете Excel 2007 или версии после него, вы также можете использовать функцию IFERROR для этого.

Точно так же вы можете обрабатывать пустые ячейки. В случае пустых ячеек используйте функцию ISBLANK, на примере ниже:

=IF(ISBLANK(A1),0,A1) — английская версия

=ЕСЛИ(ЕПУСТО(A1);0;A1) — русская версия

The logical IF statement in Excel is used for the recording of certain conditions. It compares the number and / or text, function, etc. of the formula when the values correspond to the set parameters, and then there is one record, when do not respond — another.

Logic functions — it is a very simple and effective tool that is often used in practice. Let us consider it in details by examples.



The syntax of the function «IF» with one condition

The operation syntax in Excel is the structure of the functions necessary for its operation data.

=IF(boolean;value_if_TRUE;value_if_FALSE)

Let us consider the function syntax:

• Boolean – what the operator checks (text or numeric data cell).
• Value_if_TRUE – what will appear in the cell when the text or numbers correspond to a predetermined condition (true).
• Value_if_FALSE – what appears in the box when the text or the number does not meet the predetermined condition (false).

Example:

Logical IF functions.

The operator checks the A1 cell and compares it to 20. This is a «Boolean». When the contents of the column is more than 20, there is a true legend «greater 20». In the other case it’s «less or equal 20».

Attention! The words in the formula need to be quoted. For Excel to understand that you want to display text values.

Here is one more example. To gain admission to the exam, a group of students must successfully pass a test. The results are listed in a table with columns: a list of students, a credit, an exam.

The statement IF should check not the digital data type but the text. Therefore, we prescribed in the formula В2= «done» We take the quotes for the program to recognize the text correctly.



The function IF in Excel with multiple conditions

Usually one condition for the logic function is not enough. If you need to consider several options for decision-making, spread operators’ IF into each other. Thus, we get several functions IF in Excel.

The syntax is as follows:

Here the operator checks the two parameters. If the first condition is true, the formula returns the first argument is the truth. False — the operator checks the second condition.

Examples of a few conditions of the function IF in Excel:

It’s a table for the analysis of the progress. The student received 5 points:

• А – excellent;
• В – above average or superior work;
• C – satisfactory;
• D – a passing grade;
• E – completely unsatisfactory.

IF statement checks two conditions: the equality of value in the cells.

In this example, we have added a third condition, which implies the presence of another report card and «twos». The principle of the operator is the same.

Enhanced functionality with the help of the operators «AND» and «OR»

When you need to check out a few of the true conditions you use the function И. The point is: IF A = 1 AND A = 2 THEN meaning в ELSE meaning с.

OR function checks the condition 1 or condition 2. As soon as at least one condition is true, the result is true. The point is: IF A = 1 OR A = 2 THEN value B ELSE value C.

Functions AND & OR can check up to 30 conditions.

An example of using the operator AND:

It’s the example of using the logical operator OR.

How to compare data in two tables

Users often need to compare the two spreadsheets in an Excel to match. Examples of the «life»: compare the prices of goods in different bringing, to compare balances (accounting reports) in a few months, the progress of pupils (students) of different classes, in different quarters, etc.

To compare the two tables in Excel, you can use the COUNTIFS statement. Consider the order of application functions.

For example, consider the two tables with the specifications of various food processors. We planned allocation of color differences. This problem in Excel solves the conditional formatting.

Baseline data (tables, which will work with):

Select the first table. Conditional Formatting — create a rule — use a formula to determine the formatted cells:

In the formula bar write: = COUNTIFS (comparable range; first cell of first table)=0. Comparing range is in the second table.

To drive the formula into the range, just select it first cell and the last. «= 0» means the search for the exact command (not approximate) values.

Choose the format and establish what changes in the cell formula in compliance. It’s better to do a color fill.

Select the second table. Conditional Formatting — create a rule — use the formula. Use the same operator (COUNTIFS). For the second table formula:

Download all examples in Excel

Now it is easy to compare the characteristics of the data in the table.

This tutorial demonstrates how to use the IF Function in Excel and Google Sheets to create If Then Statements.

IF Function Overview

The IF Function Checks whether a condition is met. If TRUE do one thing, if FALSE do another.

How to Use the IF Function

Here’s a very basic example so you can see what I mean. Try typing the following into Excel:

=IF( 2 + 2 = 4,"It’s true", "It’s false!")

Since 2 + 2 does in fact equal 4, Excel will return “It’s true!”. If we used this:

=IF( 2 + 2 = 5,"It’s true", "It’s false!")

Now Excel will return “It’s false!”, because 2 + 2 does not equal 5.

Here’s how you might use the IF statement in a spreadsheet.

=IF(C4-D4>0,C4-D4,0)

You run a sports bar and you set individual tab limits for different customers. You’ve set up this spreadsheet to check if each customer is over their limit, in which case you’ll cut them off until they pay their tab.

You check if C4-D4 (their current tab amount minus their limit), is greater than 0. This is your logical test. If this is true, IF returns “Yes” – you should cut them off. If this is false, IF returns “No” – you let them keep drinking.

What can IF Return?

Above we returned a text string, “Yes” or “No”. But you can also return numbers, or even other formulas.

Let’s say some of your customers are running up big tabs. To discourage this, you’re going to start charging interest on customers who go over their limit.

You can use IF for that:

=IF(C4>D4,C4*0.03,0)

If the tab is higher than the limit, return the tab multiplied by 0.03, which returns 3% of the tab. Otherwise, return 0: they aren’t over their tab, so you won’t charge interest.

Using IF with AND

You can combine IF with Excel’s AND Function to test more than one condition. Excel will only return TRUE if ALL of the tests are true.

So, you implemented your interest rate. But some of your regulars are complaining. They’ve always paid their tabs in the past, why are you cracking down on them now? You come up with a solution: you won’t charge interest to certain trusted customers.

You make a new column to your spreadsheet to identify trusted customers, and update your IF statement with an AND function:

=IF(AND(C4>D4, F4="No"),C4*0.03,0)

Let’s look at the AND part separately:

AND(C4>D4, F4="No")

Note the two conditions:

• C4>D4: checking if they’re over their tab limit, as before
• F4=”No”: this is the new bit, checking if they are not a trusted customer

So now we only return the interest rate if the customer is over their tab, AND we have “No” in the trusted customer column. Your regulars are happy again.

Using IF with OR

The OR Function allows you to test more than one condition, returning TRUE if any conditions are met.

Maybe customers being over their tab is not the only reason you’d cut them off. Maybe you give some people a temporary ban for other reasons, gambling on the premises perhaps.

So you add a new column to identify banned customers, and update your “Cut off?” column with an OR test:

=IF(OR(C4>D4,E4="Yes"),"Yes","No")

Looking just at the OR part:

OR(C4>D4,E4="Yes")

There are two conditions:

• C4>D4: checking if they’re over their tab limit
• F4=”Yes”: the new part, checking if they are currently banned

This will evaluate to true if they are over their tab, or if there is a “Yes” in column E. As you can see, Harry is cut off now, even though he’s not over his tab limit.

Using IF with XOR

The XOR Function returns TRUE if only one condition is met. If more than one condition is met (or not conditions are met). It returns FALSE.

An example might make this clearer. Imagine you want to start giving monthly bonuses to your staff :

• If they sell over $800 in food, or over $800 in drinks, you’ll give them a half bonus
• If they sell over $800 in both, you’ll give them a full bonus
• If they sell under $800 in both, they don’t get any bonus.

You already know how to work out if they get the full bonus. You’d just use IF with AND, as described earlier.

=IF(AND(C4>800,D4>800),"Yes","No")

But how would you work out who gets the half bonus? That’s where XOR comes in:

=IF(XOR(C4>=800,D4>=800),"Yes","No")

As you can see, Woody’s drink sales were over $800, but not food sales. So he gets the half bonus. The reverse is true for Coach. Diane and Carla sold more than $800 for both, so they don’t get a half bonus (both arguments are TRUE), and Rebecca made under the threshold for both (both arguments FALSE), so the formula again returns “No”.

Using IF with NOT

The NOT Function reverses the outcome of a logical test. In other words, it checks whether a condition has not been met.

You can use it with IF like this:

=IF(AND(C3>=1985,NOT(D3="Steven Spielberg")),"Watch", "Don’t Watch")

Here we have a table with data on some 1980s movies. We want to identify movies released on or after 1985, that were not directed by Steven Spielberg.

Because NOT is nested within an AND Function, Excel will evaluate that first. It will then use the result as part of the AND.

Nested IF Statements

You can also return an IF statement within your IF statement. This enables you to make more complex calculations.

Let’s go back to our customers table. Imagine you want to classify customers based on their debt level to you:

• $0: None
• Up to $500: Low
• $500 to $1000: Medium
• Over $1000: High

You can do this by “nesting” IF statements:

=IF(C4=0,"None",IF(C4<=500,"Low",IF(C4<=1000,"Medium",IF(C4>1000,"High"))))

It’s easier to understand if you put the IF statements on separate lines (ALT + ENTER on Windows, CTRL + COMMAND + ENTER on Macs):

=
IF(C4=0,"None",
IF(C4<=500,"Low",
IF(C4<=1000,"Medium",
IF(C4>1000,"High", "Unknown"))))

IF C4 is 0, we return “None”. Otherwise, we move to the next IF statement. IF C4 is equal to or less than 500, we return “Low”. Otherwise, we move on to the next IF statement… and so on.

Simplifying Complex IF Statements with Helper Columns

If you have multiple nested IF statements, and you’re throwing in logic functions too, your formulas can become very hard to read, test, and update.

This is especially important to keep in mind if other people will be using the spreadsheet. What makes sense in your head, might not be so obvious to others.

Helper columns are a great way around this issue.

You’re an analyst in the finance department of a large corporation. You’ve been asked to create a spreadsheet that checks whether each employee is eligible for the company pension.

Here’s the criteria:

So if you’re under the age of 55, you need to have 30 years’ service under your belt to be eligible. If you’re aged 55 to 59, you need 15 years’ service. And so on, up to age 65, where you’re eligible no matter how long you’ve worked there.

You could use a single, complex IF statement to solve this problem:

=IF(OR(F4>=65,AND(F4>=62,G4>=5),AND(F4>=60,G4>=10),AND(F4>=55,G4>=15),G4>30),"Eligible", "Not Eligible")

Whew! Kinda hard to get your head around that, isn’t it?

A better approach might be to use helper columns. We have five logical tests here, corresponding to each row in the criteria table. This is easier to see if we add line breaks to the formula, as we discussed earlier:

=IF(
OR(
F4>=65,
AND(F4>=62,G4>=5),
AND(F4>=60,G4>=10),
AND(F4>=55,G4>=15),
G4>30
),"Eligible","Not Eligible")

So, we can split these five tests into separate columns, and then simply check whether any one of them is true:

Each column in the table from E to I holds each of our criteria separately. Then in J4 we have the following formula:

=IF(COUNTIF(E4:I4,TRUE),"Eligible","Not Eligible")

Here we have an IF statement, and the logical test uses COUNTIF to count the number of cells within E4:I4 that contain TRUE.

If COUNTIF doesn’t find a TRUE value, it will return 0, which IF interprets as FALSE, so the IF returns “Not Eligible”.

If COUNTIF does find any TRUE values, it will return the number of them. IF interprets any number other than 0 as TRUE, so it returns “Eligible”.

Splitting out the logical tests in this way makes the formula easier to read, and if something’s going wrong with it, it’s much easier to spot where the mistake is.

Using Grouping to Hide Helper Columns

Helper columns make the formula easier to manage, but once you’ve got them in place and you know they are working correctly, they often just take up space on your spreadsheet without adding any useful information.

You could hide the columns, but this can lead to problems because hidden columns are hard to detect, unless you look closely at the column headers.

A better option is grouping.

Select the columns you want to group, in our case E:I. Then press ALT + SHIFT + RIGHT ARROW on Windows, or COMMAND + SHIFT + K on Mac. You can also go to the “Data” tab on the ribbon and select “Group” from the “Outline” section.

You’ll see the group displayed above the column headers, like this:

Then simply press the “-“ button to hide the columns:

The IFS Function

Nested IF statements are very useful when you need to perform more complex logical comparisons, and you need to do it in one cell. However, they can get complicated as they get longer, and they can be hard to read and update on your screen.

From Excel 2019 and Excel 365, Microsoft introduced another function, the IFS Function, to help make this a bit easier to manage. The nested IF example above could be achieved with IFS like this:

=IFS(
C4=0,"None",
C4<=500,"Low",
C4<=1000,"Medium",
C4>1000,"High",
TRUE, "Unknown",
)

You can read all about it on the main page for the Excel IFS Function <<link>>.

Using IF with Conditional Formatting

Excel’s Conditional Formatting feature enables you to format a cell in different ways depending on its contents. Since the IF returns different values based on our logical test, we might want to use Conditional Formatting with the IF Function to make these different values easier to see.

So let’s go back to our staff bonus table from earlier.

We’re returning “Yes” or “No” depending on what bonus we want to give. This tells us what we need to know, but the information doesn’t jump out at us. Let’s try to fix that.

Here’s how you’d do it:

• Select the cell range containing your IF statements. In our case that’s E4:F8.
• Click “Conditional Formatting” on the “Styles” section of the “Home” tab on the ribbon.
• Click “Highlight Cells Rules” and then “Equal to”.
• Type “Yes” (or whatever return value you need) into the first box, and then choose the formatting you want from the second box. (I’ll choose green for this).
• Repeat for all your return values (I’ll also set “No” values to red)

Here’s the result:

Using IF in Array Formulas

An array is a range of values, and in Excel arrays are represented as comma separated values enclosed in braces, such as:

{1,2,3,4,5}

The beauty of arrays, is that they enable you to perform a calculation on each value in the range, and then return the result. For example, the SUMPRODUCT Function takes two arrays, multiplies them together, and sums the results.

So this formula:

=SUMPRODUCT({1,2,3},{4,5,6})

…returns 32. Why? Let’s work it through:

1 * 4 = 4
2 * 5 = 10
3 * 6 = 18

4 + 10 + 18 = 32

We can bring an IF statement into this picture, so that each of these multiplications only happens if a logical test returns true.

For example, take this data:

If you wanted to calculate the total commission for each sales manager, you’d use the following:

=SUMPRODUCT(IF($C$2:$C$10=$G2,$D$2:$D$10*$E$2:$E$10))

Note: In Excel 2019 and earlier, you have to press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to turn this into an array formula.

We’d end up with something like this:

Breaking this down, the “Manager” column is column C, and in this example, Olivia’s name is in G2.

So the logical test is:

$C$2:$C$10=$G2

In English, if the name in column C is equal to what’s in G2 (“Olivia”), DO multiply the values in columns D and E for that row. Otherwise, don’t multiply them. Then, sum all the results.

You can learn more about this formula on the main page for the SUMPRODUCT IF Formula.

IF in Google Sheets

The IF Function works exactly the same in Google Sheets as in Excel:

VBA IF Statements

You can also use If Statements in VBA. Click the link to learn more, but here is a simple example:

Sub Test_IF ()

If Range("a1").Value < 0 then
  Range("b1").Value = "Negative"
End If

End Sub

This code will test if a cell value is negative. If so, it will write “negative” in the next cell.

This is a step-by-step guide on how to use IF function in Excel. It shows you how to create a formula using the IF function, it includes several IF formula examples, an introduction on how to use nested IF formulas, and the exercise file I used when creating this tutorial.

The Excel IF function performs a logical test and returns one value when the condition is TRUE and another when the condition is FALSE.

How do you write an if-then formula in Excel? Well, the syntax for IF statements is the same in all Excel versions. This means that you can use any of the examples shown in this article in Excel for Microsoft 365 or Excel 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003.

How to use IF function in Excel:

1. Select the cell where you want to insert the IF formula. Using your mouse or keyboard, navigate to the cell where you want to insert your formula.
2. Type =IF(
3. Insert the condition that you want to check, followed by a comma (,). The first argument of the IF function is the logical_test. This is the condition that you want to validate. For example C6 > 70.
4. Insert the value to display when the condition is TRUE, followed by a comma (,). The second argument of the IF function is value_if_true. Here, you can insert a nested formula or a simple message such as “YES”.
5. Insert the value to display when the condition is FALSE. The last argument of the IF function is value_if_false. Just like the previous step, you can insert a nested formula or display a message such as “NO”. This can also be set as an empty string (“”), which will display a cell that looks blank.
6. Type ) to close the function and press ENTER

The following video shows you exactly how to apply the six steps described above and create your first IF formula.

The syntax that shows how to create an IF function in Excel is explained below:
=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])

IF is a logical function and implies setting 3 arguments:
logical_test – The logical condition that you want to test. This will return either a TRUE or a FALSE value.
value_if_true – [optional] The value or formula which will be used when logical_test is TRUE.
value_if_false – [optional] The value or formula which will be used when logical_test is FALSE.

Please remember that while both value_if_true and value_if_false are optional, at least one of them needs to be supplied. Otherwise, your IF formula will simply return 0 (zero).

Where is the IF function in Excel? Since this is a logical function, you can find the IF function in the Formulas tab, Function Library section, under Logical.

Logical operators for IF function

The IF function is one of the most used Excel functions, and it allows you to return different values when the logical condition supplied is TRUE or FALSE. An Excel if-then formula can use the following logical operators:

Logical operators	Definition	Example
=	equal to	A1=B1
<>	not equal to	A1<>B1
>	greater than	A1>B1
>=	greater than or equal to	A1>=B1
<	lower than	A1<B1
<=	lower than or equal to	A1<=B1

The IF function doesn’t support wildcards.

Your first IF formula

The IF function runs a logical test and returns different values depending on whether the result is TRUE or FALSE. The result from IF can be a value, a cell reference, or even another formula.

Now let’s move on to some examples.

We’ll be evaluating exam grades. If the student obtained a score higher than or equal to 70, then we will return the message “Pass.” If the grade is lower than 70, then we will display “Fail.”

In this example, I have inserted the following formula in cell F9:
=IF(E9>=70, "Pass", "Fail")

The 3 arguments for this IF formula are:
logical_test: E9>=70
value_if_true: Pass is returned if E9>=70.
value_if_false: Fail is returned if E9<70.

Please note that when you want to use text in your IF formulas (like a word or sentence), you need to wrap the text in quotes (e.g. “Fail”). The only exception is while using TRUE or FALSE, which are built-in functionalities that Excel recognizes automatically.

How to use the IF function in Excel with another function or formula

The beauty of the IF function is that it allows us to build complex financial models with lots of interdependencies. This includes using different formulas based on conditional logic.

In our next example, we will use the IF function to calculate a payment fee based on the value of the order. If the order value is higher than or equal to $1000, then it should calculate a payment fee of 1.00%. However, if the total order value is lower than $1000, then it should use 1.50%.

The formula in cell F31 is:
=IF(E31>=1000, E31*1%, E31*1.5%)

Now let’s look at an IF formula that is dependent on user input. If we select free shipping for the order, then the shipping fee will be set to zero. Otherwise, it will be calculated as 3% of the order value.

This is something really easy to achieve, but it will open up so many opportunities for you to use the IF function in the future.

How to use nested IF statements in Excel

Nesting more IF functions allows you to perform multiple comparisons and create more complex formulas. However, you can only nest up to 64 IF functions in Excel. If you ever reach this limit (I never did), I can guarantee that there is a better and more elegant solution using functions like VLOOKUP, SUMIF, or COUNTIFS.

In the next example, I wrote a formula with several nested IF functions to assign a grade to a list of students based on their test results.

=IF(E71<60, "F", IF(E71<70, "D", IF(E71<80, "C", IF(E71<90, "B", "A"))))

The order of the conditions is important. When the conditions overlap, Excel will retrieve the [value_if_true] argument from the first IF statement that returns TRUE. This is why the conditions from the formula above need to be inserted in the same order for the formula to work properly.

Note: If you are running Office 365, then you can also look at the new IFS function. This function runs multiple tests and returns the value corresponding to the first TRUE result. It’s a very useful alternative to nested IF formulas and makes your formulas much easier to understand by others. You can read more about IFS on Microsoft’s website.

How to use IF formula with OR function in Excel

OR allows you to supply alternative conditions to an IF statement. This opens up opportunities to create complex scenarios where certain behavior is triggered by multiple possible conditions.

Let’s look at an IF formula that calculates a 2.00% shipping fee when the total order value is higher than $1000 or when there are more than 5 items in the order.

The IF OR statement I’ve used in cell H106 is:
=IF(OR(G106>1000, F106>5), G106*2%, 0)

The OR function evaluates if G106>1000 or if F106>5 and the formula returns TRUE when either or both conditions are fulfilled.

How to use IF formula with AND function in Excel

AND allows you to supply multiple criteria to an IF statement. Basically, the IF function returns TRUE if, and only if, all the conditions are met.

Working with our previous example, let’s apply the shipping fee only when the total order value is higher than $1000 and the order contains more than 5 items.

The IF AND statement I’ve used in cell H106 is:
=IF(AND(G128>1000, F128>5), G128*2%, 0)

The AND function evaluates if G106>1000 and if F106>5 and returns TRUE when both conditions are fulfilled.

How to use IF function with VLOOKUP in Excel

VLOOKUP can be nested inside an IF formula to retrieve data when a condition is TRUE or FALSE. In the next example, I will show you how to calculate shipping fees based on a different table that contains the thresholds and percentages to be applied depending on the order value.

The formula I’ve used in cell F152:
=IF(G152="No", VLOOKUP(E152, $J$146:$K$152, 2, TRUE)*E152, 0)

The formula uses the following arguments:
logical_test: G152="No"
value_if_true: VLOOKUP(E152, $J$146:$K$152, 2, TRUE)*E152 is used to retrieve the corresponding shipping fee percentage when G152=”No”
value_if_false: 0 is returned if G152 is anything else than “No.” In our case, the alternative is selecting “Yes” from the drop-down list.

Note: One thing to remember is that I’ve used a VLOOKUP formula with an approximate match argument. This means that your data must be sorted in ascending order by lookup value (in our case, the Order amount).

In case you need additional help, please also read this article that explains step-by-step how to use VLOOKUP function in Excel.

What to do next?

IF is a versatile function that can be used in a wide range of scenarios. I use it daily, and I can’t imagine a world where Excel would lack this functionality.

Practice writing formulas using the IF function, and your spreadsheets will definitely get better and more complex. For example, why not look at another example using an IF function with 3 conditions? It will show you more examples of how to insert an if formula in Excel using nested IF statements and multiple conditions.

Let me know if you have questions on how to use IF function in Excel or if you need advice on how to nest multiple IF statements in your Excel project by leaving a comment below.