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
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IF function is undoubtedly one of the most important functions in excel. In general, IF statements give the desired intelligence to a program so that it can make decisions based on given criteria and, most importantly, decide the program flow.
In Microsoft Excel terminology, IF statements are also called «Excel IF-Then statements». IF function evaluates a boolean/logical expression and returns one value if the expression evaluates to ‘TRUE’ and another value if the expression evaluates to ‘FALSE’.
Definition of Excel IF Function
According to Microsoft Excel, IF function is defined as a formula which «checks whether a condition is met, returns one value if true and another value if false».
Syntax
Syntax of IF function in Excel is as follows:
=IF(logic_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])
'logic_test'
(required argument) – Refers to the boolean expression or logical expression that needs to be evaluated.'value_if_true'
(optional argument) – Refers to the value that will be returned by the IF function if the 'logic_test'
evaluates to TRUE.'value_if_false'
(optional argument) – Refers to the value that will be returned by the IF function if the 'logic_test'
evaluates to FALSE.
Important Characteristics of IF Function in Excel
- To use the IF function, you need to provide the
'logic_test'
or conditional statement mandatorily. - The arguments
'value_if_true'
and'value_if_false'
are optional, but you need to provide at least one of them. - The result of the IF statement can only be any one of the two given values (either it will be
'value_if_true'
or'value_if_false'
). Both values cannot be returned at the same time. - IF function throws a ‘#Name?’ error if the
'logic_test'
or boolean expression you are trying to evaluate is invalid. - Nesting of IF statements is possible, but Excel only allows this to 64 levels. Nesting of IF statement means using one if statement within another.
Comparison Operators That Can Be Used With IF Statements
Following comparison operators can be used within the 'logic_test'
argument of the IF function:
- = (equal to)
- <> (not equal to)
- < (less than)
- > (greater than)
- >= (greater than or equal to)
- <= (less than or equal to)
- Apart from these, you can also use any other function that returns a boolean result (either ‘true’ or ‘false’). For example – ISBLANK, ISERROR, ISEVEN, ISODD, etc
Now, let’s see some simple examples to use these comparison operators within the IF Function:
Simple Examples of Excel IF Statement
Now, let’s try to see a simple example of the Excel IF function:
Example 1: Using ‘equal to’ comparison operator within the IF function
In this example, we have a list of colors, and we aim to find the ‘Blue’ color. If we are able to find the ‘Blue’ color, then in the adjacent cell, we need to assign a ‘Yes’; otherwise, assign a ‘No’.
So, the formula would be:
=IF(A2="Blue", "No", "Yes")
This suggests that if the value present in cell A2 is ‘Blue’, then return a ‘Yes’; otherwise, return a ‘No’.
If we drag this formula down to all the rows, we will find that it returns ‘Yes’ for the cells with the value ‘Blue’ for all others; it would result in ‘No’.
Example 2: Using ‘not equal to’ comparison operator within the IF function.
Let’s take example 1, and understand how we can reverse the logic and use a ‘not equal to’ operator to construct the formula so that it still results in ‘Yes’ for ‘Blue’ color and ‘No’ for any other text.
So the formula would be:
=IF(A2<>"Blue", "No", "Yes")
This suggests that if the value at A2 is not equal to ‘Blue’, then return a ‘No’; otherwise, return a ‘Yes’.
When dragged down to all the below rows, this formula would find all the cells (from A2 to A8) where the value is not ‘Blue’ and marks a ‘No’ against them. Otherwise, it marks a ‘Yes’ in the adjacent cells.
Example 3: Using ‘less than’ operator within the IF function.
In this example, we have scores of some students, along with their names. We want to assign either «Pass» or «Fail» against each student in the result column.
Based on our criteria, the passing score is 50 or more.
For this, we can use the IF function as:
=IF(B2<50,"Fail","Pass")
This suggests that if the value at B2, i.e., 37, is less than 50, then return «Fail»; otherwise, return «Pass».
As 37 is less than 50 so the result will be «Fail».
We can drag the above-given formula for the rest of the cells below and the result would be correct.
Example 4: Using ‘greater than or equal to’ operator within the IF statement.
Let’s take example 3 and see how we can reverse the logic and use a ‘greater than or equal to’ operator to construct the formula so that it still results in ‘Pass’ for scores of 50 or more and ‘Fail’ for all the other scores.
For this, we can use the Excel IF function as:
=IF(B2>=50,"Pass","Fail")
This suggests that if the value at B2, i.e., 37 is greater than or equal to 50, then return «Pass»; otherwise, return «Fail».
As 37 not greater than or equal to 50 so the result will be «Fail».
When dragged down for the rest of the cells below, this formula would assign the correct result in the adjacent rows.
Example 5: Using ‘greater than’ operator within the IF statement.
In this example, we have a small online store that gives a discount to its customers based on the amount they spend. If a customer spends $50 or more, he is applicable for a 5% discount; otherwise, no discounts are offered.
To find whether a discount is offered or not, we can use the following excel formula:
=IF(B2>50,"5% Discount","No Discount")
This translates to – If the value at B2 cell is greater than 50, assign a text «5% Discount» otherwise, assign a text «No Discount» against the customer.
In the first case, as 23 is not greater than 50, the output will be «No Discount».
We can drag the above-given formula for the rest of the cells below are the result would be correct.
Example 6: Using ‘less than or equal to’ operator within the IF statement.
Let’s take example 5 and see how we can reverse the logic and use a ‘less than or equal to’ operator to construct the formula so that it still results in a ‘5% Discount’ for all customers whose total spend exceeds $50 and ‘No Discount’ for all the other customers.
For this, we can use the IF-then statement as:
=IF(B2<=50,"No Discount","5% Discount")
This means that if the value at B2, i.e., 23, is less than or equal to 50, then return «No Discount»; otherwise, return «5% Discount».
As 23 is less than or equal to 50 so the result will be «No Discount».
When dragged down for the rest of the cells below, this formula would assign the correct result in the adjacent rows.
Example 7: Using an Excel Logical Function within the IF formula in Excel.
In this example, let’s suppose we have a list of numbers, and we have to mark Even and Odd numbers. We can do this using the IF condition and the ISEVEN or ISODD inbuilt functions provided by Microsoft Excel.
ISEVEN function returns ‘true’ if the number passed to it is even; otherwise, it returns a ‘false’. Similarly, ISODD function return ‘true’ if the number passed to it is odd; otherwise, it returns a ‘false’.
For this, we can use the IF-then statement as:
=IF(ISEVEN(A2),"Even","Odd")
This means that – If the value at A2 cell is an even number, then the result would be «Even»; otherwise, the result would be «Odd».
Alternatively, the above logic can also be written using the ISODD function along with the IF statement as:
=IF(ISODD(A2),"Odd","Even")
This means that – If the value at A2 cell is an odd number, then the result would be «Odd»; otherwise, the result would be «Even».
Example 8: Using the Excel IF function to return another formula a result.
In this example, we have Employee Data from a company. The company comes up with a simple way to reward its loyal employees. They decide to give the employees an annual bonus based on the years spent by the employee within the organization.
Employees with experience of more than 5 years are given 10% of annual salary as a bonus whereas everyone else gets a 5% of annual salary as a bonus.
For this, the excel formula would be:
=IF(B2>5,C2*10%,C2*5%)
This means that – if the value at B2 (experience column) is greater than 5, then return a result by calculating 10% of C2 (annual salary column). However, if the logic test is evaluated to false, then return the result by calculating 5% of C2 (annual salary column)
Use Of AND & OR Functions or Logical Operators with Excel IF Statement
Excel IF Statement can also be used along with the other functions like AND, OR, NOT for analyzing complex logic. These functions (AND, OR & NOT) are called logical operators as they are used for connecting two or more logical expressions.
AND Function– AND function returns true when all the conditions inside the AND function evaluate to true. The syntax of AND Function in Excel is:
=AND(Logic1, Logic2, logic_n)
OR Function– OR function returns true when any one of the conditions inside the OR function evaluates to true. The syntax of OR Function in Excel is:
=OR(Logic1, Logic2, logic_n)
Example 9: Using the IF function along with AND Function.
In this example, we have Math and science test scores of some students, and we want to assign a ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’ value against the students based on their scores.
Passing criteria: Students have to get more than 50 marks in Math and more than 70 marks in science to pass the test.
Based on the above conditions, the formula would be:
=IF(AND(B2>50,C2>70),"Pass","Fail")
The formula translates to – if the value at B2 (Math score) is greater than 50 and the value at C2 (Science Score) is greater than 70, then assign the value «Pass»; otherwise, assign the value «Fail».
Example 10: Using the IF function along with OR Function.
In this example, we have two test scores of some students, and we want to assign a ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’ value against the students based on their scores.
Passing criteria: Students have to clear either one of the two tests with more than 50 marks.
Based on the above conditions, the formula would be:
=IF(OR(B2>50,C2>50),"Pass","Fail")
The formula translates to – if either the value at B2 (Test 1 score) is greater than 50, OR the value at C2 (Test 2 Score) is greater than 50, then assign the value «Pass»; otherwise, assign the value «Fail».
Recommended Reading: Excel NOT Function
Nested IF Statements
When used alone, IF formula can only result in two outcomes, i.e., True or False. But there are many cases when we want to test multiple outcomes with IF statement.
In such cases, nesting two or more IF Then statements one inside another can be convenient in writing formulas.
Syntax:
The syntax of the Nested IF Then statements is as follows:
=IF(condition_1,value_if_true_1,IF(condition_2,value_if_true_2,value_if_false_2))
'condition_1'
– Refers to the first logical test or conditional expression that needs to be evaluated by the outer IF function.'value_if_true_1'
– Refers to the value that will be returned by the outer IF function if the 'condition_1'
evaluates to TRUE.'condition_2'
– Refers to the second logical test or conditional expression that needs to be evaluated by the inner IF function.'value_if_true_2'
– Refers to the value that will be returned by the inner IF function if the 'condition_2'
evaluates to TRUE.'value_if_false_2'
– Refers to the value that will be returned by the inner IF function if the 'condition_2'
evaluates to FALSE.
The above syntax translates to this:
IF Condition1 = true THEN value_if_true1 'If Condition1 is true
ELSE IF Condition2 = true THEN value_if_true2 'Elseif Clause Condition2 is true
ELSE value_if_false2 'If both conditions are false
END IF 'End of IF Statement
As we can see, Nested formulas can quickly become complicated so, let’s try to understand how nesting of the IF statement works with an example.
Recommended Reading: VBA Select Case Statement
Example 11: Nested IF Statements
In this example, we have a list of countries and their average temperatures in degree Celsius for the month of January. Our goal is to categorize the country based on the temperature range as follows:
Criteria: Temperatures below 20 °C should be marked as «Below Room Temperature», temperatures between 20°C to 25°C should be classified as «Normal Room Temperature», whereas any temperature over 25°C should be marked as «Above Room Temperature».
Based on the above conditions, the formula would be:
=IF(B2<20,"Below Room Temperature",IF(AND(B2>=20,B2<=25),"Normal Room Temperature", "Above Room Temperature"))
The formula translates to – if the value at B2 is less than 20, then the text «Below Room Temperature» is returned from the outer IF block. However, if the value at B2 is greater than or equal to 20, then the inner IF block is evaluated.
Inside the inner IF block, the value at B2 is checked. If the value at B2 is greater than or equal to 20 and less than or equal to 25. Then the inner IF block returns the text «Normal Room Temperature».
However, if the condition inside the inner IF block also evaluates to ‘false’ that means the value at B2 is greater than 25, so the result will be «Above Room Temperature».
Recommended Reading: SWITCH Function in Excel
Partial Matching or Wildcards with IF Function
Although IF function itself doesn’t accept any wildcard characters like (* or ?) while performing the logic test, thankfully, there are ways to perform partial matching and wildcard searches with the IF function.
To perform partial matching inside the IF function, we can use the FIND (case sensitive) or SEARCH (case insensitive) functions.
Let’s have a look at this with some examples.
Example 12: Using FIND and SEARCH functions inside the IF statement
In this example, we have a list of customers, and we need to find all the customers whose last name is «Flynn». If the customer name contains the text «Flynn», then we need to assign a text «Found» against their names. Otherwise, we need to assign a text «Not Found».
For this, we can make use of the FIND function within the IF function as:
=IF(ISNUMBER(FIND("Flynn",A2)),"Found","Not Found")
Using the FIND function, we perform a case-sensitive search of the text «Flynn» within the customer name column. If the FIND function is able to find the text «Flynn», it returns a number signifying the position where it found the text.
If the number returned by the FIND function is valid, the ISNUMBER Function returns a value true. Else, it returns false. Based on the ISNUMBER function’s output, the logic test is performed and the appropriate value «Found» or «Not Found» is assigned.
Note: It should be noted that the FIND function performs a case-sensitive search.
This means in the above example if the customer name is entered in lower case (like «sean flynn» then the above function would return not found against them.
To perform a case-insensitive search, we can replace the find function with the search function, and the rest of the formula would be the same.
=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Flynn",A2)),"Found","Not Found")
Example 13: Using SEARCH function inside the Excel IF formula with wildcard operators
In this example, we have the same customer list from example 12, and we need to find all the customers whose name contains «M». If the customer name contains the alphabet «M», we need to assign a text «M Found» against their names. Otherwise, we need to assign a text «M Not Found».
For this, we can use the SEARCH function with a wildcard ‘*’ operator inside the IF function as:
=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("M*",A2)),"M Found","M Not Found")
For more details on Search Function and wildcard, operators check out this article – Search Function In Excel
Some Practical Examples of using the IF function
Now, let’s have a look at some more practical examples of the Excel IF Function.
Example 14: Using Excel IF function with dates.
In this example, we have a task list along with the task due dates. Our goal is to show results based on the task due date.
If the task due date was in the past, we need to show «Was due {1,2,3..} day(s) back», if the task due date is today’s date, we need to show «Today» and similarly, if the task due date is in the future then we need to show «Due in {1,2,3..} day(s)»
In Microsoft Excel, we can do this with the help of the IF-then statement and TODAY function, as shown below:
=IF(B2=TODAY(),"Today", IF(B2>TODAY(),CONCAT("Due in ",B2-TODAY()," day(s)"), CONCAT("Was due ",TODAY()-B2," day(s) back")))
This means that – compare the date present in cell B2 if the date is equal to today’s date show the text «Today». If the date in cell B2 is not equal to today’s date, then the inner IF block checks if the date in B2 is greater than today’s date. If the date in cell B2 is greater than today’s date, that means the date is in the future, so show the text «Due in {1,2,3…} days».
However, if the date in cell B2 is not greater than today’s date, that means the date was in the past; in such a case, show the text «Was due {1,2,3..} day(s) back».
You can also go a step further and apply conditional formatting on the range and highlight all the cells with the text «Today!». This will help you to clearly see
Example 15: Use an IF function-based formula to find blank cells in excel.
In this example, we will use the IF function to find the blank cells in Microsoft Excel. We have a list of customers, and in between the list, some of the cells are blank. We aim to find the blank cells and add the text «blank call found!» against them.
We can do this with the help of the IF function along with the ISBLANK function. The ISBLANK function returns a true if the cell reference passed to it is blank. Otherwise, the ISBLANK function returns false.
Let’s see the formula –
=IF(ISBLANK(A2), "Blank cell found!"," ")
This means that – If the cell at A2 is blank, then the resultant text should be «Blank cell found!», however, if the cell at A2 is not blank, then don’t show any text.
Example 16: Use the Excel IF statement to show symbolic results (instead of textual results).
In this example, we have a list of sales employees of a company along with the number of products sold by the employees in the current month. We want to show an upward arrow symbol (↑) if the employee has done more than 50 sales and a downward arrow symbol (↓) if the employee has made less than 50 sales.
To do this, we can use the formula:
=IF(B2>50,$G$6,$G$8)
This implies – If the value at B2 is greater than 50, then, as a result, show the content in cell G6 (cell containing upward arrow) and otherwise show the content at G8 (cell containing downward arrow)
If you wonder about the ‘$’ signs used in the formula, you can check out this post – Excel Absolute References. These ‘$’ symbols are used for making excel cell references absolute.
Recommended Reading: CHOOSE Function in Excel
IFS Function In Excel:
IFS Function in Microsoft Excel is a great alternative to nested IF Statements. It is very similar to a switch statement. The IFS function evaluates multiple conditions passed to it and returns the value corresponding to the first condition that evaluates to true.
IFS function is a lot simple to write and read than nested IF statements. IFS function is available in Office 2019 and higher versions.
Syntax for IFS function:
=IFS (test1, value1, [test2, value2], ...)
'test1'
(required argument) – Refers to the first logical test that needs to be evaluated.
'value1'
(required argument) – Refers to the result to be returned when 'test1'
evaluates to TRUE.
'test2'
(optional argument) – Refers to the second logical test that needs to be evaluated
'value2'
(optional argument) – Refers to the result to be returned when 'test2'
evaluates to TRUE.
Example 17: Using IFS function in Excel
In this example, we have a list of students, along with their scores, and we need to assign a grade to the students based on the scores.
The grading criteria is as follows – Grade A for a score of 90 or more, Grade B for a score between 80 to 89.99, Grade C for a score between 70 to 79.99, Grade D for a score between 60 to 69.99, Grade E for a score between 60 to 59.99, Grade F for a score lower than 50.
Let’s see how easily write such a complicated formula with the IFS function:
=IFS(B2 >= 90,"A",B2 >= 80,"B",B2 >= 70,"C",B2 >= 60,"D",B2 >= 50,"E",B2 < 50,"F")
This implies that – If B2 is greater than or equal to 90, return A. Else if B2 is greater than or equal to 80, return B. Else if B2 is greater than or equal to 70, return C. Else if B2 is greater than or equal to 60, return D. Else if B2 is greater than or equal to 50, return E. Else if B2 is less than 50, return F.
If you would try to write the same formula using nested IF statements, see how long and complicated it becomes:
=IF(B2 >= 90,"A",IF(B2 >= 80, "B",IF(B2 >= 70, "C",IF(B2 >= 60, "D",IF(B2 >= 50, "E",IF(B2 < 50, "F"))))))
So, this was all about the IF function in excel. If you want to learn more about IF function, I would recommend you to go through this article – VBA IF Statement With Examples
The IF function runs a logical test and returns one value for a TRUE result, and another value for a FALSE result. The result from IF can be a value, a cell reference, or even another formula. By combining the IF function with other logical functions like AND and OR, you can test more than one condition at a time.
Syntax
The generic syntax for the IF function looks like this:
=IF(logical_test,[value_if_true],[value_if_false])
The first argument, logical_test, is typically an expression that returns either TRUE or FALSE. The second argument, value_if_true, is the value to return when logical_test is TRUE. The last argument, value_if_false, is the value to return when logical_test is FALSE. Both value_if_true and value_if_false are optional, but you must provide one or the other. For example, if cell A1 contains 80, then:
=IF(A1>75,TRUE) // returns TRUE
=IF(A1>75,"OK") // returns "OK"
=IF(A1>85,"OK") // returns FALSE
=IF(A1>75,10,0) // returns 10
=IF(A1>85,10,0) // returns 0
=IF(A1>75,"Yes","No") // returns "Yes"
=IF(A1>85,"Yes","No") // returns "No"
Notice that text values like «OK», «Yes», «No», etc. must be enclosed in double quotes («»). However, numeric values should not be enclosed in quotes.
Logical tests
The IF function supports logical operators (>,<,<>,=) when creating logical tests. Most commonly, the logical_test in IF is a complete logical expression that will evaluate to TRUE or FALSE. The table below shows some common examples:
Goal | Logical test |
---|---|
If A1 is greater than 75 | A1>75 |
If A1 equals 100 | A1=100 |
If A1 is less than or equal to 100 | A1<=100 |
If A1 equals «Red» | A1=»red» |
If A1 is not equal to «Red» | A1<>»red» |
If A1 is less than B1 | A1<B1 |
If A1 is empty | A1=»» |
If A1 is not empty | A1<>»» |
If A1 is less than current date | A1<TODAY() |
Notice text values must be enclosed in double quotes («»), but numbers do not. The IF function does not support wildcards, but you can combine IF with COUNTIF to get basic wildcard functionality. To test for substrings in a cell, you can use the IF function with the SEARCH function.
Pass or Fail example
In the worksheet shown above, we want to assign either «Pass» or «Fail» based on a test score. A passing score is 70 or higher. The formula in D6, copied down, is:
=IF(C5>=70,"Pass","Fail")
Translation: If the value in C5 is greater than or equal to 70, return «Pass». Otherwise, return «Fail».
Note that the logical flow of this formula can be reversed. This formula returns the same result:
=IF(C5<70,"Fail","Pass")
Translation: If the value in C5 is less than 70, return «Fail». Otherwise, return «Pass».
Both formulas above, when copied down, will return correct results.
Note: If you are new to the idea of formula criteria, this article explains many examples.
Assign points based on color
In the worksheet below, we want to assign points based on the color in column B. If the color is «red», the result should be 100. If the color is «blue», the result should be 125. This requires that we use a formula based on two IF functions, one nested inside the other. The formula in C5, copied down, is:
=IF(B5="red",100,IF(B5="blue",125))
Translation: IF the value in B5 is «red», return 100. Else, if the value in B5 is «blue», return 125.
There are three things to notice in this example:
- The formula will return FALSE if the value in B5 is anything except «red» or «blue»
- The text values «red» and «blue» must be enclosed in double quotes («»)
- The IF function is not case-sensitive and will match «red», «Red», «RED», or «rEd».
This is a simple example of a nested IFs formula. See below for a more complex example.
Return another formula
The IF function can return another formula as a result. For example, the formula below will return A1*5% when A1 is less than 100, and A1*7% when A1 is greater than or equal to 100:
=IF(A1<100,A1*5%,A1*7%)
Nested IF statements
The IF function can be «nested». A «nested IF» refers to a formula where at least one IF function is nested inside another in order to test for more conditions and return more possible results. Each IF statement needs to be carefully «nested» inside another so that the logic is correct. For example, the following formula can be used to assign a grade rather than a pass / fail result:
=IF(C6<70,"F",IF(C6<75,"D",IF(C6<85,"C",IF(C6<95,"B","A"))))
Up to 64 IF functions can be nested. However, in general, you should consider other functions, like VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP for more complex scenarios, because they can handle more conditions in a more streamlined fashion. For a more details see this article on nested IFs.
Note: the newer IFS function is designed to handle multiple conditions without nesting. However, a lookup function like VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP is usually a better approach unless the logic for each condition is custom.
IF with AND, OR, NOT
The IF function can be combined with the AND function and the OR function. For example, to return «OK» when A1 is between 7 and 10, you can use a formula like this:
=IF(AND(A1>7,A1<10),"OK","")
Translation: if A1 is greater than 7 and less than 10, return «OK». Otherwise, return nothing («»).
To return B1+10 when A1 is «red» or «blue» you can use the OR function like this:
=IF(OR(A1="red",A1="blue"),B1+10,B1)
Translation: if A1 is red or blue, return B1+10, otherwise return B1.
=IF(NOT(A1="red"),B1+10,B1)
Translation: if A1 is NOT red, return B1+10, otherwise return B1.
IF cell contains specific text
Because the IF function does not support wildcards, it is not obvious how to configure IF to check for a specific substring in a cell. A common approach is to combine the ISNUMBER function and the SEARCH function to create a logical test like this:
=ISNUMBER(SEARCH(substring,A1)) // returns TRUE or FALSE
For example, to check for the substring «xyz» in cell A1, you can use a formula like this:
=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("xyz",A1)),"Yes","No")
Read a detailed explanation here.
More information
- Read more about nested IFs
- Learn how to use VLOOKUP instead of nested IFs (video)
- 50 Examples of formula criteria
Notes
- The IF function is not case-sensitive.
- To count values conditionally, use the COUNTIF or the COUNTIFS functions.
- To sum values conditionally, use the SUMIF or the SUMIFS functions.
- If any of the arguments to IF are supplied as arrays, the IF function will evaluate every element of the array.
To perform complicated and powerful data analysis, you need to test various conditions at a single point in time. The data analysis might require logical tests also within these multiple conditions.
For this, you need to perform Excel if statement with multiple conditions or ranges that include various If functions in a single formula.
Those who use Excel daily are well versed with Excel If statement as it is one of the most-used formula. Here you can check various Excel If or statement, Nested If, AND function, Excel IF statements, and how to use them. We have also provided a VIDEO TUTORIAL for different If Statements.
There are various If statements available in Excel. You have to know which of the Excel If you will work at what condition. Here you can check multiple conditions where you can use Excel If statement.
1) Excel If Statement
If you want to test a condition to get two outcomes then you can use this Excel If statement.
=If(Marks>=40, “Pass”)
2) Nested If Statement
Let’s take an example that met the below-mentioned condition
- If the score is between 0 to 60, then Grade F
- If the score is between 61 to 70, then Grade D
- If the score is between 71 to 80, then Grade C
- If the score is between 81 to 90, then Grade B
- If the score is between 91 to 100, then Grade A
Then to test the condition the syntax of the formula becomes,
=If(B5<60, “F”,If(B5<71, “D”, If(B5<81,”C”,If(B5<91,”B”,”A”)
3) Excel If with Logical Test
There are 2 different types of conditions AND and OR. You can use the IF statement in excel between two values in both these conditions to perform the logical test.
AND Function: If you are performing the logical test based on AND function, then excel will give you TRUE as an outcome in every condition else it will return false.
OR Function: If you are using OR condition for the logical test, then excel will give you an outcome as TRUE if any of the situations match else it returns false.
For this, multiple testing is to be done using AND and OR function, you should gain expertise in using either or both of these with IF statement. Here we have used if the function with 3 conditions.
How to apply IF & AND function in Excel
- To perform this multiple if and statements in excel, we will take the data set for the student’s marks that contain fields such as English and Math’s Marks.
- The score of the English subject is stored in the D column whereas the Maths score is stored in column E.
- Let say a student passes the class if his or her score in English is greater than or equal to 20 and he or she scores more than 60 in Maths.
- To create a report in matters of seconds, if formula combined with AND can suffice.
- Type =IF( Excel will display the logical hint just below the cell F2. The parameters of this function are logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false.
- The first parameter contains the condition to be matched. You can use multiple If and AND conditions combined in this logical test.
- In the second parameter, type the value that you want Excel to display if the condition is true. Similarly, in the third parameter type the value that will be displayed if your condition is false.
- Apply If & And formula, you will get =IF(AND(D2>=20,E2>=60),”Pass”,”Fail”).
- Add Pass/Fail column in the current table.
- After you have applied this formula, you will find the result in the column.
- Copy the formula from cell F2 and paste in all other cells from F3 to F13.
How to use If with Or function in Excel
To use If and Or statement excel, you need to apply a similar formula as you have applied for If & And with the only difference is that if any of the condition is true then it will show you True.
To apply the formula, you have to follow the above process. The formula is =IF((OR(D2>=20, E2>=60)), “Pass”, “Fail”). If the score is equal or greater than 20 for column D or the second score is equal or greater than 60 then the person is the pass.
How to Use If with And & Or function
If you want to test data based on several multiple conditions then you have to apply both And & Or functions at a single point in time. For example,
Situation 1: If column D>=20 and column E>=60
Situation 2: If column D>=15 and column E>=60
If any of the situations met, then the candidate is passed, else failed. The formula is
=IF(OR(AND(D2>=20, E2>=60), AND(D2>=20, E2>=60)), “Pass”, “Fail”).
4) Excel If Statement with other functions
Above we have learned how to use excel if statement multiple conditions range with And/Or functions. Now we will be going to learn Excel If Statement with other excel functions.
- Excel If with Sum, Average, Min, and Max functions
Let’s take an example where we want to calculate the performance of any student with Poor, Satisfactory, and Good.
If the data set has a predefined structure that will not allow any of the modifications. Then you can add values with this If formula:
=If((A2+B2)>=50, “Good”, If((A2+B2)=>30, “Satisfactory”, “Poor”))
Using the Sum function,
=If(Sum(A2:B2)>=120, “Good”, If(Sum(A2:B2)>=100, “Satisfactory”, “Poor”))
Using the Average function,
=If(Average(A2:B2)>=40, “Good”, If(Average(A2:B2)>=25, “Satisfactory”, “Poor”))
Using Max/Min,
If you want to find out the highest scores, using the Max function. You can also find the lowest scores using the Min function.
=If(C2=Max($C$2:$C$10), “Best result”, “ “)
You can also find the lowest scores using the Min function.
=If(C2=Min($C$2:$C$10), “Worst result”, “ “)
If we combine both these formulas together, then we get
=If(C2=Max($C$2:$C$10), “Best result”, If(C2=Min($C$2:$C$10), “Worst result”, “ “))
You can also call it as nested if functions with other excel functions. To get a result, you can use these if functions with various different functions that are used in excel.
So there are four different ways and types of excel if statements, that you can use according to the situation or condition. Start using it today.
So this is all about Excel If statement multiple conditions ranges, you can also check how to add bullets in excel in our next post.
I hope you found this tutorial useful
You may also like the following Excel tutorials:
- Multiple If Statements in Excel
- Excel Logical test
- How to Compare Two Columns in Excel (using VLOOKUP & IF)
- Using IF Function with Dates in Excel (Easy Examples)
What is IF Function in Excel?
IF function in Excel evaluates whether a given condition is met and returns a value depending on whether the result is “true” or “false”. It is a conditional function of Excel, which returns the result based on the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of the given criteria.
For example, the IF formula in Excel can be applied as follows:
“=IF(condition A,“value B”,“value C”)”
The IF excel function returns “value B” if condition A is met and returns “value C” if condition A is not met.
It is often used to make logical interpretations which help in decision-making.
Table of contents
- What is IF Function in Excel?
- Syntax of the IF Excel Function
- How to Use IF Function in Excel?
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
- Example #4
- Example #5
- Guidelines for the Multiple IF Statements
- Frequently Asked Question
- IF Excel Function Video
- Recommended Articles
Syntax of the IF Excel Function
The syntax of the IF function is shown in the following image:
The IF excel function accepts the following arguments:
- Logical_test: It refers to the condition to be evaluated. The condition can be a value or a logical expression.
- Value_if_true: It is the value returned as a result when the condition is “true”.
- Value_if_false: It is the value returned as a result when the condition is “false”.
In the formula, the “logical_test” is a required argument, whereas the “value_if_true” and “value_if_false” are optional arguments.
The IF formula uses logical operators to evaluate the values in a range of cells. The following table shows the different logical operatorsLogical operators in excel are also known as the comparison operators and they are used to compare two or more values, the return output given by these operators are either true or false, we get true value when the conditions match the criteria and false as a result when the conditions do not match the criteria.read more and their meaning.
Operator | Meaning |
---|---|
= | Equal to |
> | Greater than |
>= | Greater than or equal to |
< | Less than |
<= | Less than or equal to |
<> | Not equal to |
How to Use IF Function in Excel?
Let us understand the working of the IF function with the help of the following examples in Excel.
You can download this IF Function Excel Template here – IF Function Excel Template
Example #1
If there is no oxygen on a planet, life is impossible. If oxygen is available on a planet, then life is possible. The following table shows a list of planets in column A and the information on the availability of oxygen in column B. We have to find the planets where life is possible, based on the condition of oxygen availability.
Let us apply the IF formula to cell C2 to find out whether life is possible on the planets listed in the table.
The IF formula is stated as follows:
“=IF(B2=“Yes”, “Life is Possible”, “Life is Not Possible”)
The succeeding image shows the IF formula applied to cell C2.
The subsequent image shows how the IF formula is applied to the range of cells C2:C5.
Drag the cells to view the output of all the planets.
The output in the below worksheet shows life is possible on the planet Earth.
Flow Chart of Generic IF Excel Function
The IF Function Flow Chart for Mars (Example #1)
The flow of IF function flowchart for Jupiter and Venus is the same as the IF function flowchart for Mars (Example #1).
The IF Function Flow Chart for Earth
Hence, the IF excel function allows making logical comparisons between values. The modus operandi of the IF function is stated as: If something is true, then do something; otherwise, do something else.
Example #2
The following table shows a list of years. We want to find out if the given year is a leap year or not.
A leap year has 366 days; the extra day is the 29th of February. The criteria for a leap year are stated as follows:
- The year will be exactly divisible by 4 and not exactly be divisible by 100 or
- The year will be exactly divisible by 400.
In this example, we will use the IF function along with the AND, OR, and MOD functions to find the leap years.
We use the MOD function to find a remainder after a dividend is divided by a divisor.
The AND functionThe AND function in Excel is classified as a logical function; it returns TRUE if the specified conditions are met, otherwise it returns FALSE.read more evaluates both the conditions of the leap years for the value “true”. The OR functionThe OR function in Excel is used to test various conditions, allowing you to compare two values or statements in Excel. If at least one of the arguments or conditions evaluates to TRUE, it will return TRUE. Similarly, if all of the arguments or conditions are FALSE, it will return FASLE.read more evaluates either of the condition for the value “true”.
We will apply the MOD function to the conditions as follows:
If MOD(year,4)=0 and MOD(year,100)<>(is not equal to) 0, then the year is a leap year.
or
If MOD(year,400)=0, then the year is a leap year; otherwise, the year is not a leap year.
The IF formula is stated as follows:
“=IF(OR(AND((MOD(year,4)=0),(MOD(year,100)<>0)),(MOD(year,400)=0)),“Leap Year”, “Not A Leap Year”)”
The argument “year” refers to a reference value.
The following images show the output of the IF formula applied in the range of cells.
The following image shows how the IF formula is applied to the range of cells B2:B18.
The succeeding table shows the years 1960, 2028, and 2148 as leap years and the remaining as non-leap years.
The result of the IF excel formula is displayed for the range of cells B2:B18 in the following image.
Example #3
The succeeding table shows a list of drivers and the directions they undertook to reach the destination. It is preceded by an image of the road intersection explaining the turns taken by the drivers and their destinations. The right turn leads to town B, and the left turn leads to town C. Identify the driver’s destination to town B and town C.
Road Intersection Image
Let us apply the IF excel function to find the destination. Here, the condition is mentioned as follows:
- If the driver turns right, he/she reaches town B.
- If the driver turns left, he/she reaches town C.
We use the following IF formula to find the destination:
“=IF(B2=“Left”, “Town C”, “Town B”)”
The succeeding image shows the output of the IF formula applied to cell C2.
Drag the cells to use the formula in the range C2:C11. Finally, we get the destinations of each driver for their turning movements.
The below image displays the IF formula applied to the range.
The output of the IF formula and the destinations are displayed in the succeeding image.
The result shows that six drivers reached town C, and the remaining four have reached town B.
Example #4
The following table shows a list of items and their inventory levels. We want to check if the specific item is available in the inventory or not using the IF function.
Let us list the name of items in column A and the number of items in column B. The list of data to be validated for the entire items list is shown in the cell E2 of the below image.
We use the Excel IF along with the VLOOKUP functionThe VLOOKUP excel function searches for a particular value and returns a corresponding match based on a unique identifier. A unique identifier is uniquely associated with all the records of the database. For instance, employee ID, student roll number, customer contact number, seller email address, etc., are unique identifiers.
read more to check the availability of the items in the inventory.
The VLOOKUP function looks up the values referring to the number of items, and the IF function will check whether the item number is greater than zero or not.
We will apply the following IF formula in the F2 cell:
“=IF(VLOOKUP(E2,A2:B11,2,0)=0, “Item Not Available”,“Item Available”)”
If the lookup value of an item is equal to 0, then the item is not available; else, the item is available.
The succeeding image shows the result of the IF formula in the cell F2.
Select “bat” in the E2 item cell to know whether the item is available or not in the inventory (as shown in the following image).
Example #5
The following table shows the list of students and their marks. The grade criteria are provided based on the marks obtained by the students. We want to find the grade of each student in the list.
We apply the Nested IF in Excel since we have multiple criteria to find and decide each student’s grade.
The Nesting of IF function uses the IF function inside another IF formula when multiple conditions are to be fulfilled.
The syntax of Nesting of IF function is stated as follows:
“=IF( condition1, value_if_true1, IF( condition2, value_if_true2, value_if_false2 ))”
The succeeding table represents the range of scores and the grades, respectively.
Let us apply the multiple IF conditions with AND function in the below-nested formula to find out the grade of the students:
“=IF((B2>=95),“A”,IF(AND(B2>=85,B2<=94),“B”,IF(AND(B2>=75,B2<=84),“C”,IF(AND(B2>=61,B2<=74),“D”,“F”))))”
The IF function checks the logical condition as shown in the formula below:
“=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true],[value_if_false])”
We will split the above-mentioned nested formula and check the IF statements as shown below:
First Logical Test: B2>=95
If the formula returns,
- Value_if_true, execute: “A” (Grade A) else(comma) enter value_if_false
- Value_if_false, then the formula finds another IF condition and enter IF condition
Second Logical Test: B2>=85(logical expression 1) and B2<=94(logical expression 2)
(We use AND function to check the multiple logical expressions as the two given conditions are to be evaluated for “true.”)
If the formula returns,
- Value_if_true, execute: “B” (Grade B) else(comma) enter value_if_false
- Value_if_false, then the formula finds another IF condition and enter IF condition
Third Logical Test: B2>=75(logical expression 1) and B2<=84(logical expression 2)
(We use AND function to check the multiple logical expressions as the two given conditions are to be evaluated for “true.”)
If the formula returns,
- Value_if_true, execute: “C” (Grade C) else(comma) enter value_if_false
- value_if_false, then the formula finds another IF condition and enter IF condition
Fourth Logical Test: B2>=61(logical expression 1) and B2<=74(logical expression 2)
(We use AND function to check the multiple logical expressions as the two given conditions are to be evaluated for “true.”)
If the formula returns,
- Value_if_true, execute: “D” (Grade D) else(comma) enter value_if_false
- Value_if_false, execute: “F” (Grade F)
- Finally, close the parenthesis.
The below image displays the output of the IF formula applied to the range.
The succeeding image shows the IF nested formula applied to the range.
The grades of the students are listed in the following table.
Guidelines for the Multiple IF Statements
The guidelines for the multiple IF statements are listed as follows:
- Use nested IF function to a limited extent as multiple IF statements require a great deal of thought to be accurate.
- Multiple IF statementsIn Excel, multiple IF conditions are IF statements that are contained within another IF statement. They are used to test multiple conditions at the same time and return distinct values. Additional IF statements can be included in the ‘value if true’ and ‘value if false’ arguments of a standard IF formula.read more require multiple parentheses (), which is often difficult to manage. Excel provides a way to check the color of each opening and closing parenthesis to avoid this situation. The last closing parenthesis color will always be black, denoting the end of the formula statement.
- Whenever we pass a string value for the arguments “value_if_true” and “value_if_false” or test a reference against a string value, enclose the string value in double quotes. Passing a string value without quotes will result in “#NAME?” error.
Frequently Asked Question
1. What is the IF function in Excel?
The Excel IF function is a logical function that checks the given criteria and returns one value for a “true” and another value for a “false” result.
The syntax of the IF function is stated as follows:
“=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])”
The arguments are as follows:
1. Logical_test – It refers to a value or condition that is tested.
2. Value_if_true – It is the value returned when the condition logical_test is “true.”
3. Value_if_false – It is the value returned when the condition logical_test is “false.”
The “logical_test” is a required argument, whereas the “value_if_true” and “value_if_false” are optional arguments.
2. How to use the IF Excel function with multiple conditions?
The IF Excel statement for multiple conditions is created by using multiple IF functions in a single formula.
The syntax of IF function with multiple conditions is stated as follows:
“=IF (condition 1_“true”, do something, IF (condition 2_“true”, do something, IF (condition 3_ “true”, do something, else do something)))”
3. How to use the function IFERROR in Excel?
IF Excel Function Video
Recommended Articles
This has been a guide to the IF function in Excel. Here we discuss how to use the IF function along with examples and downloadable templates. You may also look at these useful functions –
- What is the Logical Test in Excel?A logical test in Excel results in an analytical output, either true or false. The equals to operator, “=,” is the most commonly used logical test.read more
- “Not Equal to” in Excel“Not Equal to” argument in excel is inserted with the expression <>. The two brackets posing away from each other command excel of the “Not Equal to” argument, and the user then makes excel checks if two values are not equal to each other.read more
- Data Validation ExcelThe data validation in excel helps control the kind of input entered by a user in the worksheet.read more