How to write and if 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

Excel is such a powerful spreadsheet program that I doubt anyone can possibly know everything that it can do. There are so many aspects to the program, it’s amazing that it can all be encapsulated in such a simple interface. I was recently using Excel for some work at home and found myself using the IF function to write a few formulas.

Being able to write a simple IF statement in Excel is essential, especially if you deal with a lot of numbers all the time. It’s one of those things that’s not too complicated like macros, but not necessarily intuitive like summing up a column of numbers.

IF Statements in Excel

In this article, I’ll walk you through a short primer on writing a IF statement in an Excel worksheet. To get started, you should understand the basis of all IF statements:

IF condition THEN true ELSE false

That’s pretty much it. The condition is usually a comparison of something. That something is normally numbers or text. We’ll start off with some basic number comparisons, then text, then include operators like AND/OR, etc. So here’s our first example:

We have a very simple example here. Two columns with two numbers, 25 and 35. If Column C, we want to check if Column A is greater than 10, we will output the text Yes, otherwise the text No. A few things to note:

1. You don’t have to put a set of parenthesis around the actual comparison, but it’s very good practice, especially when the comparison becomes more complicated.

2. To output text for the true or false value, you have to use double quotes. If you don’t, it will think you are trying to refer to a named range in Excel.

Now let’s see some more stuff you can do. In the comparison section, you can also do math too. For example, you can do this if you like:

Here we are saying that if the value of A2 times 10 is greater than 10, then output Yes, otherwise output No. Pretty straight-forward eh? Now let’s say we wanted to output numbers instead of text. Here’s one example:

In this example, if the value in A2 is greater than 10, it will output the value times 2, otherwise it will multiply the value by 5. Pretty useless, but you get the point. You can also use the value of other cells too in the formula.

Here we are saying that if the value of A2 is greater than 10, then multiple B2 by 10, otherwise multiple B2 by 5 and output that value into cell C2. Now let’s make it more complicated. What if we wanted to output Yes if both A2 and B2 are greater than 10?

Here’s something new! If we want A2 > 10 AND B2 > 10, then we have to use the AND function inside the IF function. Sounds tricky, but not too bad. The AND function basically takes multiple comparison arguments (A2 > 10) and does an AND on them. They all have to be true in order for “Yes” to be displayed. You can add three or four or more comparison arguments if you like. If you want to do an OR, simply replace the AND above with the word OR.

What about if you want to return a value other than text or a calculated number. What if you want to return the value of a cell on a different sheet? Well, you can do something like this:

For the true value, I am going to return the value of cell A1 on Sheet 2. That’s pretty easy! So you can easily reference values from other sheets if you like. In the same light, you can also use a value from another sheet in the logical comparison too, i.e. Sheet2!A1 > 10. Let’s look at more stuff you can do! Let’s say you wanted to do an IF statement based on the type of value stored in a cell (number, text, or blank). You can do something like this:

You can use ISTEXT and ISNUMBER for the other two types of data. These functions can be really convenient when writing IF formulas. Note that you can basically use most functions in Excel inside of a IF statement, so feel free to run loose. For example, you can use functions like SUM, MAX, MIN, etc.

So far we’ve only been working with one value in the logical comparison, but let’s say we want to work with a group of cells. For example, if all the numbers in a range of cells is greater than 10, output True, otherwise False.

It’s as simple as using the colon like shown above, A2:A4. In this case, each value from A2 to A4 will be tested to see if it’s greater than 10. If all of them are, then the true value will be displayed. What about nested IF statements?

Here, I am saying that if A2 is greater than 10, output a value, but if not, then perform another IF comparison. IF B2 is greater than 10, then output a different value. You can nest IF statements 64 levels deep, which means you can do some pretty complicated stuff. You’ll probably never need to go that far, but sometimes it’s useful a few levels deep.

This is only a basic introduction to the IF statement, but hopefully it’ll get you started. Are you trying to write an IF statement to do something in Excel and can’t figure it out? Post a comment here with the problem and I’ll try to help you write the proper IF formula. Enjoy!

Bottom Line: Learn how to use the IF Function to write formulas that return results based on a condition or logical test. This post includes training on logical tests, comparison operators, nested IF formulas, multiple conditions with AND and OR functions, and common causes of formula errors.

Skill Level: Beginner

Watch the Tutorial

Download the Excel File

You can access the file that I use in the video by clicking below.

Mastering the IF Function

The IF Function is an important function to know. It can help with comparing data, performing lookups to group data, and making reports interactive. If you’re not familiar with IF or could use a refresher, this post will help.

Here is the IF function’s signature:

=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])

The IF Function has 3 arguments:

1. Logical test. This is where we can compare data or see if a condition is met.
2. Value if true. Defining this argument tells Excel to return a certain value if the condition in the logical test is met.
3. Value if false. If the condition is not met, this argument defines what the returned value will be.

Here’s an example. I’m comparing Revenue amounts with Goal amounts. If the Revenue is greater than or equal to the goal, I want column D to say Yes, and if not, to say No.

Let’s talk about the most important part of the IF function: the logical test.

Logical Tests

The logical test portion of the formula always uses a comparison operator to compare values and determine if the statement is true or false. Here is a list of comparison operators that can be used.

Operator	Description
=	Equal To
<>	Not Equal To
>	Greater Than
<	Less Than
>=	Greater Than or Equal To
<=	Less Than or Equal To

Logical tests return TRUE or FALSE values. This is important because the logical test argument within IF needs a TRUE or FALSE (boolean) value returned to it. It is also important because you might not even need an IF function if the TRUE/FALSE values can be used to get the answer you are looking for.

It’s also important to note that the case doesn’t matter when comparing text.  The following formula will return TRUE.

=”Excel Campus” = “excel campus”

Returning Other Values

While “TRUE” and “FALSE” would probably be sufficient for my example, I prefer them to say “Yes” and “No” in answer to the question in by column header: “Hit goal?”.

The advantage of using an IF function is that you can return any values you like by specifying the words that you want to appear. Just make sure to wrap them in quotation marks when writing your IF formula, unless they are numbers. If you do not specify these second and third arguments when writing the IF formula, it will simply return TRUE and FALSE.

The value_if_true and value_if_false arguments can contain just about anything:

• A number
• Text wrapped in double quotes – “hello”
• A reference to another cell – A2
• A formula with another IF function.
• A formula with any other combination of functions.

It’s also important to note that both the value_if_true and value_if_false arguments are optional. This is denoted by the square brackets around them in the function signature.

You must specify at least one of the arguments. If you leave one of the arguments blank and the logical test results in that condition, then a TRUE or FALSE value will be returned to the cell.

For example, the following formula will return a FALSE if A2 does NOT equal B2 because the value_if_false argument is not specified.

=IF(A2=B2, "Match")

Grouping Data

One common use for the IF Function is to categorize data. Let me show you an example.

On this worksheet, I want to categorize transactions as either Large or Small depending on the amount I’ve entered in cell D4. A transaction less than $60,000 will be labeled as small. Transactions greater than or equal to $60,000 will be large.

When writing the formula, I could specify the amounts and the labels by typing them out, but I prefer to use cell references so that they can quickly and easily be updated without rewriting the formulas.

The dollar symbols ($) in the formula make the references absolute so that they don’t change when the formula is copied down to the cells below it. When the cell reference within the formula is selected, you can hit F4 on your keyboard (for Fn + F4 for most laptop keyboards) to insert a dollar symbol before the row number and column letter. (Pressing it repeatedly will toggle it to one or the other and back again to none or both.)

Categorizing these transactions is helpful for analyzing the data. You can filter out just the large or small items, or you can use these labels in a summary report, pivot table, or chart. Below is an example.

Multiple Logical Tests

If we want to use more than one logical test, we can use the AND and OR Functions.

The AND Function

The AND Function checks whether all arguments are true and returns TRUE if they are.

In the example below, our formula is looking for transactions that are both “Large” and “Product 6.”

The OR Function

Perhaps you want show a positive result if only ONE of the logical tests in your formula is true, not BOTH. If that is the case, you can use the OR Function.

The OR Function checks whether any of the arguments are true, and returns TRUE or FALSE. It returns FALSE only if all arguments are false.

Using the same sheet as above, the formula in our example below is looking for entries where the size is “Large” OR if the product name is “Product 5.”

If we want to return text or a number instead of TRUE or FALSE, then we can wrap the AND or OR Functions in the IF Function. For example, using the OR Function above as our logical test in an IF Formula, we can type the word Upgrade (in parentheses) as our Value If True argument. That means, when the conditions we’ve specified are true, the cell will say Upgrade. To return a blank cell when the conditions aren’t met, we just have two quotation marks with nothing between them for our Value If False argument.

Nested IF Formulas

Things can get more complicated when there are more categories added to the mix. Maybe you want to group data based on 3 or more logical tests in your IF formula.

When this happens, we end up nesting another IF Function into our existing function each time we add another category.

For example, let’s say we have three account categories called Small, Large, and Key. A Small account is less than $10,000. A Large account is between $10,000 and $70,000. And a Key account is more than $70,000.

When we write our formula to categorize these accounts, we will need to use two IF statements, with one nested within the other.

The logic of the formula goes like this.

1. If the amount is greater than or equal to $70,000, return a value of “Key.”
2. But if it’s NOT, evaluate the next IF Function.
3. If the amount is greater than or equal to $10,000, return a value of “Large.”
4. But if it’s NOT, return a value of “Small.”

With the cell references plugged in for the sizes and amounts, the formula would look like this on our spreadsheet.

As you can imagine, these nested IF formulas can get longer and uglier with each additional category or criteria that is added. That being the case, there are a couple of alternatives that I would like to mention.

Alternative 1: The IFS Function

This is a relatively new function introduced in Excel 2019. While it still requires a lot of selection and logical tests, it is somewhat easier to read and write the IFS formula compared to nested IF formulas.

I won’t go into detail about writing the IFS Function, but you can play around with it in the Excel file attached at the top of this post.

Alternative 2: Lookup Formulas

You can use VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, or Index Match to return the same results as the nested IFs. These are a lot simpler to write. For an explanation of how to write a VLOOKUP formula like this, jump over to this tutorial:

How to Use VLOOKUP to Find the Closest Match – Last Argument is TRUE

Common Errors with the IF Function

If you come across errors when using the IF Function, it is most likely related to data types. What I mean by that is, Excel can’t compare text to a number or a date, or evaluate text that is different. However, the formatting of values doesn’t hinder Excel from making comparisons in logical tests. Below you can see how the values in Column A and Column B return a TRUE or FALSE in column C when they are compared.

Note that while the entry in B9 looks like it is formatted as a date, it is formatted as text. That is why it is returning FALSE when compared to the date in A9. See the video above for a further explanation on errors with data types.

Related Posts

If you found this information helpful, check out these other tutorials on related content.

• How to Calculate Commissions in Excel with VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, or IF
• Introduction to Pivot Tables and Dashboards
• Excel Tables Tutorial Video – Beginners Guide for Windows & Mac

Conclusion

Ready for a challenge? Test what you’ve learned and get more practice by taking our free IF Formula Challenge! You can access it here:

The challenge includes videos that explain the challenge and walk through the solution. See if you can earn all six gold stars in the challenge file.

I hope this explanation has been helpful and that you start putting the IF Function to work in your spreadsheets soon if you’re not already using it. Leave a comment below if you have questions or feedback!

Excel IF AND OR functions on their own aren’t very exciting, but mix them up with the IF Statement and you’ve got yourself a formula that’s much more powerful.

In this tutorial we’re going to take a look at the basics of the AND and OR functions and then put them to work with an IF Statement.  If you aren’t familiar with IF Statements, click here to read that tutorial first.

AND Function

The AND function belongs to the logic family of formulas, along with IF, OR and a few others.  It’s useful when you have multiple conditions that must be met.

In Excel language on its own the AND formula reads like this:

=AND(logical1,[logical2]....)

Now to translate into English:

=AND(is condition 1 true, AND condition 2 true (add more conditions if you want)

OR Function

The OR function is useful when you are happy if one, OR another condition is met.

In Excel language on its own the OR formula reads like this:

=OR(logical1,[logical2]....)

Now to translate into English:

=OR(is condition 1 true, OR condition 2 true (add more conditions if you want)

See, I did say they weren’t very exciting, but let’s mix them up with IF and put AND and OR to work.

IF AND Formula

First let’s set the scene of our challenge for the IF, AND formula:

In our spreadsheet below we want to calculate a bonus to pay the children’s TV personalities listed.  The rules, as devised by my 4 year old son, are:

1)      If the TV personality is Popular AND

2)      If they earn less than $100k per year they get a 10% bonus (my 4 year old will write them an IOU, he’s good for it though).

In cell D2 we will enter our IF AND formula as follows:

In English first

=IF(Spider Man is Popular, AND he earns <$100k),  calculate his salary x 10%, if not put "Nil" in the cell)

Now in Excel’s language:

=IF(AND(B2="Yes",C2<100),C2x$H$1,"Nil")

You’ll notice that the two conditions are typed in first, and then the outcomes are entered.  You can have more than two conditions; in fact you can have up to 30 by simply separating each condition with a comma (see warning below about going overboard with this though).

IF OR Formula

Again let’s set the scene of our challenge for the IF, OR formula:

The revised rules, as devised by my 4 year old son, are:

1)      If the TV personality is Popular OR

2)      If they earn less than $100k per year they get a 10% bonus.

In cell D2 we will enter our IF OR formula as follows:

In English first

=IF(Spider Man is Popular, OR he earns <$100k), calculate his salary x 10%, if not put “Nil” in the cell)

Now in Excel’s language:

=IF(OR(B2="Yes",C2<100),C2x$H$1,"Nil")

Notice how a subtle change from the AND function to the OR function has a significant impact on the bonus figure.

Just like the AND function, you can have up to 30 OR conditions nested in the one formula, again just separate each condition with a comma.

Try other operators

You can set your conditions to test for specific text, as I have done in this example with B2=»Yes», just put the text you want to check between inverted comas “   ”.

Alternatively you can test for a number and because the AND and OR functions belong to the logic family, you can employ different tests other than the less than (<) operator used in the examples above.

Other operators you could use are:

• =             Equal to
• >             Greater Than
• <=           Less than or equal to
• >=           Greater than or equal to
• <>           Less than or greater than

Warning: Don’t go overboard with nesting IF, AND, and OR’s, as it will be painful to decipher if you or someone else ever needs to update the formula in months or years to come.

Note: These formulas work in all versions of Excel, however versions pre Excel 2007 are limited to 7 nested IF’s.

Download the Workbook

Excel IF AND OR Practice Questions

IF AND Formula Practice

In the embedded Excel workbook below insert a formula (in the grey cells in column E), that returns the text ‘Yes’, when a product SKU should be reordered, based on the following criteria:

1. If Stock on hand is less than 20,000 AND
2. Demand level is ‘High’

If the above conditions are met, return ‘Yes’, otherwise, return ‘No’.

Tips for working with the embedded workbook:

1. Use arrow keys to move around the worksheet when you can’t click on the cells with your mouse
2. Use shortcut keys CTRL+C to copy and CTRL+V to paste
3. Don’t forget to absolute cell references where applicable
4. Do not enter anything in column F
5. Double click to edit a cell
6. Refresh the page to reset the embedded workbook

IF OR Formula Practice

In the embedded Excel workbook below insert a formula (in the grey cells in column E) that calculates the bonus due for each salesperson. A $500 bonus is paid if a salesperson meets either target in cells C24 and C25, otherwise they earn $0 bonus.

Want More Excel Formulas

Why not visit our list of Excel formulas. You’ll find a huge range all explained in plain English, plus PivotTables and other Excel tools and tricks. Enjoy 🙂

This Excel tutorial explains how to use the Excel IF function with syntax and examples.

Description

The Microsoft Excel IF function returns one value if the condition is TRUE, or another value if the condition is FALSE.

The IF function is a built-in function in Excel that is categorized as a Logical Function. It can be used as a worksheet function (WS) in Excel. As a worksheet function, the IF function can be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet.

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If you want to follow along with this tutorial, download the example spreadsheet.

Download Example

Syntax

The syntax for the IF function in Microsoft Excel is:

IF( condition, value_if_true, [value_if_false] )

Parameters or Arguments

condition

The value that you want to test.

value_if_true

It is the value that is returned if condition evaluates to TRUE.

value_if_false

Optional. It is the value that is returned if condition evaluates to FALSE.

Returns

The IF function returns value_if_true when the condition is TRUE.
The IF function returns value_if_false when the condition is FALSE.
The IF function returns FALSE if the value_if_false parameter is omitted and the condition is FALSE.

Example (as Worksheet Function)

Let’s explore how to use the IF function as a worksheet function in Microsoft Excel.

Based on the Excel spreadsheet above, the following IF examples would return:

=IF(B2<10, "Reorder", "")
Result: "Reorder"

=IF(A2="Apples", "Equal", "Not Equal")
Result: "Equal"

=IF(B3>=20, 12, 0)
Result: 12

Combining the IF function with Other Logical Functions

Quite often, you will need to specify more complex conditions when writing your formula in Excel. You can combine the IF function with other logical functions such as AND, OR, etc. Let’s explore this further.

AND function

The IF function can be combined with the AND function to allow you to test for multiple conditions. When using the AND function, all conditions within the AND function must be TRUE for the condition to be met. This comes in very handy in Excel formulas.

Based on the spreadsheet above, you can combine the IF function with the AND function as follows:

=IF(AND(A2="Anderson",B2>80), "MVP", "regular")
Result: "MVP"

=IF(AND(B2>=80,B2<=100), "Great Score", "Not Bad")
Result: "Great Score"

=IF(AND(B3>=80,B3<=100), "Great Score", "Not Bad")
Result: "Not Bad"

=IF(AND(A2="Anderson",A3="Smith",A4="Johnson"), 100, 50)
Result: 100

=IF(AND(A2="Anderson",A3="Smith",A4="Parker"), 100, 50)
Result: 50

In the examples above, all conditions within the AND function must be TRUE for the condition to be met.

OR function

The IF function can be combined with the OR function to allow you to test for multiple conditions. But in this case, only one or more of the conditions within the OR function needs to be TRUE for the condition to be met.

Based on the spreadsheet above, you can combine the IF function with the OR function as follows:

=IF(OR(A2="Apples",A2="Oranges"), "Fruit", "Other")
Result: "Fruit"

=IF(OR(A4="Apples",A4="Oranges"),"Fruit","Other")
Result: "Other"

=IF(OR(A4="Bananas",B4>=100), 999, "N/A")
Result: 999

=IF(OR(A2="Apples",A3="Apples",A4="Apples"), "Fruit", "Other")
Result: "Fruit"

In the examples above, only one of the conditions within the OR function must be TRUE for the condition to be met.

Let’s take a look at one more example that involves ranges of percentages.

Based on the spreadsheet above, we would have the following formula in cell D2:

=IF(OR(B2>=5%,B2<=-5%),"investigate","")
Result: "investigate"

This IF function would return «investigate» if the value in cell B2 was either below -5% or above 5%. Since -6% is below -5%, it will return «investigate» as the result. We have copied this formula into cells D3 through D9 to show you the results that would be returned.

For example, in cell D3, we would have the following formula:

=IF(OR(B3>=5%,B3<=-5%),"investigate","")
Result: "investigate"

This formula would also return «investigate» but this time, it is because the value in cell B3 is greater than 5%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: In Microsoft Excel, I’d like to use the IF function to create the following logic:

if C11>=620, and C10=»F»or»S», and C4<=$1,000,000, and C4<=$500,000, and C7<=85%, and C8<=90%, and C12<=50, and C14<=2, and C15=»OO», and C16=»N», and C19<=48, and C21=»Y», then reference cell A148 on Sheet2. Otherwise, return an empty string.

Answer: The following formula would accomplish what you are trying to do:

=IF(AND(C11>=620, OR(C10="F",C10="S"), C4<=1000000, C4<=500000, C7<=0.85, C8<=0.9, C12<=50, C14<=2, C15="OO", C16="N", C19<=48, C21="Y"), Sheet2!A148, "")

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I’m trying to use the IF function to return 0 if cell A1 is either < 150,000 or > 250,000. Otherwise, it should return A1.

Answer: You can use the OR function to perform an OR condition in the IF function as follows:

=IF(OR(A1<150000,A1>250000),0,A1)

In this example, the formula will return 0 if cell A1 was either less than 150,000 or greater than 250,000. Otherwise, it will return the value in cell A1.

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I’m trying to use the IF function to return 25 if cell A1 > 100 and cell B1 < 200. Otherwise, it should return 0.

Answer: You can use the AND function to perform an AND condition in the IF function as follows:

=IF(AND(A1>100,B1<200),25,0)

In this example, the formula will return 25 if cell A1 is greater than 100 and cell B1 is less than 200. Otherwise, it will return 0.

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I need to write a formula that works this way:

IF (cell A1) is less than 20, then times it by 1,
IF it is greater than or equal to 20 but less than 50, then times it by 2
IF its is greater than or equal to 50 and less than 100, then times it by 3
And if it is great or equal to than 100, then times it by 4

Answer: You can write a nested IF statement to handle this. For example:

=IF(A1<20, A1*1, IF(A1<50, A1*2, IF(A1<100, A1*3, A1*4)))

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I need a formula in cell C5 that does the following:

IF A1+B1 <= 4, return $20
IF A1+B1 > 4 but <= 9, return $35
IF A1+B1 > 9 but <= 14, return $50
IF A1+B1 >= 15, return $75

Answer: In cell C5, you can write a nested IF statement that uses the AND function as follows:

=IF((A1+B1)<=4,20,IF(AND((A1+B1)>4,(A1+B1)<=9),35,IF(AND((A1+B1)>9,(A1+B1)<=14),50,75)))

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I need a formula that does the following:

IF the value in cell A1 is BLANK, then return «BLANK»
IF the value in cell A1 is TEXT, then return «TEXT»
IF the value in cell A1 is NUMERIC, then return «NUM»

Answer: You can write a nested IF statement that uses the ISBLANK function, the ISTEXT function, and the ISNUMBER function as follows:

=IF(ISBLANK(A1)=TRUE,"BLANK",IF(ISTEXT(A1)=TRUE,"TEXT",IF(ISNUMBER(A1)=TRUE,"NUM","")))

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I want to write a formula for the following logic:

IF R1<0.3 AND R2<0.3 AND R3<0.42 THEN «OK» OTHERWISE «NOT OK»

Answer: You can write an IF statement that uses the AND function as follows:

=IF(AND(R1<0.3,R2<0.3,R3<0.42),"OK","NOT OK")

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I need a formula for the following:

IF cell A1= PRADIP then value will be 100
IF cell A1= PRAVIN then value will be 200
IF cell A1= PARTHA then value will be 300
IF cell A1= PAVAN then value will be 400

Answer: You can write an IF statement as follows:

=IF(A1="PRADIP",100,IF(A1="PRAVIN",200,IF(A1="PARTHA",300,IF(A1="PAVAN",400,""))))

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I want to calculate following using an «if» formula:

if A1<100,000 then A1*.1% but minimum 25
and if A1>1,000,000 then A1*.01% but maximum 5000

Answer: You can write a nested IF statement that uses the MAX function and the MIN function as follows:

=IF(A1<100000,MAX(25,A1*0.1%),IF(A1>1000000,MIN(5000,A1*0.01%),""))

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Question: In Microsoft Excel, I am trying to create an IF statement that will repopulate the data from a particular cell if the data from the formula in the current cell equals 0. Below is my attempt at creating an IF statement that would populate the data; however, I was unsuccessful.

=IF(IF(ISERROR(M24+((L24-S24)/AA24)),"0",M24+((L24-S24)/AA24)))=0,L24)

The initial part of the formula calculates the EAC (Estimate At completion = AC+(BAC-EV)/CPI); however if the current EV (Earned Value) is zero, the EAC will equal zero. IF the outcome is zero, I would like the BAC (Budget At Completion), currently recorded in another cell (L24), to be repopulated in the current cell as the EAC.

Answer: You can write an IF statement that uses the OR function and the ISERROR function as follows:

=IF(OR(S24=0,ISERROR(M24+((L24-S24)/AA24))),L24,M24+((L24-S24)/AA24))

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Question: I have been looking at your Excel IF, AND and OR sections and found this very helpful, however I cannot find the right way to write a formula to express if C2 is either 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and F2 is F and F3 is either D,F,B,L,R,C then give a value of 1 if not then 0. I have tried many formulas but just can’t get it right, can you help please?

Answer: You can write an IF statement that uses the AND function and the OR function as follows:

=IF(AND(C2>=1,C2<=9, F2="F",OR(F3="D",F3="F",F3="B",F3="L",F3="R",F3="C")),1,0)

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Question:In Excel, I have a roadspeed of a car in m/s in cell A1 and a drop down menu of different units in C1 (which unclude mph and kmh). I have used the following IF function in B1 to convert the number to the unit selected from the dropdown box:

=IF(C1="mph","=A1*2.23693629",IF(C1="kmh","A1*3.6"))

However say if kmh was selected B1 literally just shows A1*3.6 and does not actually calculate it. Is there away to get it to calculate it instead of just showing the text message?

Answer: You are very close with your formula. Because you are performing mathematical operations (such as A1*2.23693629 and A1*3.6), you do not need to surround the mathematical formulas in quotes. Quotes are necessary when you are evaluating strings, not performing math.

Try the following:

=IF(C1="mph",A1*2.23693629,IF(C1="kmh",A1*3.6))

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Question:For an IF statement in Excel, I want to combine text and a value.

For example, I want to put an equation for work hours and pay. IF I am paid more than I should be, I want it to read how many hours I owe my boss. But if I work more than I am paid for, I want it to read what my boss owes me (hours*Pay per Hour).

I tried the following:

=IF(A2<0,"I owe boss" abs(A2) "Hours","Boss owes me" abs(A2)*15 "dollars")

Is it possible or do I have to do it in 2 separate cells? (one for text and one for the value)

Answer: There are two ways that you can concatenate text and values. The first is by using the & character to concatenate:

=IF(A2<0,"I owe boss " & ABS(A2) & " Hours","Boss owes me " & ABS(A2)*15 &  " dollars")

Or the second method is to use the CONCATENATE function:

=IF(A2<0,CONCATENATE("I owe boss ", ABS(A2)," Hours"), CONCATENATE("Boss owes me ", ABS(A2)*15,  " dollars"))

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Question:I have Excel 2000. IF cell A2 is greater than or equal to 0 then add to C1. IF cell B2 is greater than or equal to 0 then subtract from C1. IF both A2 and B2 are blank then equals C1. Can you help me with the IF function on this one?

Answer: You can write a nested IF statement that uses the AND function and the ISBLANK function as follows:

=IF(AND(ISBLANK(A2)=FALSE,A2>=0),C1+A2, IF(AND(ISBLANK(B2)=FALSE,B2>=0),C1-B2, IF(AND(ISBLANK(A2)=TRUE, ISBLANK(B2)=TRUE),C1,"")))

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Question:How would I write this equation in Excel? IF D12<=0 then D12*L12, IF D12 is > 0 but <=600 then D12*F12, IF D12 is >600 then ((600*F12)+((D12-600)*E12))

Answer: You can write a nested IF statement as follows:

=IF(D12<=0,D12*L12,IF(D12>600,((600*F12)+((D12-600)*E12)),D12*F12))

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Question:In Excel, I have this formula currently:

=IF(OR(A1>=40, B1>=40, C1>=40), "20", (A1+B1+C1)-20)

If one of my salesman does sale for $40-$49, then his commission is $20; however if his/her sale is less (for example $35) then the commission is that amount minus $20 ($35-$20=$15). I have 3 columns that are needed based on the type of sale. Only one column per row will be needed. The problem is that, when left blank, the total in the formula cell is -20. I need help setting up this formula so that when the 3 columns are left blank, the cell with the formula is left blank as well.

Answer: Using the AND function and the ISBLANK function, you can write your IF statement as follows:

=IF(AND(ISBLANK(A1),ISBLANK(B1),ISBLANK(C1)),"",IF(OR(A1>40, B1>40, C1>40), "20", (A1+B1+C1)-20))

In this formula, we are using the ISBLANK function to check if all 3 cells A1, B1, and C1 are blank, and if they are return a blank value («»). Then the rest is the formula that you originally wrote.

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Question:In Excel, I need to create a simple booking and and out system, that shows a date out and a date back

«A1» = allows person to input date booked out
«A2» =allows person to input date booked back in

«A3″= shows status of product, eg, booked out, overdue return etc.

I can automate A3 with the following IF function:

=IF(ISBLANK(A2),"booked out","returned")

But what I cant get to work is if the product is out for 10 days or more, I would like the cell to say «send email»

Can you assist?

Answer: Using the TODAY function and adding an additional IF function, you can write your formula as follows:

=IF(ISBLANK(A2),IF(TODAY()-A1>10,"send email","booked out"),"returned")

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Question:Using Microsoft Excel, I need a formula in cell U2 that does the following:

IF the date in E2<=12/31/2010, return T2*0.75
IF the date in E2>12/31/2010 but <=12/31/2011, return T2*0.5
IF the date in E2>12/31/2011, return T2*0

I tried using the following formula, but it gives me «#VALUE!»

=IF(E2<=DATE(2010,12,31),T2*0.75), IF(AND(E2>DATE(2010,12,31),E2<=DATE(2011,12,31)),T2*0.5,T2*0)

Can someone please help? Thanks.

Answer: You were very close…you just need to adjust your parentheses as follows:

=IF(E2<=DATE(2010,12,31),T2*0.75, IF(AND(E2>DATE(2010,12,31),E2<=DATE(2011,12,31)),T2*0.5,T2*0))

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Question:In Excel, I would like to add 60 days if grade is ‘A’, 45 days if grade is ‘B’ and 30 days if grade is ‘C’. It would roughly look something like this, but I’m struggling with commas, brackets, etc.

(IF C5=A)=DATE(YEAR(B5)+0,MONTH(B5)+0,DAY(B5)+60),
(IF C5=B)=DATE(YEAR(B5)+0,MONTH(B5)+0,DAY(B5)+45),
(IF C5=C)=DATE(YEAR(B5)+0,MONTH(B5)+0,DAY(B5)+30)

Answer:You should be able to achieve your date calculations with the following formula:

=IF(C5="A",B5+60,IF(C5="B",B5+45,IF(C5="C",B5+30)))

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Question:In Excel, I am trying to write a function and can’t seem to figure it out. Could you help?

IF D3 is < 31, then 1.51
IF D3 is between 31-90, then 3.40
IF D3 is between 91-120, then 4.60
IF D3 is > 121, then 5.44

Answer:You can write your formula as follows:

=IF(D3>121,5.44,IF(D3>=91,4.6,IF(D3>=31,3.4,1.51)))

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Question:I would like ask a question regarding the IF statement. How would I write in Excel this problem?

I have to check if cell A1 is empty and if not, check if the value is less than equal to 5. Then multiply the amount entered in cell A1 by .60. The answer will be displayed on Cell A2.

Answer:You can write your formula in cell A2 using the IF function and ISBLANK function as follows:

=IF(AND(ISBLANK(A1)=FALSE,A1<=5),A1*0.6,"")

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Question:In Excel, I’m trying to nest an OR command and I can’t find the proper way to write it. I want the spreadsheet to do the following:

If D6 equals «HOUSE» and C6 equals either «MOUSE» or «CAT», I want to return the value in cell B6. Otherwise, the formula should return the value «BLANK».

I tried the following:

=IF((D6="HOUSE")*(C6="MOUSE")*OR(C6="CAT"));B6;"BLANK")

If I only ask for HOUSE and MOUSE or HOUSE and CAT, it works, but as soon as I ask for MOUSE OR CAT, it doesn’t work.

Answer:You can write your formula using the AND function and OR function as follows:

=IF(AND(D6="HOUSE",OR(C6="MOUSE",C6="CAT")),B6,"BLANK")

This will return the value in B6 if D6 equals «HOUSE» and C6 equals either «MOUSE» or «CAT». If those conditions are not met, the formula will return the text value of «BLANK».

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Question:In Microsoft Excel, I’m trying to write the following formula:

If cell A1 equals «jaipur», «udaipur» or «jodhpur», then cell A2 should display «rajasthan»
If cell A1 equals «bangalore», «mysore» or «belgum», then cell A2 should display «karnataka»

Please help.

Answer:You can write your formula using the OR function as follows:

=IF(OR(A1="jaipur",A1="udaipur",A1="jodhpur"),"rajasthan", IF(OR(A1="bangalore",A1="mysore",A1="belgum"),"karnataka"))

This will return «rajasthan» if A1 equals either «jaipur», «udaipur» or «jodhpur» and it will return «karnataka» if A1 equals either «bangalore», «mysore» or «belgum».

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Question:In Microsoft Excel I’m trying to achieve the following with IF function:

If a value in any cell in column F is «food» then add the value of its corresponding cell in column G (eg a corresponding cell for F3 is G3). The IF function is performed in another cell altogether. I can do it for a single pair of cells but I don’t know how to do it for an entire column. Could you help?

At the moment, I’ve got this:

=IF(F3="food"; G3; 0)

Answer:This formula can be created using the SUMIF formula instead of using the IF function:

=SUMIF(F1:F10,"=food",G1:G10)

This will evaluate the first 10 rows of data in your spreadsheet. You may need to adjust the ranges accordingly.

I notice that you separate your parameters with semi-colons, so you might need to replace the commas in the formula above with semi-colons.

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Question:I’m looking for an Exel formula that says:

If F3 is «H» and E3 is «H», return 1
If F3 is «A» and E3 is «A», return 2
If F3 is «d» and E3 is «d», return 3

Appreciate if you can help.

Answer:This Excel formula can be created using the AND formula in combination with the IF function:

=IF(AND(F3="H",E3="H"),1,IF(AND(F3="A",E3="A"),2,IF(AND(F3="d",E3="d"),3,"")))

We’ve defaulted the formula to return a blank if none of the conditions above are met.

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Question:I am trying to get Excel to check different boxes and check if there is text/numbers listed in the cells and then spit out «Complete» if all 5 Boxes have text/Numbers or «Not Complete» if one or more is empty. This is what I have so far and it doesn’t work.

=IF(OR(ISBLANK(J2),ISBLANK(M2),ISBLANK(R2),ISBLANK (AA2),ISBLANK (AB2)),"Not Complete","")

Answer:First, you are correct in using the ISBLANK function, however, you have a space between ISBLANK and (AA2), as well as ISBLANK and (AB2). This might seem insignificant, but Excel can be very picky and will return a #NAME? error. So first you need to eliminate those spaces.

Next, you need to change the ELSE condition of your IF function to return «Complete».

You should be able to modify your formula as follows:

=IF(OR(ISBLANK(J2),ISBLANK(M2),ISBLANK(R2),ISBLANK(AA2),ISBLANK(AB2)), "Not Complete", "Complete")

Now if any of the cell J2, M2, R2, AA2, or AB2 are blank, the formula will return «Not Complete». If all 5 cells have a value, the formula will return «Complete».

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Question:I’m very new to the Excel world, and I’m trying to figure out how to set up the proper formula for an If/then cell.

What I’m trying for is:

If B2’s value is 1 to 5, then multiply E2 by .77
If B2’s value is 6 to 10, then multiply E2 by .735
If B2’s value is 11 to 19, then multiply E2 by .7
If B2’s value is 20 to 29, then multiply E2 by .675
If B2’s value is 30 to 39, then multiply E2 by .65

I’ve tried a few different things thinking I was on the right track based on the IF, and AND function tutorials here, but I can’t seem to get it right.

Answer:To write your IF formula, you need to nest multiple IF functions together in combination with the AND function.

The following formula should work for what you are trying to do:

=IF(AND(B2>=1, B2<=5), E2*0.77, IF(AND(B2>=6, B2<=10), E2*0.735, IF(AND(B2>=11, B2<=19), E2*0.7, IF(AND(B2>=20, B2<=29), E2*0.675, IF(AND(B2>=30, B2<=39), E2*0.65,"")))))

As one final component of your formula, you need to decide what to do when none of the conditions are met. In this example, we have returned «» when the value in B2 does not meet any of the IF conditions above.

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Question:Here is the Excel formula that has me between a rock and a hard place.

If E45 <= 50, return 44.55
If E45 > 50 and E45 < 100, return 42
If E45 >=200, return 39.6

Again thank you very much.

Answer:You should be able to write this Excel formula using a combination of the IF function and the AND function.

The following formula should work:

=IF(E45<=50, 44.55, IF(AND(E45>50, E45<100), 42, IF(E45>=200, 39.6, "")))

Please note that if none of the conditions are met, the Excel formula will return «» as the result.

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Question:I have a nesting OR function problem:

My nonworking formula is:

=IF(C9=1,K9/J7,IF(C9=2,K9/J7,IF(C9=3,K9/L7,IF(C9=4,0,K9/N7))))

In Cell C9, I can have an input of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 0. The problem is on how to write the «or» condition when a «4 or 0» exists in Column C. If the «4 or 0» conditions exists in Column C I want Column K divided by Column N and the answer to be placed in Column M and associated row

Answer:You should be able to use the OR function within your IF function to test for C9=4 OR C9=0 as follows:

=IF(C9=1,K9/J7,IF(C9=2,K9/J7,IF(C9=3,K9/L7,IF(OR(C9=4,C9=0),K9/N7))))

This formula will return K9/N7 if cell C9 is either 4 or 0.

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Question:In Excel, I am trying to create a formula that will show the following:

If column B = Ross and column C = 8 then in cell AB of that row I want it to show 2013, If column B = Block and column C = 9 then in cell AB of that row I want it to show 2012.

Answer:You can create your Excel formula using nested IF functions with the AND function.

=IF(AND(B1="Ross",C1=8),2013,IF(AND(B1="Block",C1=9),2012,""))

This formula will return 2013 as a numeric value if B1 is «Ross» and C1 is 8, or 2012 as a numeric value if B1 is «Block» and C1 is 9. Otherwise, it will return blank, as denoted by «».

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Question:In Excel, I really have a problem looking for the right formula to express the following:

If B1=0, C1 is equal to A1/2
If B1=1, C1 is equal to A1/2 times 20%
If D1=1, C1 is equal to A1/2-5

I’ve been trying to look for any same expressions in your site. Please help me fix this.

Answer:In cell C1, you can use the following Excel formula with 3 nested IF functions:

=IF(B1=0,A1/2, IF(B1=1,(A1/2)*0.2, IF(D1=1,(A1/2)-5,"")))

Please note that if none of the conditions are met, the Excel formula will return «» as the result.

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Question:In Excel, I need the answer for an IF THEN statement which compares column A and B and has an «OR condition» for column C. My problem is I want column D to return yes if A1 and B1 are >=3 or C1 is >=1.

Answer:You can create your Excel IF formula as follows:

=IF(OR(AND(A1>=3,B1>=3),C1>=1),"yes","")

Please note that if none of the conditions are met, the Excel formula will return «» as the result.

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Question:In Excel, what have I done wrong with this formula?

=IF(OR(ISBLANK(C9),ISBLANK(B9)),"",IF(ISBLANK(C9),D9-TODAY(), "Reactivated"))

I want to make an event that if B9 and C9 is empty, the value would be empty. If only C9 is empty, then the output would be the remaining days left between the two dates, and if the two cells are not empty, the output should be the string ‘Reactivated’.

The problem with this code is that IF(ISBLANK(C9),D9-TODAY() is not working.

Answer:First of all, you might want to replace your OR function with the AND function, so that your Excel IF formula looks like this:

=IF(AND(ISBLANK(C9),ISBLANK(B9)),"",IF(ISBLANK(C9),D9-TODAY(),"Reactivated"))

Next, make sure that you don’t have any abnormal formatting in the cell that contains the results. To be safe, right click on the cell that contains the formula and choose Format Cells from the popup menu. When the Format Cells window appears, select the Number tab. Choose General as the format and click on the OK button.

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Question:I was wondering if you could tell me what I am doing wrong.
Here are the instructions:

A customer is eligible for a discount if the customer’s 2016 sales greater than or equal to 100000 OR if the customers First Order was placed in 2016.
If the customer qualifies for a discount, return a value of Y
If the customer does not qualify for a discount, return a value of N.

Here is the formula I’ve entered:

=IF(OR([2014 Sales]=0,[2015 Sales]=0,[2016 Sales]>=100000),"Y","N")

I only have 2 cells wrong. Can you help me please? I am very lost and confused.

Answer:You are very close with your IF formula, however, it looks like you need to add the AND function to your formula as follows:

=IF(OR([2016 Sales]>=100000,AND([2014 Sales]=0,[2015 Sales]=0),C8>=100000),"Y","N")

This formula should return Y if 2016 sales are greater than or equal to 100000, or if both 2014 sales and 2015 sales are 0. Otherwise, the formula will return N. You will also notice that we switched the order of your conditions in the formula so that it is easier to understand the formula based on your instructions above.

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Question:Could you please help me? I need to use «OR» on my formula but I can’t get it to work. This is what I’ve tried:

=IF(C6>=0<=150,150000,IF(C6>=151<=160,158400))

Here is what I need the formula to do:

IF C6 IS >=0 OR <=150 THEN ASSIGN $150000

IF C6 IS >=151 OR <=160 THEN ASSIGN $158400

Answer:You should be able to use the AND function within your IF function as follows:

=IF(AND(ISBLANK(C6)=FALSE,C6>=0,C6<=150),150000,IF(AND(C6>=151,C6<=160),158400,""))

Notice that we first use the ISBLANK function to test C6 to make sure that it is not blank. This is because if C6 if blank, it will evalulate to greater than 0 and thus return 150000. To avoid this, we include ISBLANK(C6)=FALSE as one of the conditions in addition to C6>=0 and C6<=150. That way, you won’t return any false results if C6 is blank.

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Question:I am having a problem with a formula, I want it to be IF E5=N then do the first formula, else do the second formula. Excel recognizes the =IF(logical_test,value_if_TRUE,value_if_FALSE) but doesn’t like the formula below:

=IF(e5="N",((AND(AH5-AG5<456, AH5-S5<822)), "Compliant", "not Compliant"),((AH5-S5<822), "Compliant", "not Compliant"))

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:To have the first formula executed when E5=N and then second formula executed when E5<>N, you will need to nest 2 additional IF functions within the main IF function as follows:

=IF(E5="N", IF((AND(AH5-AG5<456, AH5-S5<822)), "Compliant", "not Compliant"), IF((AH5-S5<822), "Compliant", "not Compliant"))

If E5=»N», the first nested IF function will be executed:

IF((AND(AH5-AG5<456, AH5-S5<822)), "Compliant", "not Compliant")

Otherwise,the second nested IF function will be executed:

IF((AH5-S5<822), "Compliant", "not Compliant"))

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Question:I need to write a formula based on the following logic:

There is a maximum discount allowed of £1000 if the capital sum is less that £43000 and a lower discount of £500 if the capital sum is above £43000. So the formula should return either £500 or £1000 in the cell but the £43000 is made up of two numbers, say for e.g. £42750+350 and if the second number is less than the allowed discount, the actual lower value is returned — in this case the £500 or £1000 becomes £350. Or as another e.g. £42000+750 returns £750.

So on my spreadsheet, in this second e.g. I would have A1= £42000, A2=750, A3=A1+A2, A4=the formula with the changing discount, in this case £750.

How can I write this formula?

Answer:In cell A4, you can calculate the correct discount using the IF function and the MIN function as follows:

=IF(A3<43000, MIN(A2,1000), MIN(A2,500))

If A3 is less than 43000, the formula will return the lower value of A2 and 1000. Otherwise, it will return the lower value of A2 and 500.

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Question: I have a list of sizes in column A with sizes 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600. Then I have another column B, with sizes of my products, and it is random, for example, 318, 445, 527. What I’m trying to create is for a value of 318 in column B, I need to return 400 for that product. If the value in column B is 445, then I should return 500 and so on, as long sizes in column A must be BIGGER to the NEAREST size to column B.

Any idea how to create this function?

Answer:If your sizes are in increments of 100, you can create this function by taking the value in column B, dividing by 100, rounding up to the nearest integer, and then multiplying by 100.

For example in cell C2, you can use the IF function and the ROUNDUP function as follows:

=ROUNDUP(B2/100,0)*100

This will return the correct value of 400 for a value of 318 in cell B2. Just copy this formula to cell C3, C4 and so on.

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.