Use of if in excel sheet

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

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



The syntax of the function «IF» with one condition

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

=IF(boolean;value_if_TRUE;value_if_FALSE)

Let us consider the function syntax:

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

Example:

Logical IF functions.

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

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

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

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



The function IF in Excel with multiple conditions

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

The syntax is as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Functions AND & OR can check up to 30 conditions.

An example of using the operator AND:

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

How to compare data in two tables

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

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

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

Baseline data (tables, which will work with):

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

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

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

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

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

Download all examples in Excel

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

This 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.

Subscribe

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, "")

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.

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.

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)))

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)))

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","")))

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")

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,""))))

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%),""))

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))

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)

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))

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"))

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,"")))

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))

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.

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")

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))

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)))

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)))

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,"")

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».

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».

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.

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.

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».

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.

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.

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.

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 «».

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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"))

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.

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.

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:

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:

1. The formula will return FALSE if the value in B5 is anything except «red» or «blue»
2. The text values «red» and «blue» must be enclosed in double quotes («»)
3. 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.

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