by This tutorial explains the most common mistakes when making formulas in Excel, and how to fix a formula that is not calculating or not updating automatically.
Can someone imagine using Microsoft Excel without formulas? I believe no one can. And hardly anything could compare to the frustration caused by Excel formulas stop working all of a sudden. When this happens, a bunch of questions immediately flash across your mind. Why is my Excel formula not calculating? Why doesn't this formula update its value automatically? Is my Excel corrupt or is this due to some malicious virus? And how do I get my Excel to calculate and update formulas automatically again? Don't worry, most likely your Excel is all right, and you will get all the answers in a moment.
Excel formulas not working
Symptoms: Excel formula not working correctly, it returns an error or a wrong result.
This section provides a summary of the most common mistakes people make when creating formulas in Excel and solutions to fix them.
1. Match all opening and closing parentheses in a formula
As you know, the arguments of Excel functions are entered within the parentheses. In complex formulas, you may need to enter more than one set of parentheses, one within another, to indicate the order in which the calculations should take place. When creating such a formula, be sure to pair the parentheses properly so that you always have a right parenthesis for every left parenthesis in your formula.
Microsoft Excel displays the parentheses pairs in different colors as you enter them in a formula. If your formula is short of one or more parentheses, Excel displays an error message and suggests a correction to balance the pairs. Please see How to highlight and match parenthesis pairs for more information.
2. Enter all required arguments in an Excel function
All Excel functions have one or more required arguments. Some functions also have optional arguments, which are enclosed in [square brackets] in the formula's syntax.
A formula must contain all of the required arguments, otherwise Excel displays "You've entered too few arguments for this function" alert.
If you have entered more arguments than allowed by the formula's syntax, you will get "You've entered too many arguments for this function" error message.
3. Do not nest more than 64 functions in a formula
When nesting two or more Excel functions into each other, e.g. creating a nested IF formula, remember about the following limitations:
- In Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010 and Excel 2007, you can use up to 64 nested functions.
- In Excel 2003 and lower, only up to 7 nested functions can be used.
4. Don't enclose numbers in double quotes
In Excel formulas, any value enclosed in double quotes is interpreted as a text string.
What it means is that if you enter a formula like =IF(A1>0, "1"), Excel will treat number 1 as text, and therefore you won't be able to use the returned 1's in other calculations. To fix this, just remove the double quotes around "1": =IF(A1>0, 1).
So, whenever you are writing a formula for numerical values, follow this simple rule: don't enclose numbers in double quotes unless you want them to be treated as text.
5. Enter numbers without any formatting
When using a number in an Excel formula, don't add any decimal separator or currency sign like $ or €.
Remember that in Excel formulas, a comma is typically used to separate a function's arguments, and the dollar sign makes an absolute cell reference.
For instance, instead of entering $50,000 in your formula, input simply 50000, and use the Format Cells dialog (Ctrl + 1) to format the output to your liking.
6. Make sure numbers are not formatted as text values
Numbers formatted as text values are another common reason for Excel formulas not working. At first sight, they look like normal numbers, but Microsoft Excel perceives them as text strings and leaves out of calculations.
The visual indicators of text-numbers are as follows:
- Numbers formatted as text are left-aligned by default, while normal numbers are right-aligned in cells.
- The Number Format box on the Home tab in the Number group displays the Text format.
- When several cells with text numbers are selected on the sheet, the Status Bar only shows Count, while usually it shows Average, Count and SUM for numbers.
- There may be a leading apostrophe visible in the formula bar, or green triangles appear in the top-left corner of the cells.
The below screenshot shows that even a simple Excel SUM formula may not work because of numbers formatted as text:
To fix this, select all problematic cells, click the warning sign, and then click Convert to Number:
In some cases, however, neither green triangles nor the warning sign appear in cells. For example, if you enclose numeric values in double quotes in your formulas, Excel assumes you want to output a text string rather than a number.
At first sight, the following formula appears to be working fine:
=IF(A1="Good", "1", "0")
But the problem is the returned 1's and 0's are text values, not numbers! And if you reference any cells with the above formula in other formulas, those cells won't be included in calculations. As soon as you remove "" surrounding 1 and 0 in the above formula, Excel will treat the outputs as numbers and they will be calculated correctly.
If the small green triangles do not appear in cells for some other reason, look at the Number Format box on the Home tab in the Number group. If it displays Text, try clearing all formatting for the problematic cells, and set the cells' format to Number or General. If that doesn't work, you might have to create a new column, manually input the data (e.g. copy your text-numbers to Notepad, and then back to a new column), and delete the broken column.
Another possible solution is to multiply the values in the problematic column by 1 using a simple formula like =A1*1. And then, copy the formula cells and paste them as values in the same or in any other column via Paste Special > Values.
7. Separate function arguments with a proper character
Most of us are used to separating function arguments with commas. However, this does not work for everyone's Excel. The character you use to separate arguments depends on the List Separator set in your Regional Settings.
Comma is the default list separator in North America and some other countries. In European countries, comma is used as the decimal symbol and the list separator is usually set to semicolon.
For example, in North America you would write =IF(A1>0, "OK", "Not OK"), while European users of Excel should put the same formula as =IF(A1>0; "OK"; "Not OK").
So, if your Excel formulas are not working because of "We found a problem with this formula..." error, go to your Regional Settings (Control Panel > Region and Language > Additional Settings) and check what character is set as List Separator there. And then, use exactly that character to separate arguments in your Excel formulas.
8. Enclose workbook and worksheet names in single quotes
When referring to other worksheets or workbooks that have spaces or non-alphabetical characters in their names, enclose the names in 'single quotation marks'. For example,
Reference to another sheet:
=SUM('Jan Sales'!B2:B10)
Reference to another workbook:
=SUM('[2015 Sales.xlsx]Jan sales'!B2:B10)
For more information, please see How to refer to another sheet or workbook in Excel.
9. Include the full path to a closed workbook
If you are writing a formula that references a closed Excel workbook, your external reference must include the workbook name and entire path to the workbook. For example:
=SUM('D:\Reports\[Sales.xlsx]Jan'!B2:B10)
For more information, please see Creating a reference to another workbook.
If the above tips do not help, try to evaluate and debug each part of your formula individually by using the F9 key and other debugging techniques explained in the following tutorial: How to evaluate and debug formulas in Excel.
Excel formulas not updating
Symptoms: The value returned by your Excel formula does not update automatically, i.e. the formula continues to show the old value even after you've changed the values of the dependent cells.
When Excel formulas are not updating automatically, most likely it's because the Calculation setting has been changed to Manual instead of Automatic. To fix this, just set the Calculation option to Automatic again.
On the Excel ribbon, go to the Formulas tab > Calculation group, click the Calculation Options button, and select Automatic:
Alternatively, you can change this setting in Excel Options:
- In Excel 2003, click Tools > Options > Calculation > Calculation > Automatic.
- In Excel 2007, click Office button > Excel options > Formulas > Workbook Calculation > Automatic.
- In Excel 2010, Excel 2013, and Excel 2016, go to File > Options > Formulas > Calculation options section, and select Automatic under Workbook Calculation.
How to force Excel formulas to recalculate
If for some reason, you need to have the Calculation option set to Manual, you can force the formulas to recalculate by clicking the Calculate button on the ribbon or by using one of the following shortcuts:
To recalculate the entire workbook:
- Press F9, or
- Click the Calculate Now button on the Formulas tab > Calculation group.
To recalculate an active sheet:
- Press Shift + F9, or
- Click Calculate Sheet on the Formulas tab > Calculation group.
To recalculate all sheets in all open workbooks, press Ctrl + Alt + F9.
If you need to recalculate only one formula on a sheet, select the formula cell, enter the editing mode either by pressing F2 or double clicking the cell, and then press the Enter key.
Excel formulas not calculating
Symptoms: A cell displays the formula, not the result.
If your Excel formula is not working because a cell displays the function instead of the calculated value, it's because one of the following reasons.
1. Show Formulas mode is turned on
The most common reason for an Excel formula not calculating is that you have inadvertently activated the Show Formulas mode in a worksheet.
To get the formula to display the calculated result, just turn off the Show Formulas mode by doing one of the following:
- Pressing the Ctrl + ` shortcut, or
- Clicking the Show Formulas button on the Formulas tab > Formula Auditing group.
2. A formula is entered as text
Another frequent reason for your Excel formula not calculating is that the formula has been formatted as text. To check this, select the formula cell, and look at the Number Format box in the Number group on the Home tab:
If it is the case, change the cell format to General, and while in the cell press F2 and Enter for the formula to recalculate and display the calculated value.
3. A formula cell has a leading space or apostrophe before the equal sign
If you have inadvertently entered a space or apostrophe (') before the equal sign, Excel treats the cell contents as text, and consequently does not evaluate any formula within that cell (a leading space often appears when you copy a formula from the web). To fix this, just remove the leading space or single quote.
This is how you deal with formulas not working in Excel. If you know any other solutions to fix formulas not updating or not calculating, please do share in comments. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week.
454 comments
Hi,
I've created this formula, trying to pull out a data from a table to another table
there is no indication that there is an error in the formula but I get the wrong results, while testing the formula with F9 gives me correct results, any idea how to fix it?
=IF(ROWS(F$17:F17)=$G$12,INDEX(A$2:A$62,SMALL(IF($G$11=A$2:A$62,ROW($A$2:$A$62)-ROW($A$2)+1),ROWS(F$17:F17)),ROWS(F$17:F17)),"")
the result I get is the value in A17 while the correct answer should be A6
Hello,
For me to understand the problem better, please send me a small sample workbook with your source data and the result you expect to get to support@ablebits.com. Please don't worry if you have confidential information there, we never disclose the data we get from our customers and delete it as soon as the problem is resolved.
Please also don't forget to include the link to this comment into your email.
I'll look into your task and try to help.
I have a excel sheet with formulas which was delivering correct results before upgrading my windows.
After upgrading latest updates the sheet is not giving correct answers.
I have checked the formulas they are same.
Same sheet delivers proper answers on other systems.
Hi!
When I'm using Excel and want to enter a function, I typ for example "=S" and then Excel lists all the funktion options for me. The problem is that when I select the wanted function and press enter it leaves the cell with only "=S" and moves to the cell below. How do i fix this? I want to press enter so that the funktion is selected and i can start plugging in values faster.
Hit tab instead of enter to selection the function.
Thank you for sharing this information. this was really helpful.
Hi,
Why any functions are not working in my Excel sheet.This data copied another sheet.
Good Morning
I have a problem with formatting. I have and appointment start date and time in Cell H5, which by using the formula =TEXT(H5,"hh:mm")in cell K5, I have the time only, it is the same for the appointment end time. I now need to see if the appointments start and end within a particular frame. By using =IF(AND(K5>=O3,AND(M5<=O4)).
The formula works on a practice sheet where I have typed the appointment times in, but not with the data where the time formula is. Can you help please?
Thank you! Yet another save on your part.
Hi Everyone, I'm trying to work out why one cell is not giving the right answer when every other cell is...
I've triple checked the formulas to see if they are consistent & they seem to be.. any help would be greatly appreciated.
This is the formula:
=IF($D7='Vehicle List'!$B$4,LOOKUP(F7,'Delivery Rates 010717'!$A$3:$A$529,'Delivery Rates 010717'!$E$3:$E$529),LOOKUP(F7,'Delivery Rates 010717'!$A$3:$A$529,'Delivery Rates 010717'!$F$3:$F$529))
Breakdown:
D7= Vehicle registration number
'Vehicle List' B4:B13= List of vehicle registration numbers
'Vehicle List' C4:c13= Lists whether the rego in column B is a SEMI or TRAY truck
F7= Suburb
'Delivery Rates 010717'A3:A529= List of suburbs
'Delivery Rates 010717'E3:E529= List of prices if D7 is a TRAY truck
'Delivery Rates 010717'F3:F529= List of prices if D7 is a SEMI truck
The formula needs to take the Tray or Semi price from another spreadsheet(Delivery Rates 010717 ranging from E3:E529 or F3:F529)but the same workbook, depending on what value is entered into F7.
F7 will match a cell in Delivery Rates 010717 A3:A529 then should correspond with the relevant value in either column E or F.
But for some reason it is returning a value from a completely different row in Delivery Rates 010717 rather than the row that matches.
Hard to explain, so I hope this makes sense!!
Hi to everyone. I have a question about the use of function in Excel. I am trying to use the vlookup function, and I am sure it is set up correctly, but the result for no reason is the same for all the rows, which is strange... Unless I hit for each Enter individually, then it calculates correct. Can you help please? Thanks to everyone in advance.
I've created a spreadsheet using the "IF" formula, in which it contains many "ifs"....this formula works but every time I open my spreadsheet on a different computer and add lines to it, the formulas will no longer calculate and it automatically changes all pre-existing formula's to "#NAME?"....when they worked prior to making any changes. I tried to completely re-enter the formula but if I modify the spreadsheet in any way, it changes all cells with formulas to "#NAME?". Any ideas?
Hello, Lori,
I'm afraid it's hard to tell what's been causing the problem, since we don't know how your data is stored, what formula you're trying to use and how you put it down.
So, for us to be able to assist you better, please send us your workbook to support@ablebits.com and describe in detail, where is the formula that doesn't work and what it should return. Please don't worry if you have confidential information there, we never disclose the data we get from our customers and delete it as soon as the problem is resolved. Or you can replace any important information with some irrelevant data, just keep the format.
I have several (8) spreadsheets in one main workbook, with formulas that pulls data from (7) other workbooks. This is in excel office 365. they reside on my computer but in the One Drive folder.(as in I can work offline on them).
When I open the main workbook, it asks if I want to update. If I update, it brakes all formulas across all the sheets. it shows "#VALUE!" instead of the actual value.
The formulas are like this: =SUMIF('https://d.docs.live.net/c9f55c59cfded66b/Documents/Scott^0Me/2017 Spreadsheet/TruckExpense.xlsx'!Expense_Category,D2,'https://d.docs.live.net/c9f55c59cfded66b/Documents/Scott^0Me/2017 Spreadsheet/TruckExpense.xlsx'!Expense_Amount)
When I first create the formula it looks like this: =SUMIF(TruckExpense.xlsx!Expense_Category,D2,TruckExpense.xlsx!Expense_Amount)
When I reopen the source, the formula reverts back to original also.
Everything works fine if I don't update, except if I delete a cell or drag down a cell to copy formula below it, they all brake again.
the way to fix this is:
Data Tab, select "Edit Links" select each links called "source" and select "Open Source" for each link. then the formulas work again.
I would like to know why it does this and if there is a solution to stop this from happening?
I have 7 linked workbooks to 7 spreadsheets on the main workbook. It gets old to have to do this all the time and of course they won't show correct information when looking at it on excel online. I also can not update online on One Drive. it says "Links are disabled"
I hope you can help!
Thank you
Hi I'm not good with excel, but I'm trying to calculate a column of numbers from extracted data from another row, the formula for the rows that I'm trying to add up is =MID(A2825,50,2) when I try and add the column with formula =SUM(T7:T2825) it comes up with "0"
Formula will not calculate in a single cell with 20 cells above and 15 cells below are calculating correctly the same formula and providing correct answers
example:
=g43+k43+o43 answer 23,455
=g44+k44+o44 answer -
=g45+k44+o44 answer 16,201
Calculation Options are on "automatic"
Cell Data Delimited, no delimiters checked, text qualifier "none", column data format "General"
Driving me nuts. Ran out of what to try. Thanks much!
I can't get formula to calculate in excel. I have made sure I have set calculate to automatic. I deliberately opened up a new workbook and typed in an exact copy of an old workbook (paying catalogue off) which worked perfectly before. It did not work this time. It was a basic formula =(e1-e52). In the second workbook I noticed e52) appeared in red. This didn't happen in the first book. Can anyone please advise
I have been using the same worksheet and updating it on daily basis. so i use if condition =if(A1>30,300,0) but when i am using this formula is always showing 300 even A1 value is 0
please let me know what should i do
I have been using the same worksheet and updating it weekly for a year. I now find that if the calculated value (sum) is greater than 19.99 the correct value is displayed when hovering over the field but ### is what is displayed in the field.
I have others that behave in the same manor with a calculated value (sum) is greater than 9.99.
I typically use 2013 and I am using the same sheet in 2016
Thank you for any insight
Paul
Hello, Paul,
Usually ### symbols mean that the column is not wide enough to show the result. Try making it wider. If the problem persists, send us your workbook to support@ablebits.com and reference your comment and this article in the e-mail. We'll take a look and try to help.
I have a complicated spreadsheet that has multiple tabs and formulas pulling from multiple tabs. I updated the data for one section and now my formulas are not working. I have a concatenate and also if(iserror(vlookup) formulas that the updated info is pulling from. All of the updated information is in the exact same format and the formulas have not changed. My calculations are on (turned off & tried manually as well) and I'm not getting an error, just nothing is returning. Any ideas?
friends i creat a excel sheet and conect it to another excel sheet but the formulas is not automatic chang the amount kindly help me please this my fb account arman khan and whatsapp 03009000493
Hi
Svetlana Cheusheva ok, my system excel2013 Formulas problem has been solved.
Thanks
nup.. doesn't work still not calculate the sum of a range of cells NB one Column only.. a rainfall record.. not what I would call complex Chhers Roger