Comments on: Excel: If cell contains formula examples

One of the most common tasks in Excel is checking whether a cell contains a value of interest. What kind of value can that be? Just any text or number, specific text, or any value at all (not empty cell). Continue reading →

Comments page 2. Total comments: 244

  1. Hi, I have a large set of data with numerous columns, I need a formula that will search if any cells in a row contain a certain key word, if so, I want it to return the FULL contents of that cell.

    Example, say I have in row 2, A2 (Star), A3 ($56), A4 (Changed Sales Rep), A5 (3/4/23 updated to cancelled), a6 (Project Name)

    And I want the formula to search for 'Cancelled' and return everything in the cell, in this case it would be cell A5 and the return should be '3/4/23 updated to cancelled'

    I essentially have a ton of terrible data outputted that cannot easily be delimeted and I need to find the date tied to any substring within the cells that contain the word cancelled.

    Thanks in advance.

      1. Thanks, that did it, very much appreciated!

  2. I'm trying to figure out how to get column c cells which contain various number .ie 20227, 208566, I want column d cells to look for a specific number in C and fill D with the value in A i.e shoe, house etc

  3. If the cells in a particular Row (e.g: "m") contains a particular text, then it should be zero , else the amount of another row (e.g: "k") should be shown. Could you please explain?

  4. okay so i have 261 rows of data in columns a through h. if one of 32 names is in column A2:A261 i need to fill in the data in lines b/row to h/row for example

    =IF(A2:A261=A268,B268:H268, IF(A2:A261=A269,B269:H269) ) if i do trhis all the way to =IF(A2:A261,A299,B299:H299) followed by 32 closing brackets will this work to fill my data

  5. Good Morning,

    I have a slightly different request.

    I am trying to write out a sum in one cell, 1+2 for example and in the next cell I want the equation to read =(previous cell) so that it returns the product of the previous equation.

    I know I could put each part in a different cell and write the sum as =(first number cell) + (second umber cell) but the list of sums might contain variations or longer sums such as 1*3*(5/4)+7.

    Many thanks

  6. I have a excel sheet contains petty cash id, discerption and amount. From that each description I want to pop up the result based on the name.
    note: Each description is combination of name with voucher number and code.

    1. To ensure clear understanding of your task, can you provide an example of the source data and the desired result you are aiming for?

  7. So I worked out how to make my IF formula work but now I'm facing another issue.

    I have in column Q the ages of some people. I need stats on their age.
    So in the following columns I have age ranges R=13-25, S=26-35, T=36-64, U=65+

    So for the person in Q21 (which is 20) I've got: =IF(AND(Q21>13,Q21<25),"1","0") in cell R21 and in R21 a 1 appears as they're 20 years old. I've made this work for all the people and there are 0's and 1' in the columns to notate their age. Now I want to total how many people are 13-25. My SUM formula isn't working. Is that because It's not reading those cells with the 0's & 1's as numbers because of the IF formula in the cell?

    Another SUM formula is able to add up the 1's as a result of an XLOOKUP formula.

    I hope this made sense...

      1. Thank you! I didn't know having the number written with quotation marks around it gave it a different value than without. It's working now.

  8. I'm using Excel 2007.

    I want the Date of Best Time from all like events displayed in the cell next to Best Time. No luck so far using IF, INDEX(MATCH, VLOOKUP etc., etc. they all give me #Value, False, #N/A, etc. I know barely enough Excel to be dangerous.

    I use 12+/- unique MIN(IF functions in Sheet1 to extract the (minimum or fastest) Best Times for each of about 12+/- unique meet events in Sheet2 composed of Date, Col A, Stroke (of 5) Col D, Distance (50, 100,etc. (9)) Col E, Course (Yds/Mtrs) Col F, and Fastest Time (mm:SS.00) Col G, from Sheet2 (Log). Best Time is also posted into Col2 of Sheet1 "Summary." The list is routinely manually updated with new meet info (new rows of event data). The data starts at row 13 and continues to row 154. (Col A of Sheet2 "Log" contains the date of each race event. MIN(IF inserts the Best time in Col B of Sheet1. Sheet1 has other data not associated with this problem.

    {=MIN(IF($D$13:$D$154=$D$1,IF($E$13:E$154=$E$1,IF($F$13:$F$154=$F$1,TIMEVALUE($G$13:$G$154)))))}

    Specific versions of this function (this one is for a 50 meters freestyle event) work perfectly- I get the Best time . (For events not swum I have entered event rows with temporary data records for each stroke, distance, course, but a 0 in the time column in rows at the bottom of the Sheet2 table . That causes "#Value" to appear in the Best Time column and multiple "#," hash tags in the other derivative cells on Sheet1 which is just fine for me, however, just in case I shorten the ranges to exclude these null records when testing various Date functions.)

    Now I want Date of Best time from Sheet2 to appear in Sheet1, Col C. This is the last function I tried: It does not work: (The range (130:144) applies to one section)

    {=INDEX(Log!$A$130:$A$144,MATCH($B$63,Log!$G$130:$G$144,))}

    Thanks.

      1. Thanks.

        I still can't get either formula to work. Your formula looks the same as mine, except I forgot the match type. (0) which should mean the look-up array doesn't need to be sorted which mine isn't.

        I thought I read that the look-up array must be in or start in the left-most column of the array? T/F? Mine was in Col 7 until I changed it to Col 1 for more tests.

        Just in case, I moved and inserted Col 7 (G) before Col 1 (A) on Log (Sheet2) and re-tried INDEX/MATCH and VLOOKUP again. I tried both w/ and w/o SCE

        {=INDEX(Log!$B$130:$B$144,MATCH($B$63,Log!$A$130:$A$144,0))}

        =VLOOKUP($B$63,Log!$A$130:$B$144,1,FALSE)

        Neither worked. "If the lookup value is not found in the lookup array, the #N/A error is returned"- That is exactly what I'm seeing. I verified the look-up value (time) is in the lookup array range and both times are formatted the same- mm:ss.00. What am I missing??

        1. Hi! As I said, I don't have your data to check the formula. Check to see if the time is possibly written as text.

  9. Your wild card example says it will return "B" for anything with "banana" in it, but it returns "L" when it says "yellow banana"

    1. Hi Zac,

      You are right - the LOOKUP function does not work correctly with the wildcard character, so I removed that example. Sorry for the confusion.

  10. I have a column with bank statement description in which reference number written at the end of each line and starts with LFT. Is there any why through which i can separate all LFT Number written at the end of each line. Each Line contains different set of long and short description that why i can't use text to column. Let me share two examples of each call .

    Example 1: "Transfer Username AHM CABDUL HADI MOHAMMED HAYTHAM AL-TABB LFT23163L52RF "

    Example 2: "Transfer ABC travel NAEEM HUSSAIN LFT23163VJTC8G47 "

    How can i separate the alphanumeric written at the end and starts with LFT using a formula.

  11. Hi all! Incredible post!

    I have only 1 question, because I've been trying to solve this issue for hours and I cannot get around it...

    I want to be able to do the following:

    If cell A1 contains text "ABC" and cell B1 contains text "DEF", result = "100", but if cell A1 contains text "ABC" and cell B1 contains text "GHI", result = "87"; and also, if cell A1 contains text "ABC" and cell B1 doesn't contain "DEF" nor "GHI", result = ""

    In "words", this means that I want a cell to reflect a certain result depending on the text content of 2 different cells.

    Does anyone have any idea how to do this?

    Thanks a bunch.

    Best regards,

    Charles

  12. If cell contains formula and i want that cell value.
    Ex: C2=G2, i want C2 value.

    1. Hi! To check if a cell has the right match use below formula, if it match's it will give "C2" value else return "No Match" where values not match.
      =IF(C2=G2,C2,"No Match")

  13. if the value in status column in Dev testing, Sprint planning then i should return a text Development . What formula to use

    1. Can you post your attempts at doing this? What have you done so far to achieve this goal? Please re-check the article above since it covers your case.

  14. Hi,

    I would like to use formula =LOOKUP(A2;{"forecast";"sales"};{"F";"S"}) but unfortunately this formula is not working correctly.

    My data looks like this (cells contains this kind of information):

    JLP ASAF hide sales
    forecast
    new fabric Forecast
    new fabric sales
    new fabric still under Development
    sales
    sales New Fabric
    one time only to then be disc
    only 126m sold in 2022 avg 2m per week
    only 15m sold in 2022 purchased from sales
    only 77m sold in 2022

    Therefore, if cell contains a word „forecast“, when abbreviation should be „F“. And if cell contains a word „sales“, when abbreviation should be „S“. Unfortunately LOOKUP function is not working. Could you please help me solve this issue. Thanks in advance.

      1. I want ISBLANK formula before above formula, like=IF(ISBLANK(D2),"Blank",IFS(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("sales",A1)),"S", ISNUMBER(SEARCH("forecast",A1)),"F")....but its not working.

        First to find A1 is blank or not, if it is not blank then A3 will be the value of above formula, I mean this formula =IFS(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("sales",A1)),"S", ISNUMBER(SEARCH("forecast",A1)),"F")

        can you please help me out

          1. I guess, I couldn't explain correctly.

            Actually I want 2 formula in a cell. 1st =ISBLANK along with =IFS(ISNUMBER(SEARCH(

            First to find A1 is blank or not, if it is not blank then A3 will be the value of | =IFS(ISNUMBER(SEARCH( | formula,

            I mean =IF(ISBLANK(A1),"Blank",IFS(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("sales",A1)),"S", ISNUMBER(SEARCH("forecast",A1)),"F")

            1. I’m not sure I got you right since the description you provided is not entirely clear. However, it seems to me that the formula below will work for you:

              =IF(ISBLANK(A1),"Blank",IFS(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("sales",A1)),"S", ISNUMBER(SEARCH("forecast",A1)),"F")

              This is what I recommended doing in a previous comment.

      2. Yahooo! Now it's working! Thank you so much!

  15. Hello, I am running Office 365 Excel and in column k I am scanning barcodes (qty up to 1,200), when that number is scanned into a cell in column n what formula can I write to have excel search cells in column b for that same number and then enter a date in the and time in a cell in column k of the same row? I have a code written, when the number is scanned into a cell into column n it finds it and column b and highlights that complete row. Thank you for the help.

  16. I have a dataset full of dozens of models. The variables used in each model need to be added to one cell with a (+) added between each variable. Not all variables were used in every model, so I need a way to include only the variables and plus sign IF the cell has text (which denotes the variable was used in that particular model). Example of what I mean is below if it shows up properly on the comment page.

    A B C D E (output)
    Toucan Robin Macaw Toucan + Robin + Macaw
    Ostrich Robin Ostrich + Robin
    Toucan Ostrich Robin Toucan + Ostrich + Robin
    Robin Macaw Robin + Macaw

    Thank you for the help!!!

  17. I have data in "column C" This data contain functions and text as well , Example C1=A1*B1, C2=123, C3=Robert

    I need to set the condition in D column as to get only having function in C column, Similarly(Answer result of C1)
    I need to set the condition in E column as to get only having number or text in C column(Answer result of C2 and C3

    Hope you are clear about the illusturtion and seeking your kind help.

    Sunil Pinto.

    1. Hi!
      Have you tried the ways described in this blog post? If they don’t work for you, then please describe your task in detail, I’ll try to suggest a solution.

      1. Sir,
        Thank you for your prompt response,

        I have been gone through your blog

        I feel the my requirement is not covered in it.

        Actaully I wanted to seggreate the cells with two types
        1. Cells Containing:Number and Text or its combination (Example: 123, Sunil, Sunil-123)
        2. Cells Containing:Formula or functional result.

        Hope you will help me to get resul.

        Thank in advance

        Regards,

        Sunil Pinto.

  18. Hi,
    I need to find the text in list of data which contain specific text to return a specific value and am trying to use IF function with combinations of AND and ISNUMBER, SEARCH but it does not return expected result. can you teach me how can I solve this pls?

    =IF(AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("NC",L4)),AK4="C",H4="WW"),"C-NC",IF(AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("SC",L4)),AK4="C",H4="WW"),"C-SC",AK4))

    Thank you.

    1. Hi!
      Your information is not enough to help. I don't have your data and I don't know what kind of result you want to have.

  19. Hello.

    What to do if the "IF" command overwrites cells?

    For example, for participant ID N840, age 24 is needed. I am using =IF(A2="N840", "24", ""), and it works well.

    However, for a different participant, ID N860, the age needs to be 26. When writing the command, it overwrites the previous one, leaving it blank.

    Important to mention that I have multiple data from each participant (longitudinal data).

    Thank you very much.

      1. Dear alexander,

        Thank you for your prompt response. I will try and explain it thoroughly:

        I have 20 participants (each has an ID code, e,g., N840), that filled out the same questionnaire over time (meaning, for each participant, I have roughly 16 responses, that is 16 excel rows). The particiapnts filled in their demographic data in a different questionnaire.

        I want to assign each participant his age across all of his responses. I am doing the following:

        For example, the data for participant N840 is located in excel rows 2, 4, 9, and so on. I am using the following command to enter his age across all rows: IF(B2="N840", "24", ""). It works and fills the column where needed (e.g., rows 2, 9) at the age of 24.

        However, when I create a formula for the next participant (A840) in the adjacent row, i.e., IF(B3="A840", "25", ""), it deletes the age data for the previous participants.

        I hope it is more clear now.
        What can/should I do differently?

        Thank you,
        Dana

        1. Create a table with 2 columns: ID code and age. You can get the age of each participant from this table using the VLOOKUP function. For example,

          =VLOOKUP(A1,Sheet2!A1:B20,2,FALSE)

          A1 - participant ID code

          For more instructions and examples, see this article: Excel VLOOKUP function tutorial with formula examples.
          I hope it’ll be helpful. If something is still unclear, please feel free to ask.

  20. Hi,

    I'm trying to find the best formula for my scenario,
    I need to search cell B2 - if it contains one word and contains one cell, then result another cell.
    Currently, the below formula works
    =IF(AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("H-Type",B2)),ISNUMBER(SEARCH($AW$2,B2))),$AZ$2,"")

    I need to add, if this is false, then continue searching for results with alternative options
    Like (SEARCH("P Type",B2)),ISNUMBER(SEARCH($AW$3,B80))),$AZ$3,"") and continue until result is found

    Sample/search options for B2:B1840 fields - maybe 30 different text options like "H-Type" or "P-Type"
    H-Type® (18"/450mm) X with X and X
    P-Type (90"/2200mm) X with X and X

    Sample options for AW2:AW24 cells
    12"
    18"
    90" etc

    Results - Table(called Sizes) between AZ2:BD24 depending on result of text option
    Example. If "H-Type" then result within AZ:2AZ24, if "P-Type" then result within BB2:BB24 etc
    Actual value of result will be single numbers between 2 - 20

    So, I need to check cell B2 contains "H-Type" and AW2, if yes show value in AZ2, if no check if B2 contains "H-Type" and AW3, if yes show value AZ3, if no continue until a match is found. There should always be a match to one of the combinations between each text and cell option.
    or
    If B2 contains "H-Type" and AW2 then VLOOKUP(B2,Sizes,4,FALSE))
    If B2 contains "P-Type" and AW2 then VLOOKUP(B2,Sizes,6,FALSE))

    I hope that all makes sense,
    I think this will be way to many conditions for one formula, is this formula even possible?

    Thanks,

    1. Hello!
      I recommend using the IFS function instead of the IF function for many alternative searches. For more information, read this article: The new Excel IFS function instead of multiple IF.
      For example, try this formula:

      =IFS(AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("H-Type",B2)),ISNUMBER(SEARCH($AW$2,B2))),$AZ$2, AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("P Type",B2)),ISNUMBER(SEARCH($AW$3,B80))),$AZ$3)

      I hope my advice will help you solve your task.

  21. I am working on a running document. I am attempting to create a formula that will subtract from two cells IF text or a number is present in a different cell. For example if text or a number is present in V3 or U3, then perform E3-D3. My formula looks like:

    =if(istext(V3,U3),E3-D3)

    But it does not work.

    Any ideas?

  22. Hello, I need a help in "improv"ing a formula.

    I have something like this in an if: IF(OR(C13="Closed",C13="Dropped",C13="Suspended"), ##DoThis##, ##DoThat## )

    Can I rewrite it in a manner where I need to type C13 only once? like..
    IF(SOMEFUNCTION(C13,"Closed","Dropped","Suspended"), ##DoThis##, ##DoThat## )

    Reason being, there may be another string that might have to be checked for C13, and I am too lazy to type in C13 again ! :)

    I am aware that I can probably write it like:
    IF(ISNUMBER(FIND(C13,"Closed"&Dropped"&"Suspended")), ##DoThis##, ##DoThat## )
    But, is this the only option?

    Thank you very much.

    1. Hello!
      Instead of a formula
      OR(C13="Closed",C13="Dropped",C13="Suspended")
      use
      OR(C13={"Closed","Dropped","Suspended"})

  23. Hello,

    I am trying to add this function; where a particular range of numbers results in a specific text response
    for example:

    scores in one column within the following ranges (98) will result the following descriptors in the adjacent column (exceptionally low, below average, low average, average, high average, above average, exceptionally high).

    how do i write out a command?

      1. Excellent!
        Thank you!!

  24. Hi,

    Please help provide the formula if a range of cells contain the letters BR, then I would like the sum of another range of cells of just containing BR to return the value, thank you.

    1. Hello!
      To find the sum of the cells by condition, try using the SUMIF function. I hope it’ll be helpful. If this is not what you wanted, please describe the problem in more detail.

      1. Exactly what I needed thank you!

  25. Hi Alexander,

    I'm currently using the below formula to extract/filter out data from a master sheet to another sheet, however this gives blank cells/rows in between which I don't want. I tried adding VLOOKUP to the formula but unsuccessful (still noob at using LOOKUP).

    =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($I$8,Master!H10)),Master!H10,"")

    May I seek your help on how to edit the formula, so that I can have a list of results without blank cells/rows in between please?

    Thanks in advance!

  26. I have a text string including multiple words and I would like the return value to be different for each IF. For example Statement=send letter with word USD and CAD.If the string includes USD then abbreviate US and if CAD is found then abbreviate CA.

  27. =IF(ISLBANK(P5),(ISNUMBER(P5), "Done", "Pending"))

    I have alredy applied this formula in A5 Cell. So my A5 row is now fill with this formula value. But when my B5 cell value is blank, Then I need to blank also my A5 Cell. How can I applied that with this formula?

  28. HI! I am wondering if you guys can help.. Doing some report for my team
    Conditions if scores are from 6.42-7.41 = 5 Coins... if 7.42 - 8;49, 10 coins and if 8.50 - 300, 15 coins.. I used

    B22 = 5
    B23 = 10
    B24 = 15

    =IF(C3>=6.42,$B$22,IF(C3>=7.42,$B$23,IF(C3>=8.5,$B$24,)))

    C3 is 25.53 but result still is 5. Should be 15. Not sure if there's a mistake with my formula. Thank you.

  29. If cell G4 contains wording Baseline

    Cell H19 mustn't add 5% (Costing)

    If cell G4 contains wording Project

    Cell H19 must add 5% (Costing)

  30. Need formula in Col B. eg. if B2 contains state listed in D2:D8 & Name of that state should be automatically added there.

    | | | |
    | A | B | C |
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | Address | States | Total States |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | Los Angeles, California, United States, 91311 | California | California |
    | | | |
    | Santa Clarita, California, United States, 91355-5078 | California | Florida |
    | | | |
    | Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States, 33701 | Florida | Texas |
    | | | |
    | Walnut Creek, California, United States, 94596-4410 | California | XYZ |
    | | | |
    | Roseville, California, United States, 95661 | California | XYZ1 |
    | | | |
    | Lake Forest, California, United States, 92630-8870 | California | XYZ2 |
    | | | |
    | Houston, Texas, United States, 92660 | Texas | XYZ3 |

    1. Hi!
      Sorry, I do not fully understand the task.
      Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. What result do you want to get?

  31. Please advise a number check formula that will yield "if lesser then" in a string scenario (dimensions in a cell) to find out if any of the numbers in their position are lesser then 5.

    Cell Example: 11 x 3 x 4

    Cell Formula Result: false true true

    1. Hello!
      To extract all numbers from text, use a user-defined function RegExpExtract. You can find the examples and detailed instructions here: How to extract substrings in Excel using regular expressions (Regex).

      =TEXTJOIN(" ",,(--RegExpExtract(A5,"\d+") < 5))

      To combine results in a single cell with a delimiter, use the TEXTJOIN function.
      You can also extract all numbers from text using Extract text tool. It is available as a part of our Ultimate Suite for Excel that you can install in a trial mode and check how it works for free.

  32. Hi Dear,

    I have an excel file where a cell can contain 2 languages (Arabic and English). Is there a way to highlight which of these cells in the sheet have 2 languages. Also, is there a way to further determine if the English language (word) starts at the beginning of the sentence.

    The problem is that we are working on a project to create an app, some sentences should include popular english words followed by arabic words. But whenever the sentence start with english, a problem appears in our user interface. That's why I need to determine which sentences in the cell start with and English word.

    Thank you!

    1. Hello!
      You can determine the ANSI code of the first character in a text. The ASCII value of the lowercase alphabet is from 97 to 122. And, the ASCII value of the uppercase alphabet is from 65 to 90. To do this, use the CODE function.

      =CODE(LEFT(A1,1))

      See CODE function example here.
      I hope my advice will help you solve your task.

      1. Thank you so much Alexander. This helped me a lot!

  33. Hi, need help with a formula, please:

    If cell contains certain text, put a value in another cell: So that would be =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Sub",A2)),"Approve","")

    But, I would like to use such a formula to look for "Sub" in a range of cells, for example, A2:F2 (1st case scenario), and then in a different instance, to look for "Sub" in a group of cells - A2, C2, D2 and G2 (2nd case scenario).

    Thank you very much in advance.

    Stan

      1. Kind greetings and thank you very much for your kind help / response. I tried the equation that you helped provide above but it still provides a blank response, even when one of the cells contains "Sub".
        In this case, I'm trying to approve the the row #3 because one of the cells from C3 to G3, in this case E3, contains the string "Sub".
        A B C D E F G H
        1 Alt ID Plans CovA CovB CovC CovD CovE Approval
        2 101020 Pol3 Plan11 Coord2e
        3 907030 Pol Sub5a Alt24
        4 805050
        5 778050 Plan88 Sub7d Coord2
        6 232520 Sub4 ALt4 Plan6
        7 357031 Plan2d Sub7e

        So, I used =IF(SUM(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Sub",C3:G3))),"Approve","") but it still gives a blank response.

        Thank you again, in advance.

        Stan

        1. Hi, thank you very much for your kind help. I read one of your blogs on Excel ISNUMBER function with formula examples, under conditioning with SUMPRODUCT and it helped.

          The equation I'm using now is =IF(SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Sub",C3:G3))),"Approve","") and it is helping with what I needed to do.

          Again, your very kind help is much appreciated.

          1. Hello!
            You didn't specify this, but I'm assuming you're working with Excel 2019 or 2016. The formula returns an array that needs to be summed. In Excel 365, you do not need to do this.

            1. Sorry about that; and yes, I'm working with Excel 2019.

              Again, I thank you.

              Best regards,

              Stan

  34. Hi Alexander,

    I am new to extended formulas. I usually manage with Vlook Up and Pivots. I am trying to show value of cell B2 in cell C2, if Text in Cell A2 is specific and if not, then value in Cell C2 must reflect "0" / zero. Likewise, for Row no.s 3, 4, 5, ....

    Eg., A2 value is "Opening Balance", B2 value is "100" then C2 must reflect the value of Cell B2 i.e., "100". But if A2 value is NOT "Opening Balance" then C2 must reflect "0" / zero in numerical value. Please help me.

    A B C D E F
    Transactions Amount Opening Balance Invoice Debit Note Receipt
    1 Opening Balance 100.00 100.00 0 0 0
    2 Invoice 248.00 0 248.00 0 0
    3 Debit Note 10.00 0 0 10.00 0
    4 Receipt 238.00 0 0 0 238.00

    Thanks,
    Anand

    1. Hello!
      For your task, you can use the IF function.

      IF(A2="Opening Balance", B2, 0)

      If the suggested formula doesn't work for your case, feel free to describe it in detail.

  35. Great information. Is it possible to put a formula in a cell that tests a different cell and places text in a 3rd cell ?
    Example: Formula is in cell E1, testing cell A1 is equal to "Test", setting cell B1 equal to "Yes"
    Cell B1 has other text in it until cell A1 has been changed to "Test" manually.
    If, Then , Else structure but being able to specify the cells for the then and Else output.
    I used this structure but can not specify a target cell
    Cell B1 is =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Test,A1)),"Yes","No") will set B1 to Yes or No
    but wish to add target cells for results:
    Formula is in cell E1 =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Test,A1)),("Yes",B1),("No",C1)) Target cells are B1 and C1
    I know how to do it in Macro but then need to run the macro. I wanted it to happen without running or adding macro.
    Thanks,
    Vin

    1. Hi!
      It has already been written many times in this blog that an Excel formula can only change the value of the cell in which it is written. For all other tasks, use VBA.

  36. Hello, I would like to seek help. If a cell has a text value: then perform another formula else blank

  37. I know how to count a series of keywords in Excel. I use this formula: =SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH($CE$2:$CE$43,(G2:AP2))))

    However, what would be the Excel formula if I want to count the number of keywords that exist only within +/-3 words around "risk" in the selected rows?

    Consider this sentence: "Political uncertainty generates economic risk which stagnates economic activities." If my keywords are "political", "uncertainty", "stagnates", and economic", the total number of keywords within +/- 3 words around "risk" will be 3, i.e., "uncertainty", "stagnates", and "economic". "political" will be excluded since it is out of range.

  38. IF the cell contains numbers and characters and without numbers , how can i filter only character cells please help me

  39. this function selected another word that we don't need because the two (alphabet) first of this word are the same (ALbendazole and ALcid) any suggestions pls?

    1. Hi!
      I can't guess which formula and which values you are using. Please describe it in detail and I will try to help.

  40. Please help to write a formula for the below

    If I update the formula in I2 cell to =IF(SEARCH("HOSB",H2),"PO",""), the result is coming correctly, but if I change it to =IF(SEARCH("HOSB",H2),"PO",IF(SEARCH("HONB",H2),"Non PO",IF(SEARCH("HOCB",H2),"Contract", IF(SEARCH("HORB",H2),"Retention","")))) I am getting an error stating #VALUE!

    1. Hello!
      If the text is not found in the cell, the SEARCH function will return an error. Add an ISNUMBER function to your formula. In case of a successful search, it will return TRUE, in case the text is not found, it will return FALSE.

      =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("HOSB",H2)),"PO", IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("HONB",H2)),"Non PO", IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("HOCB",H2)),"Contract", IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("HORB",H2)),"Retention",""))))

      1. hi,

        I intend to use this formula and I got a comment "This formulate use more level of nesting than you can use in the current file formate." How to fix this formula?

        =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($M$4,I7)),$N$4,IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($M$5,I7)),$N$5,IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($M$6,I7)),$N$6,IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($M$7,I7)),$N$7,IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($M$8,I7)),$N$8,IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH($M$9,I7)),$N$9,IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("ELECTRICITY",I7)),$N$10))))))

  41. Hi,

    Kindly help please
    A have a row for the report headers and below it a a row that says it is Mandatory or optional.
    How so i check if the mandatory columns have value?

    Thank you.

      1. Hi! Thanks for the response.
        But how do i make it dependent on the mandatory/optional row?

        For example if the following column headers are the following: name, address,mobile,birthday.( last column is the checking, row complete?)

        And then on the row below , all the fields are mandatory except for the birthday.
        * row complete value should be TRUE if the mandatory cells are populated.

        Thank you!

          1. Hi,

            Thanks.

            It would somehow look like this.
            But i dont get how will the code be dependent on the second row. (By checking “Mandatory “)

            Name Address Birthday Mobile Row complete?
            Mandatory Mandatory Optional Mandatory
            James ABC street 8171777 True
            Alice Aaa streeat 10/10/1970 81666 True

              1. Hi, the problem is that i need to check for row 2 as well( mandatory optional)
                Starting from row 3( i need to check if there are blank values from the cells tagged as mandatory)

                I actually have around 20 headers ( lets say from a1 to t1) and from a2 to t2 it says mandatory or optional.

  42. Hello,
    I am trying to use a formula on a sheet with roughly 7900 rows that are constantly being added on to. I have part numbers/model numbers of different styles from different departments. Ones that are in the format of ###AAAAA* (3 numbers followed by letters of various lengths) to show in the column "1" as "INDST". I would also like the part numbers that are ####-###* (4 numbers followed by a dash and more numbers of various lengths) to show in column "1" as AERO. If the part numbers do not fit these requirements, I would like them to show as "ASSY"

    Additionally,
    A separate situation I Have is that there are (4) Statuses that I Have in Column "2" they are complete, Firm, Released, Stopped. I would like to have them all on the original sheet as well as separate sheets for each "Status".

    Finally,
    I Have due dates in Column "3" that I would like to change color from "Green" if the date has not passed, to "Red" if they are late, and I would like them to retain their color, but not update again if the job is in the "Complete", "Status" for record keeping later on.

    If there is a way that I can have this continue to update when new information is added/Changed, since each day rows are added and some change statuses from "released" to "complete" or another "Status". I have basic knowledge of VBA, but not with a Data Dump of this size each day. I know there is a lot here, I would appreciate any and all help on this one as I am new to this job and am working with unfamiliar with these part numbers. I have included a small part of the data below and have started to manually put in Dpmt. names

    Dpmt. / Status / Due Date / last transaction / Job Date / Job / item

    INDST Complete 1/12/2021 4/12/2021 E291200-03 316BSZ-A213
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/25/2021 E291204-01 7200-8739-RM
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 7/19/2021 E291204-02 7200-8739-SZ
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/8/2021 E291204-03 7720-8740-RH
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/8/2021 E291204-04 7720-8740-RM
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/24/2021 E291205-01 7200-8741-RM
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/23/2021 E291205-02 7200-8741-SZ
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/10/2021 E291205-03 7720-8742-RH
    AERO Complete 2/3/2021 6/10/2021 E291205-04 7720-8742-RM
    INDST Complete 1/14/2021 3/18/2021 E291210-02 311BRK7-A335
    DIGI Complete 1/14/2021 3/30/2021 E291210-03 340CRF6-A392
    INDST Complete 1/18/2021 3/31/2021 E291213-01 317BRH7CAFNGJ
    DIGI Complete 1/19/2021 4/6/2021 E291220-01 240CUQ6-A461
    CABLE Complete 2/1/2021 4/6/2021 E291220-03 MEC-CA
    Complete 1/15/2021 3/30/2021 E291224-01 241DRX7CAFJGJ
    Complete 1/15/2021 3/25/2021 E291226-01 340CPP2CAFK
    Complete 1/15/2021 3/31/2021 E291226-02 340CSZ3CAFK

    1. Hello!
      To automatically populate column 1 based on part numbers, you can use regular expressions. The formula will be something like this:

      =IF(RegExpMatch(F1,"\d{3}[A-Z]"),"INDST",IF(RegExpMatch(F1,"\b\d{4}-\d"),"AERO","ASSY"))

      You can find the examples and detailed instructions here: Excel Regex: match strings using regular expressions.
      I also think this article will be useful: Excel conditional formatting for dates & time.
      I hope my advice will help you solve your task.

  43. I want to use the IF function where the logical test references a cell/column that looks up a value on a separate spreadsheet. The logical test returns the value in the cell (which is the simple lookup formula) rather than returning the value that is looked up. How do I solve for this?

    1. Hi!
      Sorry, I do not fully understand the task.
      The value in a cell that is looking for a value in another table is the value being looked up. Describe an example of what you want to do.

  44. Hi Alexander,

    I been going crazy trying to get this formula, if you could help me that me very appreciated.
    What I am trying to do is

    (b1+b2)/2 if b1 or b2 aren't entered don't divide just give me the number that was entered in b1 or b2

    Thank you in advance

      1. Hi Alexander,

        Thank you so much for your help it help

  45. Hi,

    I need to find a formula where the number is contained within text in a different cell. For example:

    Column A Column D

    21 Address 21 London Road London

    There are 2253 numbers which I need to find within 4955 cells, please help!

    Many Thanks

      1. Hi,
        The only issue is this is only taking it from the first column, I would like it to look in the whole of column D to find the matching one?

        Many Thanks

        1. Hi!
          Copy the formula for each cell you want to extract numbers from. It is impossible to do this with a single Excel formula. If this is not what you wanted, please describe the problem in more detail.

  46. I am trying to write a formula that allows me to do the following:

    Column I has either USD or CDN dollars,

    If I has USD then take Colum G Total price and times it by currency rate listed in T2 or the rate 1.20

    1. Hi!
      If I understand your task correctly, the following formula should work for you:

      =IF(I1="USD",G1*T2,G1)

      1. Thank you so much, that worked. So kind of you.

      2. That was perfect - thank you so much I tried over 8 different variances of IF / OR and AND trying to get this to work. Your the kindest, thank you.

  47. Greetings, I’m trying to do the same as Cecile and Rasit, add some categories to my checking account info.
    I have one table named “Raw” that contains the raw data from my checking account. On a second tab (in the same file), I created another table named “IDtranslate”. I want to search for key words in the Raw Description and bring back a Short Description as a new column in my Raw table.

    This formula seems really close to what I need:

    =IF(SUMPRODUCT(
    --ISNUMBER(SEARCH(IDtranslate[search text],[@Description],1)))=0,
    [@Description],
    "found")

    Keep an eye on that value-if-false, “found” because that is the problem. The formula is in the “Short Description” column of my Raw table.

    Here is a sample of my Raw table (I think if you copy and paste into a blank Excel table, it will parse itself out correctly):

    Description Short Description
    Withdrawal POS #759507, MEMO: LOWE'S #2681 630 W NFIELD DR BROWNSBURGCard found
    Withdrawal POS #8886, MEMO: Wal-Mart Super Center 2786 WAL-SAMS AVONINCard found
    Withdrawal Debit Card MASTERCARD DEBIT, MEMO: SUN CLEANERS AVON INDate 12/18/21 Withdrawal Debit Card MASTERCARD DEBIT, MEMO: SUN CLEANERS AVON INDate 12/18/21
    Withdrawal Transfer To Loan 0001 found
    Withdrawal ACH VONAGE AMERICA, MEMO: ID: CO: VONAGE AMERICAEntry Class Code: WEBACH Trace Number: Withdrawal ACH VONAGE AMERICA, MEMO: ID: CO: VONAGE AMERICAEntry Class Code: WEBACH Trace Number:
    Withdrawal ACH BRIGHT HOUSE NET, MEMO: ID: CO: BRIGHT HOUSE NETEntry Class Code: TELACH Trace Number: found
    Withdrawal Bill Payment #91, MEMO: AMAZON.COM3 SEATTLE WACard 5967 found
    Withdrawal Debit Card MASTERCARD DEBIT, MEMO: ALDI 4405 AVON INDate 12/19/21 found

    Here is a sample of my IDtranslate table:

    search text ID category
    aldi Aldi grocery
    amazon Amazon Amazon
    amica Amica insurance
    bright house Bright House utilities
    loan 0001 car loan car loan
    lowe's Lowe's Home maint and improve
    meijer Meijer grocery
    mnrd Menards Home maint and improve
    panda express Panda Express restaurant
    paypal PayPal PayPal
    vectren Vectren utilities
    wal-m Wal-Mart grocery

    What I want to do is replace the “found” term in my formula with the correct value from the “ID” column of my IDtranslate table. The very first line in the Raw table where the “search text” lowe’s was correctly found needs to bring back “Lowe’s” from the ID column.

    I’ve tried replacing the “found” term with variations on IDtranslate[ID] (with and without @ tossed in there), but I keep getting spills or other errors.

    If I can get that Short Description formula to work, then adding a category column to my Raw table with a vlookup will be easy.

    Thoughts?

    1. Hello!
      If I understand your task correctly, the following formula should work for you:

      =IFERROR(INDEX(E2:E12,MATCH(1,--ISNUMBER(SEARCH(D2:D12,A2)),0)),"")

      Column E - ID
      Column D - search text
      Column A - Description
      Hope this is what you need.

      1. Yes!!! That works. I'm glad to see you used MATCH. I had played with SWITCH a little bit but I failed at that. Makes feel like I sort of had the right idea!

  48. I am using excel to convert manual testing scenario sheets to automated xml files to test the Covid vaccine schedule and ensure our vaccine forecaster is functioning properly with the new rules. I need to find out if a formula within a cell is calling the DOB or the date of the last vaccine for the forecast and then use that to fill in the test description so I can more easily spot patterns in what causes unexpected forecasting returns. Basically I need a formula that says IF the formula in GN2 (earliest forecast date) contains a reference to E2 (DOB) then True else false. Is there anything that can do that for me?

    1. Hello!
      I recommend using the FORMULATEXT function. It will extract the formula from the desired cell and write it down as text. Then apply the SEARCH function

      =ISNUMBER(SEARCH("E2",FORMULATEXT(F5)))

      I hope my advice will help you solve your task.

  49. Hello,
    I am trying to figure out a formula that will tell me if one cell partially contains the same info as another cell.
    Example:
    If A2 has "PleaseHelpMe" and B2 has "Please"
    I want a formula that will do the following IF A2 contains B2 = "yes" or "no"

    Hopefully that makes sense.

      1. Alexander,
        You are awesome! Thank you, this will help out tremendously on a project I am working on.

  50. Hello! I have a large spreadsheet (300k rows) with clients details, unfortunately the data is from a form where people were simply asked to enter their City & Country. So they may have entered Christchurch NZ, or Auckland New Zealand, or Los Angeles USA etc etc

    We now wish to be able to add a new column that specifies the country ONLY for each client.

    What is the best approach for this?

    Ideally we would like to be able to have one formula that can search for multiple countries, so for example, if cell A2 contains "NZ" OR "New Zealand" the value in the new column shows as = New Zealand, if the A2 contains "United States" or "US" or "USA" or "America" the value in the new column shows as = USA. everything I have tried so far says it is too long, so I assume I need to work out how to use Vlookup? Is this what it will do!?

    Obviously there is a huge array of possibilities, is it possible to have SO many variables? Thank you!

    1. Hello!
      You will be looking for a piece of text in a cell. Therefore VLOOKUP cannot be used here.
      Try this formula:

      =INDEX(F1:F30,MATCH(TRUE,ISNUMBER(SEARCH(E1:E30,A1,1)),0))

      Column F - correct country names (e.g. New Zeland)
      Column E - arbitrary country names (e.g. NZ)
      Column A is your data (e.g. Christchurch NZ).
      I hope I answered your question. If something is still unclear, please feel free to ask.

      1. Thank you. your formula assisted me in resolving my pain area.

Post a comment



Thank you for your comment!
When posting a question, please be very clear and concise. This will help us provide a quick and relevant solution to
your query. We cannot guarantee that we will answer every question, but we'll do our best :)