How to use IF function in Excel: examples for text, numbers, dates, blanks

In this article, you will learn how to build an Excel IF statement for different types of values as well as how to create multiple IF statements.

IF is one of the most popular and useful functions in Excel. Generally, you use an IF statement to test a condition and to return one value if the condition is met, and another value if the condition is not met.

In this tutorial, we are going to learn the syntax and common usages of the Excel IF function, and then take a closer look at formula examples that will hopefully prove helpful to both beginners and experienced users.

IF function in Excel

IF is one of logical functions that evaluates a certain condition and returns one value if the condition is TRUE, and another value if the condition is FALSE.

The syntax of the IF function is as follows:

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

As you see, IF takes a total of 3 arguments, but only the first one is obligatory, the other two are optional.

Logical_test (required) - the condition to test. Can be evaluated as either TRUE or FALSE.

Value_if_true (optional) - the value to return when the logical test evaluates to TRUE, i.e. the condition is met. If omitted, the value_if_false argument must be defined.

Value_if_false (optional) - the value to return when the logical test evaluates to FALSE, i.e. the condition is not met. If omitted, the value_if_true argument must be set.

Basic IF formula in Excel

To create a simple If then statement in Excel, this is what you need to do:

  • For logical_test, write an expression that returns either TRUE or FALSE. For this, you'd normally use one of the logical operators.
  • For value_if_true, specify what to return when the logical test evaluates to TRUE.
  • For value_if_false, specify what to return when the logical test evaluates to FALSE. Though this argument is optional, we recommend always configuring it to avoid unexpected results. For the detailed explanation, please see Excel IF: things to know.

As an example, let's write a very simple IF formula that checks a value in cell A2 and returns "Good" if the value is greater than 80, "Bad" otherwise:

=IF(B2>80, "Good", "Bad")

This formula goes to C2, and then is copied down through C7: Basic IF formula in Excel.

In case you wish to return a value only when the condition is met (or not met), otherwise - nothing, then use an empty string ("") for the "undefined" argument. For example:

=IF(B2>80, "Good", "")

This formula will return "Good" if the value in A2 is greater than 80, a blank cell otherwise: IF formula to return nothing when the condition is not met.

Excel If then formula: things to know

Though the last two parameters of the IF function are optional, your formula may produce unexpected results if you don't know the underlying logic.

If value_if_true is omitted

If the 2nd argument of your Excel IF formula is omitted (i.e. there are two consecutive commas after the logical test), you'll get zero (0) when the condition is met, which makes no sense in most cases. Here is an example of such a formula:

=IF(B2>80, , "Bad")

To return a blank cell instead, supply an empty string ("") for the second parameter, like this:

=IF(B2>80, "", "Bad")

The screenshot below demonstrates the difference: The behavior of the value_if_true argument.

If value_if_false is omitted

Omitting the 3rd parameter of IF will produce the following results when the logical test evaluates to FALSE.

If there is just a closing bracket after value_if_true, the IF function will return the logical value FALSE. Quite unexpected, isn't it? Here is an example of such a formula:

=IF(B2>80, "Good")

Typing a comma after the value_if_true argument will force Excel to return 0, which doesn't make much sense either:

=IF(B2>80, "Good",)

The most reasonable approach is using a zero-length string ("") to get a blank cell when the condition is not met:

=IF(B2>80, "Good", "") The behavior of the value_if_false argument.

Tip. To return a logical value when the specified condition is met or not met, supply TRUE for value_if_true and FALSE for value_if_false. For the results to be Boolean values that other Excel functions can recognize, don't enclose TRUE and FALSE in double quotes as this will turn them into normal text values.

Using IF function in Excel - formula examples

Now that you are familiar with the IF function's syntax, let's look at some formula examples and learn how to use If then statements in real-life scenarios.

Excel IF function with numbers

To build an IF statement for numbers, use logical operators such as:

  • Equal to (=)
  • Not equal to (<>)
  • Greater than (>)
  • Greater than or equal to (>=)
  • Less than (<)
  • Less than or equal to (<=)

Above, you have already seen an example of such a formula that checks if a number is greater than a given number.

And here's a formula that checks if a cell contains a negative number:

=IF(B2<0, "Invalid", "")

For negative numbers (which are less than 0), the formula returns "Invalid"; for zeros and positive numbers - a blank cell. A formula to check if a cell contains a negative number.

Excel IF function with text

Commonly, you write an IF statement for text values using either "equal to" or "not equal to" operator.

For example, the following formula checks the Delivery Status in B2 to determine whether an action is required or not:

=IF(B2="delivered", "No", "Yes")

Translated into plain English, the formula says: return "No" if B2 is equal to "delivered", "Yes" otherwise. Using the IF function with text.

Another way to achieve the same result is to use the "not equal to" operator and swap the value_if_true and value_if_false values:

=IF(C2<>"delivered", "Yes", "No")

Notes:

  • When using text values for IF's parameters, remember to always enclose them in double quotes.
  • Like most other Excel functions, IF is case-insensitive by default. In the above example, it does not differentiate between "delivered", "Delivered", and "DELIVERED".

Case-sensitive IF statement for text values

To treat uppercase and lowercase letters as different characters, use IF in combination with the case-sensitive EXACT function.

For example, to return "No" only when B2 contains "DELIVERED" (the uppercase), you'd use this formula:

=IF(EXACT(B2,"DELIVERED"), "No", "Yes") Case-sensitive IF statement for text values.

If cell contains partial text

In situation when you want to base the condition on partial match rather than exact match, an immediate solution that comes to mind is using wildcards in the logical test. However, this simple and obvious approach won't work. Many functions accept wildcards, but regrettably IF is not one of them.

A working solution is to use IF in combination with ISNUMBER and SEARCH (case-insensitive) or FIND (case-sensitive).

For example, in case "No" action is required both for "Delivered" and "Out for delivery" items, the following formula will work a treat:

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("deliv", B2)), "No", "Yes") IF cell contains partial text.

For more information, please see:

Excel IF statement with dates

At first sight, it may seem that IF formulas for dates are akin to IF statements for numeric and text values. Regrettably, it is not so. Unlike many other functions, IF does recognize dates in logical tests and interprets them as mere text strings. In other words, you cannot supply a date in the form of "1/1/2020" or ">1/1/2020". To make the IF function recognize a date, you need to wrap it in the DATEVALUE function.

For example, here's how you can check if a given date is greater than another date:

=IF(B2>DATEVALUE("7/18/2022"), "Coming soon", "Completed")

This formula evaluates the dates in column B and returns "Coming soon" if a game is scheduled for 18-Jul-2022 or later, "Completed" for a prior date. Excel IF statement with dates.

Of course, there is nothing that would prevent you from entering the target date in a predefined cell (say E2) and referring to that cell. Just remember to lock the cell address with the $ sign to make it an absolute reference. For instance:

=IF(B2>$E$2, "Coming soon", "Completed")

To compare a date with the current date, use the TODAY() function. For example:

=IF(B2>TODAY(), "Coming soon", "Completed")

Excel IF statement for blanks and non-blanks

If you are looking to somehow mark your data based on a certain cell(s) being empty or not empty, you can either:

  • Use the IF function together with ISBLANK, or
  • Use the logical expressions ="" (equal to blank) or <>"" (not equal to blank).

The table below explains the difference between these two approaches with formula examples.

  Logical test Description Formula Example
Blank cells =""

Evaluates to TRUE if a cell is visually empty, even if it contains a zero-length string.

Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE.

 =IF(A1="", 0, 1)

Returns 0 if A1 is visually blank. Otherwise returns 1.

If A1 contains an empty string (""), the formula returns 0.
ISBLANK()

Evaluates to TRUE is a cell contains absolutely nothing - no formula, no spaces, no empty strings.

Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE.

 =IF(ISBLANK(A1), 0, 1)

Returns 0 if A1 is absolutely empty, 1 otherwise.

If A1 contains an empty string (""), the formula returns 1.
Non-blank cells <>"" Evaluates to TRUE if a cell contains some data. Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE.

Cells with zero-length strings are considered blank.

 =IF(A1<>"", 1, 0)

Returns 1 if A1 is non-blank; 0 otherwise.

If A1 contains an empty string, the formula returns 0.
ISBLANK()=FALSE Evaluates to TRUE if a cell is not empty. Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE.

Cells with zero-length strings are considered non-blank.

 =IF(ISBLANK(A1)=FALSE, 0, 1)

Works the same as the above formula, but returns 1 if A1 contains an empty string.

And now, let's see blank and non-blank IF statements in action. Suppose you have a date in column B only if a game has already been played. To label the completed games, use one of these formulas:

=IF(B2="", "", "Completed")

=IF(ISBLANK(B2), "", "Completed")

=IF($B2<>"", "Completed", "")

=IF(ISBLANK($B2)=FALSE, "Completed", "")

In case the tested cells have no zero-length strings, all the formulas will return exactly the same results: IF statement for blank and non-blank cells.

Check if two cells are the same

To create a formula that checks if two cells match, compare the cells by using the equals sign (=) in the logical test of IF. For example:

=IF(B2=C2, "Same score", "") Check if two cells contain the same values.

To check if the two cells contain same text including the letter case, make your IF formula case-sensitive with the help of the EXACT function.

For instance, to compare the passwords in A2 and B2, and returns "Match" if the two strings are exactly the same, "Do not match" otherwise, the formula is:

=IF(EXACT(A2, B2), "Match", "Don't match") Case-sensitive IF formula to check if two cells match.

IF then formula to run another formula

In all of the previous examples, an Excel IF statement returned values. But it can also perform a certain calculation or execute another formula when a specific condition is met or not met. For this, embed another function or arithmetic expression in the value_if_true and/or value_if_false arguments.

For example, if B2 is greater than 80, we'll have it multiplied by 7%, otherwise by 3%:

=IF(B2>80, B2*7%, B2*3%) IF formula that runs another formula.

Multiple IF statements in Excel

In essence, there are two ways to write multiple IF statements in Excel:

  • Nesting several IF functions one into another
  • Using the AND or OR function in the logical test

Nested IF statement

Nested IF functions let you place multiple IF statements in the same cell, i.e. test multiple conditions within one formula and return different values depending on the results of those tests.

Assume your goal is to assign different bonuses based on the score:

  • Over 90 - 10%
  • 90 to 81 - 7%
  • 80 to 70 - 5%
  • Less than 70 - 3%

To accomplish the task, you write 3 separate IF functions and nest them one into another like this:

=IF(B2>90, 10%, IF(B2>=81, 7%, IF(B2>=70, 5%, 3%))) Nested IF statement.

For more formula examples, please see:

Excel IF statement with multiple conditions

To evaluate several conditions with the AND or OR logic, embed the corresponding function in the logical test:

For example, to return "Pass" if both scores in B2 and C2 are higher than 80, the formula is:

=IF(AND(B2>80, C2>80), "Pass", "Fail")

To get "Pass" if either score is higher than 80, the formula is:

=IF(OR(B2>80, C2>80), "Pass", "Fail") Excel IF statement with multiple conditions.

For full details, please visit:

If error in Excel

Starting from Excel 2007, we have a special function, named IFERROR, to check formulas for errors. In Excel 2013 and higher, there is also the IFNA function to handle #N/A errors.

And still, there may be some circumstances when using the IF function together with ISERROR or ISNA is a better solution. Basically, IF ISERROR is the formula to use when you want to return something if error and something else if no error. The IFERROR function is unable to do that as it always returns the result of the main formula if it isn't an error.

For example, to compare each score in column B against the top 3 scores in E2:E4, and return "Yes" if a match is found, "No" otherwise, you enter this formula in C2, and then copy it down through C7:

=IF(ISERROR(MATCH(B2, $E$2:$E$4, 0)), "No", "Yes" ) If error formula in Excel.

For more information, please see IF ISERROR formula in Excel.

Hopefully, our examples have helped you get a grasp of the Excel IF basics. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!

Practice workbook

Excel IF statement - formula examples (.xlsx file)

Table of contents

4804 comments

  1. Hi there,
    So I have the column for overtime hours rendered by our staff, next to it is the column remarks if the rendered overtime is saturday, holiday, and regular day. Then I have for column ROT, Holiday, and rest day. To avoid manually encode the OT hours if it's under ROT, Holiday and rest day, I need a formula for that. for example, if the overtime hours is with remarks of saturday, the figure will be in the column of rest day, if regular day under ROT and if holiday under holiday.
    thanks for the help

  2. HI ,
    I want to calculate Gratuity for the employees in the company and i have the difference between the joining date and the last day working day as a value to check it and implement into 4 Columns (options) , first column if the (value >=365 and less than 1095) , second column if the value >= 1095 and less than 1825 , third column if value >=1825 then till 1825 will be calculated in third column and more than 1825 will be calculated in fourth column , the major idea from the two comparisons for each to avoid the duplicate of the values in the other columns if we consider value 1850 >=365 for example will be calculated in all 4 columns .

    Thanks in advance .

  3. I want to calculate a value for example:
    A1 has 100 and B1 and C1 can have 0 or any positive number
    Next A2 should be A1 minus (B1+C1) how to use if and else formula for this

    • Hi! There is no "else formula" in Excel. It is not clear from your question why IF should be used here. Try A1-(B1+C1). Or describe the problem in more detail.

  4. Is there a way to write a formula that would state - If this number (in cell A2) is 25% less than another number (say in cell D2), give me a yes? Conversely, If A2 is 25% greater than D2, say yes.

  5. how do I make a formula that is like the match formula but instead of it saying match and don't match it would be a certain color like if it doesn't match then it would stay white but if it did match then it would be red

  6. I am comparing if 2 cells (text) match, if they match, then I copy the value from another cell that is a text, if not, just write "Input information".
    This is the formula that I am writing:
    =(EXACT(A2,B2),D2,"Input information")

    When I press enter it shows me the equation instead of the options.
    When I go to "Evaluate Formula" in the Formula menu, the message says: The cell currently being evaluated contains a constant.
    Columns A, B are formatted as General and column D as Text.

  7. Hi there, New to learn formula's on my own and looking for some help.
    Basically.... Im looking for a formula for the below....
    Table of data have been created B54:D78 - 3 columns, 25 rows.
    My selected cell is I8

    If Column I7 says ICU (B73), enter data from C73 in selected cell

    Hoped this make sense. Ive been trying for hrs ... Im missing something - just font know what ....

    Thank you in advance

    • Its all good - I worked it out... I have copied below in case anyone was wondering...

      =IF(ISNUMBER(MATCH(H6,B$54:B$78,0)),INDEX(C$54:C$78,MATCH(H6,B$54:B$78,0)),"")

      Thanks for this page... have learnt so much already .. :)

  8. Hello People,
    Please help me with the below query

    Suppose I have 4 Remarks column have different remarks

    Col D - RNR
    Col G - Interested
    Col V - Payment not processed
    Col W - Onboarded

    How do i get the latest remarks in Col Z - I.e. Onboarded.

    • If Cell L2, Cell R2, Cell W2, Cell AB2 & Cell AG2 has a remarks, the latest remark should show in Column AM

      • If Cell L2 = RNR
        Cell R2= Call Back
        Cell W2=Disconnected
        Cell AB2=Network Issue
        Cell AG2=Interested

        the latest remark should show in Cell AM as Interested

        Example 2
        If Cell L2 = RNR
        Cell R2= Call Back
        Cell W2=Disconnected
        Cell AB2=Blank Cell
        Cell AG2=Blank Cell
        the latest remark should show in Cell AM as Disconnected

  9. I'm trying to do a if function but use a formula. Is this possible or is it another function i should be using?
    =IF(H12="RO","0","=SUM(I12-H12-I13)")

    • Hi! I don't know what you wanted to calculate. Read the article above carefully, as well as the instructions for the SUM function. Here is one possible variant of your formula:
      =IF(H12="RO",0,I12-H12-I13)

  10. Hi, I have different city names and I want to group it in different state by using IF function - pls support
    For Example, if one cell has the city name as "X" / "Y" / "Z" should be named as "Apple", If "A" / "B" / "C" as "Orange", so on - how to do it

  11. HI,
    i am trying to using IF command for following application but unable to success,

    =IF(H100=100A-3P,"100")

    will you please suggest is this formula is Ok or need correction

    Best Regards
    Mehmood Saleem

  12. I currently have this formula:

    =IF(B1601<0,"Currently Overspending by $"&IF(B1601<0,ROUND(SUM(B1601*-1),2),ROUND(B1601,2)) &"!","Can Contribute $"&ROUND(B1601,2) &" to Savings.")

    I was wondering if and how a different text format can be passed for the Value? For example I would like the "true" value to be red and bold and the "False" value to be blue and bold.

  13. Greetings. I am a 4th-grade teacher working on a data tracking spreadsheet and cannot figure out how to get the data I desire from two columns into the third column.

    Column C will have a student's test score (either a 1, 2, 3, or 4). Column D will have the student's retake test score (either a 1, 2, 3, 4, or it will be left blank because he or she did not need to take the retake). Currently, I am using the formula below to show the score change for a student's test in Column E:

    =IF(C5"",C5-D5,"")*(-1)

    I am looking to see data in the following manner:
    1) If there is data in Column C and in Column D, I want to show the data change in Column E
    - if the score goes up from a 1 to a 3, Column E would show a 2 (and of course any variation of a score increase would be represented)
    - if the score goes down from a 4 to a 3, Column E would show a -1 (and of course any variation of a score decrease would be represented)
    2) If there is data in Column C but not in Column D, I do not want data to show in Column E
    - if a student's data in Column C is 3 and there is no data in Column D (they did not take the retake test), I do not want anything to show in Column E

    I cannot wrap my head around how to get this done and have had great success with assistance on this Blog. For someone that understands the ins and outs of functions, my guess is this will not be too difficult, but for me, I am stumped. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

    Trigg

  14. How i can i calculate time used for to supply order ?
    For example:
    Distributor delivery order between 07am and 4PM (Agreed time), and he received order 11h10am on November 28 and deliver order on 14pm on November 29 2023,

  15. its a great tutorial but unfortunately I have problem and I couldn't fix it yet. I want to convert cells(in a column) to another thing(first column is 1" , 2" , 3" and etc. and second column should be 1 mm , 2 mm , 3 mm) but i have a problem, since the first column has double quotation the excel fails to proceed.
    P.S: I use this formula like this : IF(A1="1""), "1 mm", "")

  16. I have to create a rating system in excel. For example, if 2 or more ratings are listed as "marginal", then the final rating is marginal. If there is one marginal, but the other ratings are satisfactory then the rating is satisfactory. How do I make that into an excel formula?

  17. Hi I have to create a formula with multiple AND OR.
    Example: =IF(OR(D2="MXP", J2="RASO"), "190 €", IF(AND(D2="TRN", J2="RASO"), "160 €", "")) but it doesn't work.
    Any idea of how I can make it work?

    Thanks

  18. Hi,
    I have a 25 rows (e.g., F2:AD2). Some of the cells in these rows contain a specific text, while the rest are empty. I need a formula which can extract the cell number of the rows that contain the specific text.
    for example, if N2 and Z2 has the specific text, i want the formula to return "N2, Z2". I used IFS and it only returns the first true value and omits the rest.
    How do i get it done?

    Many thanks.

  19. hi i dont know what formula will i use
    "55+0= 0 or blank"
    if the value in column b is 55 and column c is 0 i would like to see it blank in column d or show it as 0 value but if i input value in column c operations should be done on column d (55*1=55) hope you get my point

  20. Hello!in sheet1 from column A - K are all occupied,in column G there are mixture up trucks registrations numbers of 3 different countries,i need to maintain that column but link every country registration number to go to different sheet depending on first letter of the registration

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