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,

    A cell has a date entered in it. Now I want to pop-up an alert, or ring an alarm if the date is today. How can I do it.

  2. Hi,

    I am needing a formulae to highlight the cells if the date entered is within a week from the current date. How can I do this?

    • Hi Iona,

      Do you want to highlight dates that are +- 7 days from the current day, or those that are within the current week?

      • I would like it to highlight dates that +7 days or less from the current.

          • That's great thanks. How do I change the words 'TRUE' and 'FALSE'.

            • The formula returns TRUE and FALSE when you enter it in a cell. If you create a conditional formatting rule with this formula, it will highlight the cells that meet the condition. For the detailed steps to create a rule, please see the link in my previous reply.

              If you want the formula to return some other words, enclose it in the IF function, for example:
              =IF(ABS(TODAY()-A2)<=7, "recent date", "older date")

              • Works perfectly, thanks.

  3. 7/10/2015 6/10/2015 In this cell i want the Latest one.
    6/10/2015 7/10/2015 In this cell i want the Latest one.

    How could it Possible.

    • Hi Suvendu,

      Supposing that the dates are in columns A and B, you can use the following MAX formula:
      =MAX(A1:B1)

  4. I am trying to use a IF/Find or IF/Search expression to locate the total expense associated with a particular budget name. I want to search an entire worksheet for a particular name "Total 81320 Communications" which may be in column c or d of the worksheet - and then report the value found in column x from that same row as the name.

    Is this the correct way to build a formula - with the IF(ISNUMBER (SEARCH"text",worksheet A1:V100)

    • Hi NANCY,

      Yes, it's the correct approach. Here's a real-life formula example:
      =IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("deliv",C2)), "No", "Yes")

      You can view the result the formula returns in "Example 3. IF formula for text values with partial match".

  5. Hi Team,

    I have a list of entries. In that only 5 entries are critical and score given is high. If any mistake in any one of the cell overall score should be zero. Can you please help me how it can implemented

  6. Hi,,

    in pivot table, figure show in thousand. I want this amount in Lacs, how to convert this.

    Example : suppose result in pivot table is 500000, but it would be showing in as 5.

    Pl. help

  7. I am faced a big problem. need your urgent help.like below
    BE=1st
    OB=2nd
    US=3rd
    RS=1st
    KR=2nd ...........................
    but i want a formula when i put BE then automatically convert another column 1st or 2nd or 3rd,
    Please help me................................

  8. Hi Svetlana,

    I just want an answer for my work. It happens that our shared worksheet contains some formula like this:

    =IF(PO2>PT2,CONCATENATE(PT2,"-",PO2),CONCATENATE(PO2,"-",PT2))

    cell PO2 contains: Brussels (Greater Area)
    cell PT2 contains: Dublin (Greater Area)

    result: Brussels (Greater Area)-Dublin (Greater Area)

    I'm just wondering how does the formula performs and calculate the "string" ?? It did recognize which is greater in both cells. Coz I am only aware that the ">" function only works with numbers. So hopefully you could help me with this. Thank you so much in advance Svetlana and have a good day ahead.

  9. I need a formula that will do the following:

    Cell A:A = "City-name"
    Cell G:G = total hours > 0.00
    I need to place in Cell H the total hours of rows G:G if A:A = "City-name"

    Keep in mind that I have two ranges here in the equation. A:A is row list of cities that I can choose from. G:G is a row list of hours that I need totaled for each city name in cell H:H

  10. Hi, In Sheet1, I have 2 columns i.e. Company_Name and Credit_Period(No.of Days). In Sheet2 the company name appears in several rows and in the adjacent cell, I want it to pick-up the credit period (as mentioned in Sheet1). Can you guide for a formula please.
    Thanks in advance for your help.

  11. Hi, I would like some help please. I am creating a spreadsheet to do a detailed payroll forecast, as part of this I need to forecast by month by individual for the next 18 months what the monthly provision will be. We start this accrual once the employee has reached five years, and in that first month I need to accrue the first five years and each month after just the monthly amount. Can you recommend a formula that I could use in this case, or a simple method. I have tried a number of options but no luck. Thank you.

  12. Hi, is it possible to extract text from one cell to another cell in another sheet, but only if an "if" function is used or if a condition of a cell is "yes" or "no"?

  13. Hi Svetlana,

    How can i condition +- in excel, i got a value lets say 15 +-0.5 how can i arrange that in a excel formula, if the value is +0.5 fail also if it is -0.5

    Many thanks for any help you could give me

    • Hi Charles,

      You can use a formula similar to this:
      =IF(OR(A1>15+0.5, A1<15-0.5),"fail", "pass")

  14. Hello Svetlana
    I have bit of unique requirement to automate one of my job responsibilities at work. I have
    Rates – Zone 1, Zone2, Zone3 and so on...
    Each Zone has two rates for consignment depending on its weight, so to get the billing amount of each consignment I have to check what zone and how much it weights and them I can calculate billing amount.
    I am not good at advance excel so I turned to internet for help and landed on your ablebits.com.
    e.g
    Zone 1 - £10 up to 25kg and thereafter 0.35 per/kg
    Consignment of 35Kg = ((35-25)*0.35)+10 = 13.5

    Zone 2 - £8 up to 25kg and thereafter 0.45 per/kg
    Consignment of 35Kg = ((35-25)*0.45)+8 = 12.5

    I was trying to use IF function and was hoping that I can have drop down list from where I just have to choose Zone1 / Zone 2 and it will calculate accordingly. Hope I was clear about my requirement.
    I would be very grateful if you can help, Thanks in advance.

  15. Hello Svetlana
    I have an Excel spreadsheet with 2 sets of data using the same names. The names in the first list are in an order. The second list has the same names but are in a different order. Is there an If function that gives me a number in the second list that tells me what position the name is in the first list i.e. first name in list 1 is third name in list 2 so I need to see 1 next to the third name in list 2 (and vice versa)
    Thanks

  16. I'm trying to do an 'IF' formula where =IF(P7>0,IF(ISBLANK(A256),Type B7 in A256, IF(ISBLANK(A257),Type B7 in A257,IF(ISBLANK(A258),Type B7 in A258, nothing))), nothing)

    I can't seem to find the exact way to type it. If you could help, that would be great. Thanks.

  17. I need a formula where it sum the amount of column B if the date in column A is between the dates in columns C and D.

    • The date in column A should be greater than the date in column C and less than the date in column D.

      • Hello Mili,

        You can use an array formula similar to this:

        =SUM(IF((B2:B9>C2:C9) * (B2:B9<D2:D9), A2:A9,""))

        Remember to press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to enter it correctly.

  18. The formula actually did work. The page was not refreshing. The only issue I am having now is that it is returning a "False" if it doesnt meet the criteria. How can I get it not to do that? I want to average my column and it doesnt work with the False.

  19. I have an excel that I am trying to get to display the number that is in a column (AB) in to column (AO)if it has specific words in it. This is the formula that I tried but I am getting a value of 0 which is not correct.

    =IF(H15="2nd Level Support Indiv. Prod. Mahwah", SUM(AB15))

    I am guessing the SUM function is wrong but couldnt think of anythign else to use. Any ideas?

  20. Hi there,

    Wondering if anyone could help me. I need a formula where it searches in a column for a particular word, then it shows a particular cell.

    If(A:A,"WOR",C5)

    Is this possible? Many many thanks,
    Yuko

    • Hi Yuko,

      You need to write a formula for one cell, and then you can copy it to as many cells as you want or across the entire column:
      =If(A1="WOR",$C$5, "")

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