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. Ps: Can i do this with Countif function?

  2. Hi again,i need some help.
    In GDP column i have numbers equaled to the current year GDP.I want to count the values in the whole GDP column. In one cell to have information how many values i have in column GDP.Thanks!
    Sashko

  3. Hi Just to add to the above point i need to show the total number of due items in the next row

    Total Amount Due :
    Total Number of Due Invoices

  4. Hi,

    I am trying for a formula where if Column H is having due it should sum the total amount of Due from Column F

    For example =IF((H9:H70)="Due","SUM(F9,F70)",0)

    Column H contains Paid and Due
    Please advised.

  5. Hi, I need to write a formula to achieve following.

    If (cell No.) is >1 and 1100 then "350" and If (cell No.) is >1101 and <2100 then "300" and so on

    Can anyone help?

    Thanks in Advance

    • Hi,

      =IF(AND(J12>1,J12=1101,J12<=2100),"300",""))

    • hi,

      =IF(AND(A1>1,A1=1101,A1<=2100),"300",""))

  6. Hi, I need to write a formula to achieve following.

    If (cell No.) is >1 and 1101 and 2101 and <3100 then "250" and so on......
    Can anyone help?

    Thanks in Advance

  7. Hello. What a wonderful resource! I've learned a lot but unfortunately, not a solution to my problem. In column B I have a dollar amount. Column C is a dollar amount too, but by way of the vlookup function, so if there is no value returned, it has #N/A. I am trying to add columns B and C, but if column C is #N/A then you get #N/A when trying to add the two columns. I thought that if I used the IF function and said if C is > 0, then add the two columns, but if that argument is not true (it's #N/A), then just list what's in B. In other words, if columns B and C both have a dollar amount, then add them in column C. If column C does not have a dollar amount, then just list what's in B. Perhaps I should be approaching this differently?
    Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide.

    • Hello Steve,

      Thank you very much for your feedback!

      You can use the following formula for your task:
      =IF(ISNUMBER(C2),B2+C2,B2)

  8. This formula works if the 2 cases are true:
    =IF(AND(J4<50%, N4<75%), "Mit Attendance < 50%; Toes Cut < 75%")

    I want to also add that if J4 is true, to output "Mit Attendance < 50%" and if N4 is true to output "Toes Cut < 75%".

    How do I combine them to get 3 possible outputs? Thanks for your help.

  9. Hi,

    how bout if I return the value of the difference of two cells for the false item? goes something like this =if(A2=B2, "ok", =A2-B2). I tried that one but it says the formula contains an error, then it recommended this one, =if(A2=B2, "ok", =difference(A2-B2)), but again, no luck was achieved. A little help please. Thanks.

  10. It still was not working correctly but I figured the problem was bcos I did not put % sign in the formula. My cells are all in percentages.
    This is the one that worked:
    =IF(AND(I11>=50%, L11>=75%), "Qualified", "Disqualified")

    Thank you very much!

  11. Hi,

    I need 1 to be low, 2 to be medium and 3 to be high.
    I tried out =IF(A5=''LOW'',''1'',,) but error. Where is the error and how can I correct them?

    • Hi Farah,

      Try this formula:

      =IF(A5="low", 1, IF(A5="medium", 2, IF(A5="high", 3, "")))

  12. formula below:
    =IF(AND(I11>=50, L11>=75), "Qualified", "Disqualified")

    • Hello Gbesimi,

      Your formula is correct. Please carefully check your entry and numbers. I say this because if I11=49 and L11=75, it will show "Disqualified" as instructed; and vice versa. If there is still an error, please provide an example and I will help to the best of my ability.

      Mr. Ninja

  13. Pls see formula below. Atho both conditions are met, it is giving me Disqualified. Thank you.

  14. Hello Sashko,

    I believe I understand your question now. Every cell that contains the number '24', you would like to add 48 but if not, then sum all the numbers together. So if A1=24, B1=24, and C1=3; then your total you want would be 96, correct? On the other side, if A1=1, B1=2, and C1=3; then your total would be 6. This is what I am understanding from your clarification. If this is correct, I would use the formula below to calculate and verify if any cells contain the specific number '24'.

    =IF(COUNTIF(A1:C1,24)>0,COUNTIF(A1:C1,24)*48,SUM(A1:C1))

    Please verify if this is what you are wanting.

    Mr. Ninja

    • Hi,Ninja.
      Yes that is it ! It worked! Thanks for the help!

  15. Hi,
    I just cant figure it out how to do this so in cells A2 to C2 i have numbers.I want in cell D2 to get the sum of the numbers with the following conditions if any number is equaled to 24 in cells A2 to C2 that cell in the sum(D2 ) to be 48! Any cell! i just cant fugure it out! Can you help me?
    Sashko

    • Hello Sashko,

      To clarify, are the cells that contain value A2, B2, and C2? If so I would use this:

      =IF(OR(A2=24,B2=24,C2=24),48,SUM(B7+C7+D7))

      If not, please help clear up the confusion for a better answer.

      Ninja

      • Hi,Ninja well it is hard for to explain but i will say it that way
        If i have one cell for example C2 yes the result is 48 but i want if D2 is also 24 the sum to be 2.48=96 for every 24 to have 48 plus.I hope you understood the problem.Thanks!
        Sashko

        • Hello Sashko,

          I believe I understand your question now. Every cell that contains the number '24', you would like to add 48 but if not, then sum all the numbers together. So if A1=24, B1=24, and C1=3; then your total you want would be 96, correct? On the other side, if A1=1, B1=2, and C1=3; then your total would be 6. This is what I am understanding from your clarification. If this is correct, I would use the formula below to calculate and verify if any cells contain the specific number '24'.

          =IF(COUNTIF(A1:C1,24)>0,COUNTIF(A1:C1,24)*48,SUM(A1:C1))

          Please verify if this is what you are wanting.

          Mr. Ninja

  16. Which nottation is used 1 to 100

    thanks and regards
    Ratheesh

  17. Hi,
    I'm a day trader. I fetch data from Internet and the Market price updates in a particular cell in My Excel Professional Plus 2010. Is there any method where I can fetch that changing number and make it to a list of numbers updated by ticks so that during aftermarket time I could use those numbers for analyzing the data.
    Thank you in Advance.
    Riaz

    • How do you fetch the data from the internet pls?

  18. Hi Svetlana,

    I was wondering if you could help me out? I'm trying to update a formula in a cell which takes information from a set of cells which, in turn are subject to information from another set of cells.

    E.g.

    A1 Apples C1 Bananas
    A2 Oranges C2 Plums
    A3 Pears C3 Peaches

    One of A1, A2, A3 will populate A4 depending on information in cells B1-B3 (say highest number), likewise C4 from C1-C3 depending on information from cells D1-D3.

    I'm trying to write a formula in A6 based on the data from A4 and C4 again depending on which has the highest number in cells B4 and D4. The formula is something along the lines of =IF(AND(B4>D4),"data from A4", "data from C4").

    As the information in cells A4, and C4 are subject to data from cells A1, A2, A3, B1, B2 & B3 and C1, C2, C3, D1, D2, & D3 respectively while A6 is subject to data from A4, B4, C4 & D4, how do I create the formula in A6 which takes in the data which is subject to change as opposed to any text e.g. "data from A4"?

    If you can follow all of that I would appreciate any help you can give.

    Thank you in advance,

    Darren

    • Hi Darren,

      If your task is to return the number from A4 if the number in B4 is larger than the number in D4, and otherwise return the number from C4, then you can use the following formula in A6:
      =IF(B4>D4,A4,C4)

  19. how can solve this problem
    if 200 captured 4, 600 captured 8,& 1000 captured 10
    pl. give the correct link

    • Hi,

      use this below formula, I have taken 200, 600, 1000 in Column "A"

      =IF(A1=200,"4",IF(A1=600,"8",IF(A1=1000,"10","")))

      • Hi Hemanth,
        thanks for info.
        but we need if any value is less than 200 it's captured "4"
        if its 400 to 599 its captured "6" & it's 600 or above then itwill be captured "10"

        Pl help

        • Hi,

          =IF(AND(J10>0,J10=400,J10=600,"10","")))

  20. =IF(AND(A7>=5.5,A7=5.5 and <=13

    true = A7-0.5
    false= if A7<5.5 true A7 False A7-1.

    Please help me!

    • Hi Grissy,

      Here you go:

      =IF(AND(A7>=5.5, A7<=13), A7-0.5, IF(A7<5.5, A7, A7-1))

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