by 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:
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:
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:
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:
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", "")
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.
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.
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")
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")
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.
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$2, "Coming soon", "Completed")
To compare a date with the current date, use the TODAY() function. For example:
=IF(B2>TODAY(), "Coming soon", "Completed")
Excel IF statement for blanks and non-blanks
If you are looking to somehow mark your data based on a certain cell(s) being empty or not empty, you can either:
- Use the IF function together with ISBLANK, or
- Use the logical expressions ="" (equal to blank) or <>"" (not equal to blank).
The table below explains the difference between these two approaches with formula examples.
| Logical test | Description | Formula Example | |
| Blank cells | ="" |
Evaluates to TRUE if a cell is visually empty, even if it contains a zero-length string. Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE. |
=IF(A1="", 0, 1)
Returns 0 if A1 is visually blank. Otherwise returns 1. If A1 contains an empty string (""), the formula returns 0. |
| ISBLANK() |
Evaluates to TRUE is a cell contains absolutely nothing - no formula, no spaces, no empty strings. Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE. |
=IF( Returns 0 if A1 is absolutely empty, 1 otherwise. If A1 contains an empty string (""), the formula returns 1. |
|
| Non-blank cells | <>"" | Evaluates to TRUE if a cell contains some data. Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE.
Cells with zero-length strings are considered blank. |
=IF( Returns 1 if A1 is non-blank; 0 otherwise. If A1 contains an empty string, the formula returns 0. |
| ISBLANK() |
Evaluates to TRUE if a cell is not empty. Otherwise, evaluates to FALSE.
Cells with zero-length strings are considered non-blank. |
=IF( Works the same as the above formula, but returns 1 if A1 contains an empty string. |
And now, let's see blank and non-blank IF statements in action. Suppose you have a date in column B only if a game has already been played. To label the completed games, use one of these formulas:
=IF(B2="", "", "Completed")
=IF(ISBLANK(B2), "", "Completed")
=IF($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:
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", "")
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")
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%)
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%)))
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")
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" )
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)
4802 comments
Hi
I need to asign a value to prices which falls in a specific range
0-50000 = Level 1
50001 - 300000 = Level 2
300001 - 500000 = Level 3
This is what i did, but that only gives a value for the first level.
=IF(E2:E10<=50000,"Level 1", "Other Value")
Hi, Johan,
please try this formula:
=IF((COUNTIF(A1:C1,"<=50000"))>0,"Level 1",(IF((COUNTIF(A1:C1,">=50001")-COUNTIF(A1:C1,">300000"))>0,"Level 2",(IF((COUNTIF(A1:C1,">=300001")-COUNTIF(A1:C1,">500000"))>0,"Level 3","")))))
Please note that the first criterion will be checked at first, and if there's at least one cell in the range that falls under this criterion, the rest won't apply.
If you need something other than that, please specify.
Hope it helps.
Hi,
I am trying to create a spreadsheet to calculate high school grades using the weighted average and weighted percentage method.
My problem is, I want to show that if a student is absent for 1 or 2 assignments or tests, they will not be penalized in their average assignment grade.
How then can I write a IF function to show this calculation?
Thanks for your usual assistance.
Hi, Hamack,
for us to be able to assist you with an approximate formula, please specify the names of the columns you have, what values are stored there, and how you indicate that the student was absent.
Thanks!
Hi, I'm creating a formula that once your if you change status to Complete in column B, then column C will provide the current date
Hi, Nyleve,
if the status is in B2 and you need the result to return into C2, here's a formula:
=IF(B2="Complete",TODAY(),"")
Then copy the formula down column C.
Please note that if B2 doesn't contain "Complete", C2 will remain empty.
I have two workbooks that I am trying to link together. The first workbook is Participants' Weight. The cell I am looking at is G2. If G2 is blank, I want to only add cells C3, E3, G3, and I3 on the second workbook (Nutrition and Fitness). If G2 has a value, I want it to add that value PLUS C3, E3,G3, and I3. Can you please help with my formula? This is what I have..
=IF(ISBLANK('Participants'' Weight'!G2),=SUM('Nutrition & Fitness'!C3+'Nutrition & Fitness'!E3+'Nutrition & Fitness'!G3+'Nutrition & Fitness'!I3),=SUM('Nutrition & Fitness'!C3+'Nutrition & Fitness'!E3+'Nutrition & Fitness'!G3+'Nutrition & Fitness'!I3+'Participants'' Weight'!G2))
Nevermind, I figured it out!
=IFERROR(INDEX(Tbl_Task2[Activity Actual Start Date],MATCH($B4&X$1,Tbl_Task2[Activity ID]&Tbl_Task2[Task Name],0)),"")
How do I make the dates come out as blanks using this formula?
Hi, I'm trying to create a schedule for our workers using the schedule for our kids. I'm trying to figure out how to put in a formula that says " If Cell A3 on Sheet 1 equals "JohnDoe" then cell A2 on Sheet 1 will be copied to cell A2 on Sheet 3". Is there a way I can do this?
=IF(Sheet1!A3="enter text here", Sheet1!A2, " ")
Enter this formula into A2 on sheet 3. Where it says "Enter text here" you can either enter the text you want to use or take away the quotations and enter a cell like B2...
Drag the formula all the wya down
Thanks very much for your participation and help, Jackie! :)
=IF(SQRT(BP22-(BS22/BS23))+0.5>=BY19,0.95,SUM(BY22))
Hi,
I want to generate an expression that basically states that if the number in cell BY22 is not greater than 0.95, then this figure is to be used. The expression is being placed into BY22.
Please help!!!!
Cheers
Paul
Hi, I have a spread sheet with validated filtered lists and I need help constructing a formula that will add 14 or 28 days to the current date for a smart target review depending whether I select 2 week review or 4 week review.
the current date is displayed in cell A19, the two week review in G21 and the four week review in G22. the answer will appear in cell G20 and should display the result of todays date plus 14 or 28 days displayed as a date. thanks if you can help.
Hi,
I wantto select one value from a set of values which is there in column and if it matches to the logical statement, then it should take the corresponding row value as true result else some zero.
SWG Dia with enamel, mm Area of bare conductor, mm^2 R/Km@20oC ohms Weight Kg/Km
8 4.219 12.97 1.3 116
9 3.8 10.51 1.6 94
10 3.383 8.302 2.1 74
11 3.068 6.818 2.5 61
12 2.756 5.48 3.1 49.22
13 2.441 4.289 4 38.56
14 2.129 3.243 5.3 29.15
15 1.92 2.627 6.6 23.64
16 1.709 2.075 8.3 18.678
17 1.501 1.589 10.8 14.313
18 1.293 1.167 14.8 10.537
19 1.082 0.8107 21.3 7.324
20 0.978 0.6567 26.3 5.939
21 0.874 0.5189 33.2 4.702
22 0.77 0.3973 43.4 3.607
23 0.665 0.2919 59.1 2.655
24 0.612 0.2452 70.3 2.233
25 0.561 0.2027 85.1 1.851
26 0.505 0.1642 105 1.499
27 0.462 0.1363 126.5 1.245
28 0.417 0.111 155.3 1.014
29 0.384 0.09372 184 0.8559
30 0.351 0.07791 221.3 0.7121
31 0.33 0.06818 252.9 0.6245
32 0.307 0.0591 291.7 0.5408
33 0.287 0.05067 340.3 0.465
34 0.264 0.04289 402 0.3932
35 0.241 0.03575 482.2 0.3281
36 0.218 0.02927 589.1 0.2686
37 0.198 0.02343 735.9 0.2202
38 0.175 0.01824 945.2 0.1679
39 0.152 0.0137 1,258 0.1262
40 0.142 0.011675 1,477 0.1079
41 0.132 0.00981 1,758 0.0908
42 0.119 0.008107 2,127 0.075
43 0.109 0.006567 2,626 0.061
44 0.097 0.005189 3,323 0.0481
45 0.086 0.003973 4,340 0.0369
e.g SWG = 39, select 0.0137 as true else 0
SWG = 40, select 0.011675 as true else 0
Please give solution.
Thanks & Regards
Ajeet
I am trying to get a spreadsheet to calculate a time penalty for a certain class in racing. The time penalty formula is =+IF(AND($A33="",$B33=""),"",IF($B$5=0,IF(K33="","",K33),IF(K33="","",IF($B33="A",K33*$B$5,K33)))), however if I enter a DNS or DNF (did not start/finish) in cell K33 then the formula comes up with a #value error because it expects a time value in K33.
This only causes an issues where B33=A.
So basically B5 is a percentage time penalty, column K is the actual time taken for the race and for a specific class of vehicle we need to add a time penalty.
There may be 6 heats, one heat the vehicle may not have finished, so instead of a time entered it is DNF, but this will not multiply the time penalty. What I want is for the adjusted time column to show DNF as well but it won't because of the calculation it is trying to do
Hi
I'm trying to get an IF formula to work but I am having trouble. I'm trying to do an IF formula for both cells. I want the formula to return the number 2 if cell D7 is not blank (ie has data in it), return the number 6 if cell E7 has data in it or remain blank if neither of them have data in. Can anyone help please?
=IF(D7>0, "2", IF(E7>0,"6"," "))
I am not sure if this is what you are asking
Hi,
I try to do like, =IF(A1="no","no need to fill in the blank", "") and If the A1 = "yes" I need to fill in the blank. How to do that? because if I do like above IF statement, the IF statement will gone when A1 = "yes" after I filled the blank.
=IF(A1="yes", "Fill in the blank", IF(A1="No","Do not fill in the Blank"," "))
I need a formula that can place the date from sheet 1 on sheet 2 when a number value is greater than or equal to a set number. The date would be in the same row in sheet 1 as the number. Example sheet 1 column A row 1 (5/5/17 entered) column B row 1(405 entered) set value is 400. 5/5/17 would then be shown in cell choosen on sheet 2.
Example:
=IF(405>=400, Sheet1!A1, "" )
Example:
=IF(405>=400, Sheet2!A1, "" )
The number in an Excel cell in the formulator to select a cell like?
for example
Ten is the number in cell a3
Five is the number in cell a4
Three is the number in cell c5
Four is the number in cell c6
Now we want to write the formula:
=a(c5)
The c5 gets three
And ac5 gets a3
Which is equal to ten
How is this done?
Thanks
ID NO- M123, M124, M125, F126,F127
WHAT IS THE FORMULA IF THE GENDER IS BASED ON THE EMPLOYEE'S ID NO? IF THE ID NO STARTS WITH M, THEN THE EMPLOYEE IS MALE, F IF FEMALE
I need help for this thankx.if cell b1 greather than 0 then add A3 and B2 if not return A3 VALUE in b3 .
use the or formula within cell B3...
=IF(0>B1, B2+B3, A3)
I am trying to use an if/than stmt and change the color of the cell based on that stmt. example if the cell is greater than or equal to than $1000 i want the cell to turn green
Use the conditional formatting tool. Any number great than or equal to 1000 turn green.
Hello,
need to create a formula that would, if not manually entered number in cell, the formula would read data from other cell.
example:
in cell A1 if i type 10 it says 10, but if i skip it then it would read from cell D1 where i get the number from some equation.
Thank you
Hello, Alen,
I believe, the formula below will help you:
=IF(ISNUMBER(A1),A1,D1)
It will return any numeric value from A1, but if there's a text in A1 or it's empty, the formula reads D2 then.
It did,
thank you very much !
You're welcome! :)
i need to create a formula that, when i click "yes/no" in one cell, I get the answer in another cell. the formula is complex but not sure how to navigate this.
HELP!
Hello, Greg,
if your first cell (let's name it A1) has only two options - Yes and No, your formula should look like this:
=IF(A1="Yes",""Answer_for_Yes","Answer_for_No")
If A1 may remain empty or contain other value for which you don't want anything to return, then:
=IF(A1="Yes",""Answer_for_Yes",IF(A1="No","Answer_for_No",""))
You can learn more about nested IF function on our blog page.
Hi,
Need help for this formula.
Duration: Must be more 60 Seconds.
Status: POOR, GOOD, EXCELLENT.
Condition:
IF duration 60 seconds, but the Status = "POOR", then need to check.
My current formula:
=IF(A2<60,"POOR",IF(B2="GOOD","OK",IF(B2="EXCELLENT","OK"
I'm stuck with that.
Thanks.
Hi,
if I understand your task correctly, this formula should do:
=IF(AND(A2<60,B2="POOR"),"NOT OK",IF(AND(A2<60,B2="GOOD"),"OK",IF(AND(A2<60,B2="EXCELLENT"),"OK","")))
If it's not what you're looking for, please describe in details what values you already have and in which cells, and specify your condition for when there's poor/good/excellent in B2.