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)
4804 comments
I need help in figuring out how to write a formula:
I have four rows and twelve columns for my spreadsheet.
Two of the rows will have whole numbers manually entered by me and my co-workers.
I want to write formulas for the other two rows to do automatic calculations based on the data in the other two rows.
Example:
If the value of the data in cell A of row four is less than or equal to the value of the data in cell A of row one, then the value of the data in cell A of row two needs to equal the value of the data in cell A of row four.
But, if the value of the data in Cell A of row four is greater than the value of the data in cell A of row one, then the value of the data in cell A of row two needs to equal the value of the data in cell A of row one.
Numerical Example:
Row 1 Cell A we manually enter the number 34
Row 4 Cell A we manually enter the number 52
Because (Row 4 Cell A) 52 is greater than (Row 1 Cell A)34, the value that should appear in Row 2 Cell A is (The value that is in Row 1 Cell A) 34
or
Row 1 Cell A we manually enter the number 42
Row 4 Cell A we manually enter the number 36
Because (Row 4 Cell A) 36 is less than (Row 1 Cell A) 42, the value that should appear in Row 2 Cell A is (The value that is in Row 4 Cell A) 36
Once I figure out how to write this formula, I know how to write the formula for the cells in row three, which will be a simple subtraction formula.
Can you help me please?
It’s like a table 1 color print between 36 and 66 is .72
1 color print between 66 and 144 is .97
2 color print between 36 and 66 is .97
2 color print between 66 and 144 is 1.15
And it keeps going but I would like to populate the amount in one cell. So if I had a 3 color print and it was between 68 and 145 the price would be 1.15
But if I had a 2 color from and it was between 0 to 68 then it would be 1.20
I’m looking to do a formula . Having trouble with it. What I’m looking for is pricing. If the total units is between 56 and 144 and it is a one color print the price would be .75 but if the units is between 145 and 200 and it is a one color print the price would be 1.00. Can anyone help me with this?
Bayasaa:
I think this will work for you:
Enter this in D1:
=IF(AND(A1="Local",B1="Temporary",C1="Medium"),"Low","Not Low")
No I have never used either one of them before.
Oh and that table is 8 x 8
Up to 8 color prints and 8 price range
It’s excel online so I’m going to guess the most up to date one.. it just frustrating when I’m doing a quote at work that I have to keep looking at the sheet and there is more then one sheet like this so I wanted to put it in excel since that is where I build my quotes.
Hello,
I want to create automatic calculation for impact assessment. It has 3 columns for criteria; A, B and C. So, when i enter criteria in these tree columns 4th column must automatically calculate date. for example: when enter A= local, B= temporary, c=medium, d column calculates "low". how can i enter the formula in d column?
Hello,
I want to create automatic calculation for impact assessment. It has 3 columns for criteria; A, B and C. So, when i enter criteria in these tree columns 4th column must automatically calculate date. for example: when enter A= local, B= temporary, c=medium, d column calculates "low"
Help!
Column A Column B Column C Column D Column E
ABC DEF
ABC ABC
In Column E, I'm trying to find a formula that would populate ABC when it's only ABC in one or more cells in row 1; DEF when it's only DEF in one or more cells in row 1; if ABC and DEF are in the same row as it shown in row 1, then I want the formula to return "BOTH". IF statement doesn't seem to work IF(A2:D2="ABC","ABC",IF(A2:B2="DEF","DEF",IF(A2:A2="","","BOTH")))
Help!
Column A Column B Column C Column D
ABC DEF IF(I2:M2="ABC","ABC",IF(I2:M2="DEF","DEF",IF(I2:M2="","","BOTH")))
ABC ABC
IF(A12.5,"1500")))). CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME CORRECT ONE...
=IF(A4="GP","3",IF(A4="DMF","4",IF(A4="CARD","5",IF(A4="ORTHO","6"))))
SUB_LEVEL IN_DATE WORK_DESCRIPTION STATUS OUT_DATE
A 17-07-2018 SKELETON MAKING #VALUE! 18-07-2018
1).In STATUS Column i want "In Progress" when i enter date in (IN_DATE) Column.
2). And i want "Pending" in STATUS Column if the SUB_LEVEL Column is empty.
3). And i want "Finished" in STATUS Column if i enter any date in OUT_DATE Column.
I have tried using the following formula but it returs an error, Please help:
=IF($B4"","In Progress","Pending")*OR(IF($E4"","-Done",""))
I would like to create a formula that enable me to do the following
If col A =Jack is selected (from a list of 10 names) and
Col B=Cat is selected (from a list of 10 animals)
Col C= result in a date (from a list of dates)
Hi,
I have 4 Column, In column A Date, B diffrent Product (almost 10)
C Purchase Price D Sale Price.
Daily sale / purchase enter one by one.
I Want Prouductwise total (Purchase / Sale) in sepate sheet or column
we need a more clear formula for this function
100 direct 70 Indirect
if direct method shows 100 value than 70 shows indirect method ?kindly help me
What formula/function should be used on number say
if 123-45-6789 then SSN and if 66-666666 the EIN
SQL:
What do you want to do with this data?
I need to create a formula that adds all the S, M, L XL, 2XL in a column. I want them individually, i.e. I am adding tee shirt sizes for a large group, would like an If it equals S, then add them up...
If the "logical_test" is true, I want a value put into another cell. If the "test" is false, I want the words "Out of range" displayed.
Example: =IF (A13=50,C23=95,"Out of Range")
That is, if true, the value 95 is put into cell C23.
How do I write the formula?
Tomas:
In C23 enter =IF(A13=50,95,"Out Of Range")
i try to figure out a formula
if A1:A15=A and B1:B15=750 , C,D
C is value from the other sheet
Hi,
Please suggest a formula
A1 value is 50
If A1 >0 It should be "0" if not it should be "50" (value of A1)
I had the same issue. Here is what I discovered on my own and it works.
=IF(AA134>AA159+100,"",IF(AA134<AA159-100,"",AA134))
So, for you, I would suggest replacing my cell letters & numbers with yours.
Maybe try:
=IF(A10,"50"))
I haven't tried it yet to say if it will work, so try it.
What the formula says is this "If A1 is less than zero, than put 0 in the cell. If A1 is greater than zero, than put 50 in the cell".
I hope this helps.
It took out half of the message that I wrote down. Weird. Let's try this again...
=IF(A10,"50")) so let's see if typing after it helps to keep the sentence and formula together. lol
This is ridiculous, it did it again.
Gonna try a new way. I'm going to use spaces to make sure it does it this time. Sigh. Computers, am I right?
= IF ( A1 0 , "50" ))
When you type this, remove all spaces. It won't let me type the whole thing without removing half of the formula.
I can also try this...
'=IF(A10,"50"))
I will see if it worked after its posted
OK.. nothing is working. Time to use the last resort
=
IF
(
A1
0
,
"50"
))
Sorry guys, this stupid blog engine often "eats" the "greater than" and "less than" symbols. So, let me post a formula for this condition:
"If A1 is less than zero, than put 0 in the cell. If A1 is greater than zero, than put the value of A1 in the cell."
=IF(A1<0, 0, A1)