Basic Excel formulas & functions with examples

The tutorial provides a list of Excel basic formulas and functions with examples and links to related in-depth tutorials.

Being primarily designed as a spreadsheet program, Microsoft Excel is extremely powerful and versatile when it comes to calculating numbers or solving math and engineering problems. It enables you to total or average a column of numbers in the blink of an eye. Apart from that, you can compute a compound interest and weighted average, get the optimal budget for your advertising campaign, minimize the shipment costs or make the optimal work schedule for your employees. All this is done by entering formulas in cells.

This tutorial aims to teach you the essentials of Excel functions and show how to use basic formulas in Excel.

The basics of Excel formulas

Before providing the basic Excel formulas list, let's define the key terms just to make sure we are on the same page. So, what do we call an Excel formula and Excel function?

  • Formula is an expression that calculates values in a cell or in a range of cells.

    For example, =A2+A2+A3+A4 is a formula that adds up the values in cells A2 through A4.

  • Function is a predefined formula already available in Excel. Functions perform specific calculations in a particular order based on the specified values, called arguments, or parameters.

For example, instead of specifying each value to be summed like in the above formula, you can use the SUM function to add up a range of cells: =SUM(A2:A4)

You can find all available Excel functions in the Function Library on the Formulas tab:
Basic Excel functions

There exist 400+ functions in Excel, and the number is growing by version to version. Of course, it's next to impossible to memorize all of them, and you actually don't need to. The Function Wizard will help you find the function best suited for a particular task, while the Excel Formula Intellisense will prompt the function's syntax and arguments as soon as you type the function's name preceded by an equal sign in a cell:
Excel Formula Intellisense

Clicking the function's name will turn it into a blue hyperlink, which will open the Help topic for that function.

Tip. You don't necessarily have to type a function name in all caps, Microsoft Excel will automatically capitalize it once you finish typing the formula and press the Enter key to complete it.

10 Excel basic functions you should definitely know

What follows below is a list of 10 simple yet really helpful functions that are a necessary skill for everyone who wishes to turn from an Excel novice to an Excel professional.

SUM

The first Excel function you should be familiar with is the one that performs the basic arithmetic operation of addition:

SUM(number1, [number2], …)

In the syntax of all Excel functions, an argument enclosed in [square brackets] is optional, other arguments are required. Meaning, your Sum formula should include at least 1 number, reference to a cell or a range of cells. For example:

=SUM(B2:B6) - adds up values in cells B2 through B6.

=SUM(B2, B6) - adds up values in cells B2 and B6.

If necessary, you can perform other calculations within a single formula, for example, add up values in cells B2 through B6, and then divide the sum by 5:

=SUM(B2:B6)/5

To sum with conditions, use the SUMIF function: in the 1st argument, you enter the range of cells to be tested against the criteria (A2:A6), in the 2nd argument - the criteria itself (D2), and in the last argument - the cells to sum (B2:B6):

=SUMIF(A2:A6, D2, B2:B6)

In your Excel worksheets, the formulas may look something similar to this:
Using SUM formulas in Excel

Tip. The fastest way to sum a column or row of numbers is to select a cell next to the numbers you want to sum (the cell immediately below the last value in the column or to the right of the last number in the row), and click the AutoSum button on the Home tab, in the Formats group. Excel will insert a SUM formula for you automatically.

Useful resources:

AVERAGE

The Excel AVERAGE function does exactly what its name suggests, i.e. finds an average, or arithmetic mean, of numbers. Its syntax is similar to SUM's:

AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)

Having a closer look at the formula from the previous section (=SUM(B2:B6)/5), what does it actually do? Sums values in cells B2 through B6, and then divides the result by 5. And what do you call adding up a group of numbers and then dividing the sum by the count of those numbers? Yep, an average!

The Excel AVERAGE function performs these calculations behind the scenes. So, instead of dividing sum by count, you can simply put this formula in a cell:

=AVERAGE(B2:B6)

To average cells based on condition, use the following AVERAGEIF formula, where A2:A6 is the criteria range, D3 is he criteria, and B2:B6 are the cells to average:

=AVERAGEIF(A2:A6, D3, B2:B6)
Using an Average formula in Excel

Useful resources:

MAX & MIN

The MAX and MIN formulas in Excel get the largest and smallest value in a set of numbers, respectively. For our sample data set, the formulas will be as simple as:

=MAX(B2:B6)

=MIN(B2:B6)
Using MIN and MAX formulas in Excel

Useful resources:

COUNT & COUNTA

If you are curious to know how many cells in a given range contain numeric values (numbers or dates), don't waste your time counting them by hand. The Excel COUNT function will bring you the count in a heartbeat:

COUNT(value1, [value2], …)

While the COUNT function deals only with those cells that contain numbers, the COUNTA function counts all cells that are not blank, whether they contain numbers, dates, times, text, logical values of TRUE and FALSE, errors or empty text strings (""):

COUNTA (value1, [value2], …)

For example, to find out how many cells in column B contain numbers, use this formula:

=COUNT(B:B)

To count all non-empty cells in column B, go with this one:

=COUNTA(B:B)

In both formulas, you use the so-called "whole column reference" (B:B) that refers to all the cells within column B.

The following screenshot shows the difference: while COUNT processes only numbers, COUNTA outputs the total number of non-blank cells in column B, including the the text value in the column header.
COUNT and COUNTA formulas in Excel

Useful resources:

IF

Judging by the number of IF-related comments on our blog, it's the most popular function in Excel. In simple terms, you use an IF formula to ask Excel to test a certain condition and return one value or perform one calculation if the condition is met, and another value or calculation if the condition is not met:

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

For example, the following IF statement checks if the order is completed (i.e. there is a value in column C) or not. To test if a cell is not blank, you use the "not equal to" operator ( <>) in combination with an empty string (""). As the result, if cell C2 is not empty, the formula returns "Yes", otherwise "No":

=IF(C2<>"", "Yes", "No")
Using an IF formula in Excel

Useful resources:

TRIM

If your obviously correct Excel formulas return just a bunch of errors, one of the first things to check is extra spaces in the referenced cells (You may be surprised to know how many leading, trailing and in-between spaces lurk unnoticed in your sheets just until something goes wrong!).

There are several ways to remove unwanted spaces in Excel, with the TRIM function being the easiest one:

TRIM(text)

For example, to trim extra spaces in column A, enter the following formula in cell A1, and then copy it down the column:

=TRIM(A1)

It will eliminate all extra spaces in cells but a single space character between words:
Excel TRIM formula

Useful resources:

LEN

Whenever you want to know the number of characters in a certain cell, LEN is the function to use:

LEN(text)

Wish to find out how many characters are in cell A2? Just type the below formula into another cell:

=LEN(A2)

Please keep in mind that the Excel LEN function counts absolutely all characters including spaces:
Using a LEN formula in Excel

Want to get the total count of characters in a range or cells or count only specific characters? Please check out the following resources.

Useful resources:

AND & OR

These are the two most popular logical functions to check multiple criteria. The difference is how they do this:

  • AND returns TRUE if all conditions are met, FALSE otherwise.
  • OR returns TRUE if any condition is met, FALSE otherwise.

While rarely used on their own, these functions come in very handy as part of bigger formulas.

For example, to check the test results in columns B and C and return "Pass" if both are greater than 60, "Fail" otherwise, use the following IF formula with an embedded AND statement:

=IF(AND(B2>60, B2>60), "Pass", "Fail")

If it's sufficient to have just one test score greater than 60 (either test 1 or test 2), embed the OR statement:

=IF(OR(B2>60, B2>60), "Pass", "Fail")
IF formulas with embedded AND/OR statements

Useful resources:

CONCATENATE

In case you want to take values from two or more cells and combine them into one cell, use the concatenate operator (&) or the CONCATENATE function:

CONCATENATE(text1, [text2], …)

For example, to combine the values from cells A2 and B2, just enter the following formula in a different cell:

=CONCATENATE(A2, B2)

To separate the combined values with a space, type the space character (" ") in the arguments list:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)
Using a CONCATENATE formula in Excel

Useful resources:

TODAY & NOW

To see the current date and time whenever you open your worksheet without having to manually update it on a daily basis, use either:

=TODAY() to insert the today's date in a cell.

=NOW() to insert the current date and time in a cell.

The beauty of these functions is that they don't require any arguments at all, you type the formulas exactly as written above.
Using the TODAY and NOW functions in Excel

Useful resources:

Best practices for writing Excel formulas

Now that you are familiar with the basic Excel formulas, these tips will give you some guidance on how to use them most effectively and avoid common formula errors.

Do not enclose numbers in double quotes

Any text included in your Excel formulas should be enclosed in "quotation marks". However, you should never do that to numbers, unless you want Excel to treat them as text values.

For example, to check the value in cell B2 and return 1 for "Passed", 0 otherwise, you put the following formula, say, in C2:

=IF(B2="pass", 1, 0)

Copy the formula down to other cells and you will have a column of 1's and 0's that can be calculated without a hitch.

Now, see what happens if you double quote the numbers:

=IF(B2="pass", "1", "0")

At first sight, the output is normal - the same column of 1's and 0's. Upon a closer look, however, you will notice that the resulting values are left-aligned in cells by default, meaning those are numeric strings, not numbers! If later on someone will try to calculate those 1's and 0's, they might end up pulling their hair out trying to figure out why a 100% correct Sum or Count formula returns nothing but zero.
Enclose text values in double quotes, but not numbers

Don't format numbers in Excel formulas

Please remember this simple rule: numbers supplied to your Excel formulas should be entered without any formatting like decimal separator or dollar sign. In North America and some other countries, comma is the default argument separator, and the dollar sign ($) is used to make absolute cell references. Using those characters in numbers may just drive your Excel crazy :) So, instead of typing $2,000, simply type 2000, and then format the output value to your liking by setting up a custom Excel number format.

Match all opening and closing parentheses

When crating a complex Excel formula with one or more nested functions, you will have to use more than one set of parentheses to define the order of calculations. In such formulas, be sure to pair the parentheses properly so that there is a closing parenthesis for every opening parenthesis. To make the job easier for you, Excel shades parenthesis pairs in different colors when you enter or edit a formula.

Copy the same formula to other cells instead of re-typing it

Once you have typed a formula into a cell, there is no need to re-type it over and over again. Simply copy the formula to adjacent cells by dragging the fill handle (a small square at the lower right-hand corner of the cell). To copy the formula to the whole column, position the mouse pointer to the fill handle and double-click the plus sign.
Copying the formula to adjacent cells

Note. After copying the formula, make sure that all cell references are correct. Cell references may change depending on whether they are absolute (do not change) or relative (change).

For the detailed step-by-step instructions, please see How to copy formulas in Excel.

How to delete formula, but keep calculated value

When you remove a formula by pressing the Delete key, a calculated value is also deleted. However, you can delete only the formula and keep the resulting value in the cell. Here's how:

  • Select all cells with your formulas.
  • Press Ctrl + C to copy the selected cells.
  • Right-click the selection, and then click Paste Values > Values to paste the calculated values back to the selected cells. Or, press the Paste Special shortcut: Shift+F10 and then V.

For the detailed steps with screenshots, please see How to replace formulas with their values in Excel.

Make sure Calculation Options are set to Automatic

If all of a sudden your Excel formulas have stopped recalculating automatically, most likely the Calculation Options somehow switched to Manual. To fix this, go to the Formulas tab > Calculation group, click the Calculation Options button, and select Automatic.

If this does not help, check out these troubleshooting steps: Excel formulas not working: fixes & solutions.

This is how you make and manage basic formulas in Excel. I how you will find this information helpful. Anyway, I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week.

409 comments

  1. Hi,
    Please provide me PDF File Excel Formula Basic to all excel formula

  2. How to apply formula Top 7 Pivot Table Treks in Excel
    Send me for example.

  3. SUPERB

  4. I will type the KYC NO LIKE THAT GST NO, AADHAR NUMBER, PAN NUMBER & PASSPORT NO. NEXT COLOUM WE AUTOMATIC KYC TYPE LIKE THAT GST NO ( GSTIN NUMBER,) I NEED TO FORMULAS.

  5. Can you please help me with the formula regarding how to get the total number of males in a list containing both genders.

  6. I learn many things here

  7. Hi im trying to understand what this formula means from a staff matrix training excel spreadsheet =IF(D11="Assistant Operator",IF(AND(I11=2,COUNTIF(J11:O11,2)>2),2,1),"")

    Thank you

  8. A2:A700 different names, IF A2="Balanagar", then B2="Balanagar Division",C2="Balanagar Zone",D2="Cyberabad",, how do I write

  9. very helpful to me. thanks

  10. I need a help on having the summary of my calculation on another sheet. That is, as I am working the the full details on one page, the summary of the work will automatically be calculating itself on the next sheet. Thanks...

  11. hello dear

    if I wanna calucalate a1,a2,a3 + 5000 = b1,b2,b3
    then total of b1,b2,b3 - c1,c2,c3 =

  12. Well explained

  13. Easy to read.....

  14. How to add number of every sheet in last sheet. example-
    sheet1 c5+sheet2 c5+sheet3 c5 = Total on fourth sheet

  15. all excel shortcuts books 2003

  16. want to deduct value of column 'g'items from column' h ' items total values and multiply with column 'k' values can u help for the same

  17. wow it was realy heipfull to me,thanks.

  18. how to select and paste formula cells

  19. all is good

  20. if 1510.99 comes the result should 1510 and when 1511.1 comes then result should come 1520 .
    How to make this result?

  21. excel function
    a=0, b=500, but c=500/2 = 250 i need this calculation

  22. What is the formula for vlookup

    • Hi Jishnu,

      The traditional way to vlookup in Excel is by using the VLOOKUP function. We have a special tutorial on this with many formula examples: VLOOKUP tutorial for beginners. Quite recently, Microsoft has introduced the new XLOOKUP function that can look both vertically and horizontally and overcomes some of the critical limitations of VLOOKUP. We have a comprehensive tutorial on XLOOKUP function, hopefully you will find it helpful.

  23. Very useful who is try to learn about excel and recall thanks good keep going on

  24. I need help in copying results from the next table with increasing numbers.
    For example
    Column b has the following:
    1. 20
    2. 30
    3. 40
    Then I need to transfer the info onto another sheet across a row
    A B C
    1. 20 30 40

    • copy paste special with transpose.

  25. WEEK EXAMPLES ACCORDING TO THEORY

  26. Electricity Bill
    Units Rate

    1-100 2
    101-200 3
    200-above 4 Units Consumed Price
    50
    120
    80
    200
    100
    250

    • =IF(A2<101,A2*2,IF(A2<201,A2*3,A2*4))

  27. Thanks

  28. Hi
    I need an assistance in function formula for CTC Calculator
    We calculate Basic salary on fixed monthly CTC at 40%, Hence if the monthly basic is above 15k, let the amount takes whatever it get calculated on 40% but if the monthly salary itself below 15k then whatever the amount is should get reflected in Basic salary itself not in any other component.
    Please do the needful

  29. Ex- 24546 =twenty four thousand five hundred forty six only (in formulas)

  30. it is very useful but example is less

  31. this was helpful

  32. I want to calculate TWO CELL also end of the calculation i want to add a TEXT (as a note)
    For Ex. :
    Key in info : =(A2-A3) Weeks
    want a result to be : 3 Weeks

    is it possible. pls answer me ASAP
    thanks

    • I am giving you the simple formula,
      =(A2-A3)&" Week"

  33. i loved it and send me your email id in my email id

  34. SIR,
    I WANT HELP IN MARKING SCHEME
    ATTAIN = +4
    WRONG = -1
    LEFT = 0
    KEY IF A AND B BOTH THEN 4 (FOUR OPTION A,B,C,D, GRACE) a formula for this

  35. IF I WANT TO SUBSTRACT A7 TO A11 CELLS FROM CELL A6
    HOW CAN I DO THIS ONE

    • =Sum(A7,A11)-A6

  36. how to apply the number convert to text for example 12= twele and apply a1=112 but the solution b2= one hundred and twele

  37. i will apply numbers only

  38. If E2 is under 2000 C7 should show 30%
    If E2 is between 2001 and 4000 C7 should show 40%
    If E2 is under 4001 and over C7 should show 50%
    Please help to get a formula for this

    • If E2 is under 2000 C7 should show 30%
      If E2 is between 2001 and 4000 C7 should show 40%
      If E2 is over 4001 and over C7 should show 50%
      Please help to get a formula for this

    • =IF(A4<2001,"30%",IF(A4<=4000,"40%","50"%))

  39. More than this

  40. It takes me Only a day to learned all the formulas..
    Very Helpfull..

  41. thank you

  42. Hello, I am trying to make a time sheet. Here is the example:
    Start time: 12:30 am
    Regular hours: 4.5 hours
    Extra hours: 40 minutes
    Break: 30 minutes if total hours more than 5 hours
    Finish Time: ??? I need the formula which should be 6:10 am as total hour more than 5.
    Total hours: 5.16 hours

    Thanks for your help.

  43. how to convert number in figures., as 1,000.00 (One thousand)

    • Try spell number, spell number Indian formula , its a customized formula. Google it....

  44. I need assistance whereby i HAVE TWO CELLS,ONE WITH PRIMARY BORROWED AMOUNT THEN SECOND ONE WITH THE INTEREST OF THE BORROWED MONEY

  45. I want set up a spread sheet whereby i have a value on one cell and the percentage of that value in another cell,for example i have $1000 in cell B and in cell C i will want to have 25% of whatever value is in cell B(in this case $1000)
    regards
    Waugh

    • a simple formula would be
      =B1*0.25 OR IF IT A DIFFERENT PERCENTAGE EG 10% =B1*0.1

  46. Good work microsoft exel

  47. Dear Team
    I want to know about the best techniques of the excel with formulas & functions.

    if you provide best techniques, i shall be obliged

  48. I want to know about main formula of ms excel

    • can i help u

      • Hai I would like to ask a help for my report Training about excel formula i want to know more about this...please

  49. This content is very useful but example is not good

    • Hi Sunny,
      I have updated some of the formula examples. Hope they make more sense now :)

      • yes svetlana i want to know that the examples

      • You are excellent,Thank you for your content it is very helpful to us.

      • can you please show the percantage formula

  50. if a C3 value is 4.65 then D3 should show 50%
    if a C3 value is between 4.20 and 4.65 then D3 should show 45%

    Please help to get a formula on this

    • =IF(A4>=4.2,IF(A4<=4.64,"45%","50%"))

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