How to Use ISERR Function in Excel (Simple Guide with Example)
In this article, you will learn how to use the ISERR function in Excel.
What is the ISERR function in Excel?
The ISERR function in Excel is a logical function that returns TRUE if the value of a cell is an error, and FALSE if it is not.
Note: The ISERR function refers to any error value except #N/A (value not available)
When is the ISERR function in Excel helpful?
The ISERR function can be used to test for errors in formulas and to take action if an error is found. Here are some examples of when the ISERR function can be helpful:
- You are working with a large spreadsheet and you want to make sure that all of the formulas are working correctly.
- You are creating a new formula and you want to make sure that it does not generate any errors.
- You are troubleshooting a spreadsheet that is not working correctly and you want to identify the cells that contain errors.
The ISERR function can be used in a variety of ways to help you identify and troubleshoot errors in your Excel spreadsheets.
How to use the ISERR function in Excel
The syntax for the ISERR function is the following:
Value: This is a required argument that is the cell reference or formula that you want to test for errors.
Below is an image showcasing the ISERR function with different types of errors and values.
As seen from the image, the ISERR function is very straightforward to use. In this case we input a range of cells as the value argument which then returned an array of TRUE or FALSE.
If one wanted to further analyze the possible errors in their data one could use other Excel functions to interpret the returns of the ISERR function. For example, one could use the COUNTIF function to count the number of errors in their data set depending on the number of TRUE statements returned by the ISERR function. This is just one way to study the results of the ISERR function.
What is the difference between the ISERR and ISERROR functions in Excel?
The ISERR and ISERROR functions in Excel are both logical functions that return TRUE if the value of a cell is an error, and FALSE if it is not. However, there is a subtle difference between the two functions:
- ISERR returns TRUE if the value refers to or evaluates to an error value except for #N/A.
- ISERROR returns TRUE if the value refers to or evaluates to any error value, including #N/A.
And so, you would use the ISERR function in Excel instead of ISERROR when you want to specifically check for all errors except the #N/A error. The #N/A error is used to indicate that a value is not available, while other errors are typically caused by invalid formulas or data.
Go to the page LiveFlow‘s How to Guides to find more information about Excel and Google Sheets formulas and tips that were not covered here.
