Excel errors explained
11 guides, one for each error value you will meet in a spreadsheet or on a job test. Every cause is reproduced on a small grid so you can see the formula that breaks and the one that fixes it.
All error guides
| Error | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| #N/A | The lookup came back empty-handed: Excel searched for a value and it is not there. |
| #VALUE! | A formula got a kind of value it cannot use, most often text where it needed a number. |
| #REF! | A formula points at a cell that no longer exists, or at a position outside the range it was given. |
| #DIV/0! | A formula divided by zero, or by an empty cell, which Excel treats as zero. |
| #NAME? | Excel does not recognize a word in your formula as a function, a name or a cell reference. |
| #SPILL! | A dynamic array formula has more than one result, and something is sitting where the extra results need to go. |
| #NUM! | A formula asked for a number that cannot be calculated, or an argument is outside the range a function accepts. |
| #NULL! | A formula asked for the overlap of two ranges that have no cells in common, usually because a space was typed in place of a comma or colon. |
| #CALC! | A dynamic array formula calculated an empty array, which Excel cannot display, most often a FILTER that found no matching rows. |
| ##### | The cell is showing a number that does not fit its column, or a date or time that is negative. |
| Circular reference | A formula depends on its own result, directly or through other cells, so Excel cannot finish the calculation. |