Safe division
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revenue | Units |
| 2 | 10 | 0 |
Formula: D2: =IFERROR(A2/B2,0)
Result: 0
Dividing by zero gives #DIV/0!, which IFERROR replaces with 0.
Google Sheets function
IFERROR in Google Sheets
In Google Sheets the second argument of IFERROR is optional, and leaving it out returns a blank instead of an error.
In Google Sheets
Excel requires both arguments, so a one-argument IFERROR written in Sheets will not carry over unchanged.
The arguments and common errors are covered in the IFERROR Excel guide; check the function help in Google Sheets for its own argument list.
Worked examples in Google Sheets
Friendly lookup failure
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SKU | Price |
| 2 | A101 | 24.99 |
| 3 | A102 | 39 |
Formula: D2: =IFERROR(VLOOKUP("Z9",A2:B3,2,FALSE),"Not found")
Result: Not found
Z9 is not in the list, so VLOOKUP returns #N/A and IFERROR shows the text.
Average of an empty range
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Notes |
| 2 | n/a |
| 3 | pending |
Formula: D1: =IFERROR(AVERAGE(B2:B4),"No data")
Result: No data
AVERAGE of cells with no numbers gives #DIV/0!, replaced by "No data".
Try it
A tiny spreadsheet with example data. Edit the formula or any number and see the result.
Formula in F2: =IFERROR(B3/D3,"n/a")
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Score | Extra credit | Attempts | Result | |
| 2 | Ann | 92 | Yes | 2 | n/a | |
| 3 | Bob | 74 | No | 0 | ||
| 4 | Cy | 58 | Yes | 3 | ||
| 5 | Dee | 81 | No | 1 | ||
| 6 | Eli | 66 | 2 |
Result in F2: n/a
Frequently asked questions
- Can I write IFERROR with a single argument in Google Sheets?
- Yes. IFERROR(value) returns the value, or a blank when the value is an error. Add the second argument when you want a visible fallback such as 0 or "n/a".
Google Sheets is used here only as a descriptive product name. FormulaCamp is not affiliated with Google.