BeginnerLogical Functions
Replace #DIV/0! with a dash using IFERROR
Keep a report readable when a division has nothing to divide by.
IFERROR
5 min15 points
IFERROR
Returns a value you choose when a formula errors, and the formula's result otherwise.
Syntax
IFERROR(value, value_if_error)
Logical Functions.
Practise IFERROR1 interactive exercise, free, no account needed
A worked example
=IFERROR(C2/B2,"-")
Returns - when B2 is 0, the rate otherwise
Tries the division and shows a dash in place of #DIV/0! when there is nothing to divide by.
Where it goes wrong
It hides every error, including the #REF! and #NAME? you would want to see. Wrap only the part of a formula that can legitimately fail, not the whole thing.
Consider instead: XLOOKUP's own fallback argument, when the error you are catching is a lookup with no match.
What the exercises catch
Each of these is a wrong turn the practice exercises recognise and name. They are the misconceptions, not the answers.
- Export has no orders this month, so this divides by zero and the report shows #DIV/0!. The division is right; it needs wrapping in something that catches the error and shows a dash instead.Replace #DIV/0! with a dash using IFERROR
- That handles a zero, but only a zero — you have to predict every way the division could fail. IFERROR does the division and catches whatever goes wrong, which is the point of this exercise.Replace #DIV/0! with a dash using IFERROR
Practise IFERROR
Knowing what a function does and being able to write it from memory are different skills. These close the gap.
All IFERROR practice exercises →