How to Use ISERROR in Google Sheets

In this article, you will learn how to use the ISERROR function in Google Sheets

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What is the ISERROR Function?

The ISERROR function itself is fairly simple: it checks to see if a cell or calculation returns an error. If there is an error, this function will return a value of TRUE, and if there is no error, it will return a value of FALSE. This can be a useful and powerful formula when combined with other functions such as VLOOKUP, IF, SUMIF, or many others. 

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This creates a multitude of uses for the ISERROR function. Some examples of uses are given below. 

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Data Validation: When setting up data validation rules, you might want to ensure that the input values don't result in errors. ISERROR can be part of a validation rule to check for potential issues.

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Cleaning Data: If you are cleaning and manipulating data, you might encounter errors in the process. ISERROR can help you identify and address these errors.

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Conditional Formatting: You can use ISERROR in conjunction with conditional formatting to visually highlight cells that contain errors. This makes it easier to spot and address issues in your data.

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VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP: When using VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP functions to search for a value in a table, errors may occur if the lookup value is not found. ISERROR can be used to display any desired text rather than showing an error. Common examples include a blank cell or ‘not found’. 

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How to Use ISERROR in Google Sheets

ISERROR is a fairly simple function to perform with only one required input. The syntax of ISERROR is as follows: 

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=ISERROR(value)

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To run the function, just select the value or function you wish to check for an error and Google Sheets will return TRUE or FALSE depending on the error status. 

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The formula in use should look something like the example below. 

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