RAND function

This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the RAND function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns an evenly distributed random real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1. A new random real number is returned every time the worksheet is calculated.

Syntax

RAND()

The RAND function syntax has no arguments.

Remarks

• To generate a random real number between a and b, use:

RAND()*(b-a)+a

• If you want to use RAND to generate a random number but don't want the numbers to change every time the cell is calculated, you can enter =RAND() in the formula bar, and then press F9 to change the formula to a random number.

Example

Copy the example data in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. For formulas to show results, select them, press F2, and then press Enter. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.

Formula	Description	Result
=RAND()	A random number greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1 (varies)	varies
=RAND()*100	A random number greater than or equal to 0 but less than 100 (varies)	varies
	Note: When a worksheet is recalculated by entering a formula or data in a different cell, or by manually recalculating (press F9), a new random number is generated for any formula that uses the RAND function.