Sunday, July 22, 2018

How to correct a #N/A error

How to correct a #N/A error

The #N/A error generally indicates that a formula can't find what it's been asked to look for.

Top solution

The most common cause of the #N/A error is with VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, LOOKUP, or MATCH functions if a formula can't find a referenced value. For example, your lookup value doesn't exist in the source data.

Lookup value doesn't exist.  Formula in cell E2 is =VLOOKUP(D2,$D$6:$E$8,2,FALSE).  Value Banana can't be found, so the formula returns a #N/A error.
Item not found in source data

In this case there is no "Banana" listed in the lookup table, so VLOOKUP returns a #N/A error.

Solution: Either make sure that the lookup value exists in the source data, or use an error handler such as IFERROR in the formula. For example, =IFERROR(FORMULA(),0), which says:

  • =IF(your formula evaluates to an error, then display 0, otherwise display the formula's result)

You can use "" to display nothing, or substitute your own text: =IFERROR(FORMULA(),"Error Message here")

If you're not sure what to do at this point or what kind of help you need, you can search for similar questions in the Excel Community Forum, or post one of your own.

Link to the Excel Community Forum

If you want to move forward, then the following checklist provides troubleshooting steps to help you figure out what may have gone wrong in your formulas.

The lookup value and the source data are different data types. For example, you try to have VLOOKUP reference a number, but the source data is stored as text.

Incorrect value types.  Example shows a VLOOKUP formula returning a #N/A error because the lookup item is formatted as a number, but the lookup table is formatted as text.
#N/A error caused by different data types

Solution: Ensure that the data types are the same. You can check cell formats by selecting a cell or range of cells, then right-click and select Format Cells > Number (or press Ctrl+1), and change the number format if necessary.

Format Cells dialog box displaying the Number tab and Text option selected

Tip: If you need to force a format change on an entire column, first apply the format you want, then you can use Data > Text to Columns > Finish.

You can use the TRIM function to remove any leading or trailing spaces. The following example uses TRIM nested inside a VLOOKUP function to remove the leading spaces from the names in A2:A7 and return the department name.

Using VLOOKUP with TRIM in an Array formula to remove leading/trailing spaces.  Formula in cell E3 is {=VLOOKUP(D2,TRIM(A2:B7),2,FALSE)}, and needs to be entered with CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.

{=VLOOKUP(D2,TRIM(A2:B7),2,FALSE)}

Note: This is an array formula and must be entered with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Excel will automatically wrap the formula in braces {} for you. If you try to enter them yourself, Excel will display the formula as text.

By default, functions that look up information in tables must be sorted in ascending order. However, the VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP worksheet functions contain a range_lookup argument that instructs the function to find an exact match even if the table is not sorted. To find an exact match, set the range_lookup argument to FALSE. Note that using TRUE, which tells the function to look for an approximate match, can not only result in an #N/A error, it can also return erroneous results as seen in the following example.

Example of using VLOOKUP with the TRUE range_lookup argument can cause erroneous results.
VLOOKUP fails because of using the approximate match argument in an unsorted table

In this example, not only does "Banana" return an #N/A error, "Pear" returns the wrong price. This is caused by using the TRUE argument, which tells the VLOOKUP to look for an approximate match instead of an exact match. There's no close match for "Banana", and "Pear" comes before "Peach" alphabetically. In this case using VLOOKUP with the FALSE argument would return the correct price for "Pear", but "Banana" would still result in a #N/A error, since there is no corresponding "Banana" in the lookup list.

If you are using the MATCH function, try changing the value of the match_type argument to specify the sort order of the table. To find an exact match, set the match_type argument to 0 (zero).

To fix this, make sure that the range referenced by the array formula has the same number of rows and columns as the range of cells in which the array formula was entered, or enter the array formula into fewer or more cells to match the range reference in the formula.

In this example, cell E2 has referenced mismatched ranges:

Array formula example with mismatched range references causing a #N/A error.  Formula in cell E2 is {=SUM(IF(A2:A11=D2,B2:B5))}, and must be entered with CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.

{=SUM(IF(A2:A11=D2,B2:B5))}

In order for the formula to calculate correctly it needs to be changed so that both ranges reflect rows 2 – 11.

{=SUM(IF(A2:A11=D2,B2:B11))}

Note: This is an array formula and must be entered with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Excel will automatically wrap the formula in braces {} for you. If you try to enter them yourself, Excel will display the formula as text.

Example of #N/A entered into cells, which prevents a SUM formula from properly calculating.

In this case, May-December have #N/A values, so the Total can't calculate and instead returns an #N/A error.

To fix this, check the formula syntax of the function you're using and enter all required arguments in the formula that returns the error. This might require going into the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) to check the function. You can access the VBE from the Developer tab, or with ALT+F11.

To fix this, verify that the workbook that contains the user-defined function is open and that the function is working properly.

To fix this, verify that the arguments in that function are correct and used in the correct position.

To fix this, press Ctrl+Atl+F9 to recalculate the sheet

You can use the Function Wizard to help if you are not sure of the proper arguments. Select the cell with the formula in question, then go to the Formula tab on the Ribbon and press Insert Function.

Insert Function button.

Excel will automatically load the Wizard for you:

Example of the Formula Wizard dialog.

As you click on each argument, Excel will give you the appropriate information for each one.

#N/A can be useful! It is a common practice to use #N/A when using data like the following example for charts, as #N/A values won't plot on a chart. Here are examples of what a chart looks like with 0's vs. #N/A.

Example of a Line Chart plotting 0 values.

In the previous example, you will see that the 0 values have plotted and are displayed as a flat line on the bottom of the chart, and it then shoots up to display the Total. In the following example you will see the 0 values replaced with #N/A.

Example of a Line Chart not plotting #N/A values.

For more information on a #NA error appearing in a specific function, see the topics below:

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Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community, get support in the Answers community, or suggest a new feature or improvement on Excel User Voice.

See Also

Convert numbers stored as text to numbers

VLOOKUP function

HLOOKUP function

LOOKUP function

MATCH function

Overview of formulas in Excel

How to avoid broken formulas

Use error checking to detect errors in formulas

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel for Windows

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel for Mac

All Excel functions (alphabetical)

All Excel functions (by category)

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