Structured formula builder
Task, table context, target range, and function hint keep the request specific.
Excel data validation formula repair
Fix an Excel data validation formula that is not working.
Paste the custom validation formula, add the applied range and first cell, and get a focused repair path for TRUE/FALSE logic, relative references, named ranges, blanks, and rule-dialog behavior.
Request
Formula request
Keep writing formulas today
Guest mode includes 2 tries. Founding access is $9 for 500 runs per month in this browser.
Founding access
Stripe redirects you back and unlocks this browser immediately.
Upgrade with Stripe
Purpose-built inputs
A focused workflow for everyday spreadsheet work.
Write / Explain / Fix modes
Generate a new formula, translate a pasted one, or diagnose common syntax issues.
Excel and Sheets toggle
Compatibility notes call out modern functions and platform-specific behavior.
Formula-bar output
The result is formatted for scanning and placed next to a copy button.
Common formulas
Pick the formula you came for.
Excel formula help
Get help writing, explaining, or fixing one Excel formula with range notes and checks before you paste.
AI Excel formula generator
Generate an Excel formula from plain English with range notes, an explanation, and checks before you paste.
AI Google Sheets formula generator
Turn a plain-English Sheets task into a formula with assumptions, range notes, and paste checks.
Formula Bot alternative
Use a focused formula workbench when you need a formula, explanation, or fix instead of a full spreadsheet-analysis suite.
SheetSolver AI alternative
Compare a narrow formula helper for writing, explaining, and fixing formulas against broader spreadsheet AI suites.
Percentage formulas
Build percent of total, percent change, discount, markup, tax, tip, and completion-rate formulas.
Excel formula cheat sheet
Scan common lookup, logic, text, date, and summary formulas with examples.
Formula not showing result
Diagnose formulas that show text, stay stale, return errors, or calculate the wrong value.
Fix my Excel formula
Paste a broken formula and get a corrected version with checks for errors, text cells, ranges, and fallbacks.
Excel formulas not working
Fix formulas that stop calculating after imports, copied ranges, locale settings, or text-number mismatches.
Excel formula not calculating
Fix formulas that stay stale, show formula text, or only update after manual recalculation.
Excel showing formula instead of result
Fix cells that display the formula text because of Show Formulas mode, text formatting, or a leading apostrophe.
Excel formula wrong result
Fix formulas that calculate the wrong value because of references, parentheses, stored types, or lookup settings.
Formula returns 0 or blank
Fix formulas that return 0, blank, or an empty string because of lookup return cells, IF logic, or hidden zero settings.
Excel formula not copying down
Fix formulas that will not fill down, copy the first result, or shift the wrong references after dragging.
Excel SUMIFS not working
Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of criteria, ranges, dates, or argument order.
Excel COUNTIFS not working
Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong counts because of criteria, range sizes, dates, or closed workbooks.
Excel #VALUE! error
Repair formulas blocked by text values, hidden spaces, wrong argument types, dates, or subtraction syntax.
Excel #NAME? error
Fix formulas with misspelled functions, undefined names, missing quotes, or unsupported functions.
Excel #DIV/0! error
Fix formulas blocked by zero or blank denominators, ratio logic, averages, and IFERROR tradeoffs.
Excel #SPILL! error
Fix dynamic array formulas blocked by spill ranges, tables, merged cells, whole-column references, or changing array sizes.
Excel #CALC! error
Fix dynamic array and FILTER formulas blocked by empty results, nested arrays, range references, or unsupported calculations.
Excel FILTER function not working
Fix FILTER formulas that return #CALC!, #SPILL!, #REF!, blank output, wrong rows, or unsupported-function errors.
Excel #NUM! error
Fix formulas blocked by invalid numeric values, formatted constants, non-converging IRR or RATE inputs, or numbers outside Excel limits.
Excel circular reference
Fix formulas that point back at their own result cell or need deliberate iterative-calculation checks.
Excel #REF! error
Repair formulas broken by deleted rows, moved cells, invalid references, or shifted lookup ranges.
Google Sheets formula parse error
Repair Sheets formulas with missing quotes, mismatched parentheses, wrong separators, or malformed QUERY syntax.
Conditional formatting formula not working
Fix Excel and Google Sheets rules that highlight nothing, highlight everything, shift references, or lose to another rule.
Excel VLOOKUP not working
Fix VLOOKUP formulas that return #N/A, #VALUE!, wrong values, or broken column results.
VLOOKUP #N/A error
Fix lookup formulas that return #N/A because of exact-match settings, text-number mismatches, or range setup.
XLOOKUP #N/A error
Fix XLOOKUP formulas with missing matches, mismatched stored types, lookup-array issues, or fallback decisions.
Excel XLOOKUP not working
Fix XLOOKUP formulas that return #N/A, wrong rows, blank fallbacks, or unreliable results.
Excel INDEX MATCH not working
Fix INDEX MATCH formulas that return #N/A, #REF!, wrong rows, wrong columns, or unreliable results.
IF formulas with multiple conditions
Write nested IF, AND, OR, and IFS logic with branch-order and edge-row checks before filling down.
Excel IF formula not working
Fix IF, nested IF, IFS, AND, and OR formulas that return the wrong label, FALSE, 0, blank, or #VALUE!.
Date formulas
Create due dates, workday counts, month-end dates, date differences, and overdue checks.
FILTER formulas
Return matching rows for status, region, date, text, and threshold conditions.
Text formulas
Split, extract, join, trim, clean, and replace text from messy imported cells.
Data validation formulas
Block bad IDs, duplicate values, missing fields, and invalid entries with custom TRUE/FALSE rules.
Excel data validation formula
Write custom validation rules for IDs, duplicates, required fields, dates, and allowed entries.
Excel data validation formula not working
Fix data validation formulas that accept invalid values, reject valid entries, or break after copying.
Google Sheets QUERY formulas
Build QUERY formulas for filtering, selecting, sorting, grouping, and labeling Sheets data.
Pivot calculated field formulas
Create margin, average price, variance, and ratio formulas that use pivot source field names.
Conditional formatting formulas
Write Excel and Google Sheets custom formulas for row highlights, duplicates, overdue dates, and status rules.
Sheets conditional formatting custom formulas
Set up Google Sheets custom formula rules with the right apply-to range, dollar signs, and TRUE/FALSE logic.
XLOOKUP formulas
Return matching values with separate lookup and return ranges.
INDEX MATCH formulas
Build flexible lookup formulas for left lookups, two-way lookups, and older Excel files.
SUMIFS formulas
Total rows that match status, date, category, customer, or region rules.
COUNTIFS formulas
Count rows across multiple text, number, and date conditions.
Use case
Excel data validation formula repair for spreadsheet work.
Repair one Excel Data Validation custom formula where the rule does not behave the way the worksheet formula test suggests it should.
What this page gives you
- A focused repair pass for one Excel Data Validation custom formula.
- Checks for TRUE/FALSE output, first-cell references, fixed ranges, blank handling, named ranges, and copied-rule behavior.
- A revised validation formula path you can test with one allowed entry and one rejected entry before applying it broadly.
When to use it
Use this page when an Excel Data Validation formula accepts entries it should block, rejects entries it should allow, throws a source or name error, or behaves differently in the validation dialog than it does in a normal cell. It is strongest when you can paste the formula, the applied range, and one pass/fail example.
Do not use data validation as proof that all existing workbook rows are clean. Validation is mainly an entry rule; changed references, pasted values, imports, and existing cells may need a separate check.
Worked example
A customer ID rule is applied to A2:A500. Each ID should start with ID- and appear only once in that applied range.
=AND(LEFT(A2,3)="ID-",COUNTIF($A$2:$A$500,A2)=1)The formula returns TRUE only when the current entry starts with ID- and appears once in the fixed validation range. A2 stays relative so the rule can evaluate each row; the COUNTIF range stays locked.
Check before you paste
- Custom validation formulas should return TRUE for accepted entries and FALSE for rejected entries.
- Write the formula as if it starts in the first cell of the applied validation range.
- Lock only the ranges that should stay fixed while the current-cell reference moves down.
- Decide whether Ignore Blank should allow empty cells before adding LEN, ISBLANK, or required-field checks.
- Test the rule by typing a new invalid value; data validation may not flag every existing value automatically.
Upgrade when the work piles up
Keep going when the sheet gets complicated.
Try twice as a guest. Free accounts get 3 runs per week plus a monthly product email. Upgrade when formula work becomes a recurring part of the week.
Founding access
$9
500 formula runs per month in this browser, early access pricing, and account access as it ships. Stripe redirects you back after payment.
Upgrade with Stripe