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Excel SORT repair

Fix an Excel SORT formula that is not sorting correctly.

SORT can fail in ways that look like bad data: #SPILL! because the output range is blocked, a header row pulled into the result, the wrong sort_index, rows that no longer stay together, or dates and numbers sorting like text. Paste the formula and the expected order to get a focused repair path before you replace it in the workbook.

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A focused workflow for everyday spreadsheet work.

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Excel formula help

Get help writing, explaining, or fixing one Excel formula with range notes and checks before you paste.

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Percentage formulas

Build percent of total, percent change, discount, markup, tax, tip, and completion-rate formulas.

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 parse error

Fix formulas rejected by Excel because of separators, quotes, missing equals signs, parentheses, or copied syntax.

Google Sheets #REF! error

Fix formulas broken by deleted tabs, invalid ranges, moved references, blocked array output, or IMPORTRANGE source issues.

Google Sheets #VALUE! error

Fix formulas blocked by imported text numbers, unparseable VALUE inputs, date text, range shapes, or wrong argument types.

Google Sheets #N/A error

Fix formulas with missing lookup matches, no-match FILTER results, text-number mismatches, hidden spaces, or fallback mistakes.

Google Sheets #DIV/0! error

Fix formulas blocked by zero or blank denominators, ratio logic, averages, percentages, and IFERROR tradeoffs.

Google Sheets #NAME? error

Fix formulas with unknown range names, misspelled functions, deleted named ranges, named functions, or unquoted text.

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 date formula not working

Fix Excel date formulas with DATEVALUE #VALUE!, text dates, locale mismatches, serial numbers, DATEDIF, or criteria issues.

Excel SUMIFS not working

Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of criteria, ranges, dates, or argument order.

Excel SUMPRODUCT not working

Fix SUMPRODUCT formulas that return #VALUE!, 0, or wrong totals because of array sizes, text numbers, hidden spaces, errors, or full-column references.

Excel COUNTIFS not working

Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong counts because of criteria, range sizes, dates, or closed workbooks.

Excel TEXTJOIN not working

Fix TEXTJOIN formulas with #VALUE!, #NAME?, extra delimiters, blank joins, IF or FILTER array issues, line breaks, or version support problems.

Excel TEXTSPLIT not working

Fix TEXTSPLIT formulas with #SPILL!, #N/A padding, wrong delimiters, row-versus-column splits, or version support problems.

Excel INDIRECT not working

Fix INDIRECT formulas with #REF!, dynamic sheet names, dependent dropdowns, named ranges, or external workbook limits.

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 #NULL! error

Fix formulas blocked by accidental range intersections, missing commas, missing colons, or non-overlapping cell ranges.

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 OFFSET function not working

Fix OFFSET formulas with #REF!, #VALUE!, wrong ranges, dynamic named range problems, text references, or volatile recalculation issues.

Excel UNIQUE not working

Fix UNIQUE formulas that keep apparent duplicates, return unexpected rows, show #SPILL!, or confuse by_col and exactly_once settings.

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 circular dependency

Fix circular dependency errors caused by self-referencing cells, self-including ranges, helper-cell loops, or iterative-calculation settings.

Google Sheets SUMIFS not working

Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of range sizes, criteria, dates, text values, or argument order.

Google Sheets COUNTIFS not working

Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, wrong counts, or miss rows because of range sizes, dates, stored text, hidden spaces, or separators.

Google Sheets #NUM! error

Fix formulas blocked by invalid numeric inputs, impossible math, oversized results, XIRR or RATE failures, and out-of-range row choices.

Google Sheets SORT not working

Fix SORT formulas that return the wrong order, sort headers as data, separate rows, or misread dates and numbers stored as text.

Google Sheets UNIQUE not working

Fix UNIQUE formulas that keep duplicates, remove the wrong rows, return unexpected columns, or confuse by_column and exactly_once settings.

Google Sheets IMPORTXML not working

Fix IMPORTXML formulas with #N/A, Imported content is empty, Could not fetch URL, XPath mistakes, oversized results, or blocked page content.

Google Sheets MATCH not working

Fix MATCH formulas with #N/A, wrong positions, omitted search_type defaults, range-shape mistakes, or sorted-range assumptions.

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 MATCH not working

Fix MATCH formulas with #N/A, wrong positions, omitted match_type defaults, sort-order issues, or text-number mismatches.

Excel XMATCH not working

Fix XMATCH formulas with #N/A, #VALUE!, wrong positions, wildcard mode, binary search sorting, or first-versus-last match issues.

Excel SORT not working

Fix SORT formulas with #SPILL!, wrong sort columns, header-row mistakes, row separation, text-stored dates or numbers, and version support issues.

Excel VSTACK or HSTACK not working

Fix stacked arrays with #N/A padding, #SPILL! blockers, #NAME? version issues, mismatched array sizes, or the wrong combine direction.

Excel TAKE and DROP repair

Fix TAKE and DROP formulas with #CALC!, #NUM!, #NAME?, #SPILL!, wrong rows or columns, and nested-array errors.

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.

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.

Use case

Excel SORT repair for spreadsheet work.

Help Excel users repair one SORT formula where the visible problem may be #SPILL!, a wrong column or row sort, a header included as data, a narrowed source range that separates row fields, imported values stored as text, or an Excel version that does not support dynamic arrays.

What this page gives you

  • A focused repair pass for one SORT formula returning #SPILL!, #NAME?, the wrong order, or separated row fields.
  • Checks for blocked spill ranges, sort_index counted from the selected array, sort_order, by_col, header rows, source-range width, stored text values, and Excel version support.
  • A revised SORT path you can test on one small range before replacing a report formula.

When to use it

Use this page when SORT is close but not trustworthy: it spills into blocked cells, sorts by the wrong column, pulls the header into the results, sorts dates or numbers alphabetically, or rearranges only part of each record. Paste the formula and a small sample of the range it should sort.

Do not hide SORT errors with IFERROR before checking the output range, selected array, sort_index, and stored value types. A #SPILL! result can mean the formula is valid but the destination cells are not available.

Worked example

A report has headers in row 1 and data in A2:D500. The output should sort whole rows by the third column, newest or highest first, without moving the header row into the result.

=SORT(A2:D500,3,-1)

The formula sorts the data rows only, counts the third column relative to A:D, and uses -1 for descending order. If the result returns #SPILL!, check the cells below the formula before changing the sort logic.

Check before you paste

  • Clear or move anything blocking the intended spill range before changing a valid dynamic-array formula.
  • Count sort_index from the first column or row inside the array argument, not from the worksheet edge.
  • Exclude the header row from the sorted array or place headers separately above the spilled result.
  • Keep every field that belongs to a record inside the array so SORT moves whole rows together.
  • Check whether dates, scores, prices, and IDs are stored as real values rather than text.
  • Use sort_order -1 deliberately for descending order; omitted sort_order defaults to ascending.
  • Check Excel version support when SORT appears as #NAME? or _xlfn.SORT.

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