= Write My Formula

Google Sheets conditional formatting repair

Fix a Google Sheets conditional formatting custom formula that is not working.

A custom formula can work in a normal cell and still fail in conditional formatting. The apply-to range may not match the first-row reference, the dollar signs may lock the wrong row or column, the rule may not return TRUE/FALSE, or another rule may be winning. Paste the rule and the range it applies to to get a focused repair path for Google Sheets custom formula rules.

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Purpose-built inputs

A focused workflow for everyday spreadsheet work.

Structured formula builder

Task, table context, target range, and function hint keep the request specific.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 #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 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 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.

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.

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

Google Sheets conditional formatting repair for spreadsheet work.

Help Google Sheets users repair one conditional-formatting custom formula where the visible problem is usually nothing highlighting, the wrong row lighting up, a copied rule using stale references, a cross-sheet reference that needs INDIRECT, or a rule-order conflict.

What this page gives you

  • A corrected Google Sheets custom formula to try in the conditional-formatting sidebar.
  • A plain-English read of the apply-to range, top-left cell, dollar-sign anchors, and TRUE/FALSE condition.
  • Checks for rule order, copied formatting rules, and cross-sheet references that need INDIRECT.

When to use it

Use this when a Google Sheets conditional-formatting custom formula highlights nothing, highlights the wrong rows, works in a normal cell but not in the rule, or changes behavior after copying formatting from another range.

Do not use this as a broad spreadsheet formatting audit. It is for one custom formula rule and the range that rule applies to.

Worked example

The apply-to range is A2:C100. Due dates are in column B, status is in column C, and the whole row should highlight when the due date is before today and status is not Done.

=AND($B2<TODAY(),$C2<>"Done")

The dollar signs lock columns B and C so every formatted cell in the row checks the same due date and status. The row number stays relative, so row 3 checks B3 and C3.

Check before you paste

  • Write the formula as if it is being evaluated from the top-left cell of the apply-to range.
  • Lock only the column or row that should stay fixed as Google Sheets evaluates each cell.
  • Make sure the custom formula returns TRUE or FALSE for the cell or row being formatted.
  • Check whether a rule above this one is already setting the format for the same cells.
  • Use INDIRECT when a custom formula needs to reference another sheet.

Upgrade when the work piles up

Keep going when the sheet gets complicated.

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Founding access

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