= Write My Formula

Google Sheets #REF! error

Fix a #REF! error in Google Sheets.

Paste the broken formula, describe what the sheet was supposed to return, and get a focused repair path for invalid references, deleted tabs or ranges, moved lookup ranges, IMPORTRANGE references, blocked array output, and INDIRECT strings that no longer point anywhere valid.

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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 #REF! error for spreadsheet work.

Help Google Sheets users repair one formula returning #REF! after a referenced row, column, tab, source range, spill area, imported range, or text-built reference stops being valid.

What this page gives you

  • A focused repair pass for one Google Sheets formula returning #REF!.
  • Checks for deleted tabs, invalid ranges, moved references, IMPORTRANGE access or range issues, blocked array output, and broken INDIRECT strings.
  • A rebuilt reference path you can test on one small range before changing a shared sheet.

When to use it

Use this page when Google Sheets returns #REF! because a formula points at a tab, row, column, import, spill area, or text-built reference that is no longer valid. It is strongest when you can paste the exact formula and describe what changed before the error appeared.

Do not hide #REF! with IFERROR before replacing the missing reference. The error usually means Sheets cannot use part of the formula path, so the first job is to identify the intended current source range or output area.

Worked example

A summary formula used to total values from an Archive tab, but the tab was renamed to Closed Orders.

=SUM('Closed Orders'!B2:B500)

The repaired formula points at the current tab name and quotes it because the sheet name contains a space. After replacing the broken reference, test the range on a small slice before copying the formula elsewhere.

Check before you paste

  • Replace the broken reference with the current sheet, range, or tab before wrapping the formula in IFERROR.
  • Confirm whether IMPORTRANGE is waiting for access, pointing at a missing source range, or importing more data than the formula needs.
  • Clear the intended spill area before rewriting an array formula that is blocked by existing cells.
  • Check that INDIRECT text creates a real A1-style reference after sheet names, spaces, and quotes are handled.
  • Test the repaired formula on one small range before filling it through a shared sheet.

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Keep going when the sheet gets complicated.

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