Excel IFERROR Function

IFERROR returns one result when a formula works and a fallback result when that formula returns an error.

Use it to keep reports readable when formulas may divide by zero, miss a lookup match, reference unavailable data, or hit another expected error state.

Evaluate a formula Excel calculates the main value

Check for errors Errors trigger the fallback

Return a clean result Either the value or replacement

IFERROR syntax & arguments

Syntax

=IFERROR(value, value_if_error)

Required Optional

1

value
Required

The formula, expression, or value Excel should evaluate first.
2

value_if_error
Required

The fallback result to return when value evaluates to an error.

Example

=IFERROR(A2/B2, 0)

Return A2 divided by B2, or 0 if the division produces an error.

IFERROR caveats

IFERROR is useful for presentation, but it can also hide formula problems that should be fixed directly.

It catches every Excel error type

IFERROR handles errors such as #N/A, #VALUE!, #DIV/0!, #REF!, and #NAME?.
It can hide broken logic

A fallback value can make a report look clean while masking a typo, missing reference, or invalid calculation.
The first argument still runs

Excel evaluates value first. IFERROR does not prevent expensive or invalid work; it only controls the returned result.
Blank fallbacks can be ambiguous

Returning "" keeps a cell visually blank, but it can make real missing data harder to distinguish from valid blanks.