Excel OR Function

OR returns TRUE when at least one condition you give it is TRUE.

Use it when a spreadsheet decision can pass in more than one way, such as a shipment being urgent, a quantity crossing a threshold, or a status matching one of several allowed values.

Build conditions Each test returns TRUE or FALSE

Check every test Any test can pass

Return one logical result TRUE when at least one passes

OR syntax & arguments

Syntax

=OR(logical1, [logical2], ...)

Required Optional

1

logical1
Required

The first condition or logical value Excel should evaluate as TRUE or FALSE.
2

logical2
Optional Repeatable

Additional conditions or logical values where any TRUE result makes OR return TRUE.

Example

=OR(B2>=90, C2="VIP")

Return TRUE when B2 is at least 90 or C2 is VIP.

OR caveats

OR returns TRUE or FALSE by itself

Use OR inside another function when you need a label, number, or alternate calculation instead of a logical value.
Only one condition must be TRUE

One TRUE argument makes the entire OR formula return TRUE, even when the other arguments are FALSE.
Comparisons should be explicit

Write tests such as B2="Rush" or C2>=100 so each argument has a clear TRUE/FALSE result.
Errors stop the result

If one logical argument returns an error, OR returns that error instead of ignoring it.

Need a custom output? Put OR inside IF when passing at least one condition should return a specific label or calculation. Use AND when every condition must pass.