Common Excel Errors – Explanation with Examples

1. ##### Error

Reason: This error occurs when the column isn't wide enough to display the value properly.
Example:

Suppose cell A1 contains the date 12/31/2025, but the column width is too narrow to display it.
Excel will show ##### instead of the actual value.

Solution:

Increase the column width by dragging the column header.
Use the shortcut Alt + H + O + W to auto-adjust the column width.

2. #NAME? Error

Reason: This error appears when Excel does not recognize text in a formula, usually due to a misspelled function name or missing quotation marks.

Example 1 (Misspelled Function Name):

=SUMM(A1:A5)

"SUMM" is incorrect (should be "SUM").
Excel does not recognize "SUMM" and returns #NAME?.

Example 2 (Missing Quotes in Text):

The word Yes should be enclosed in double quotes:

=IF(A1=Yes, "Valid", "Invalid")

Solution:

Check for typos in function names.
Enclose text values in double quotes.
Ensure named ranges exist before using them.

3. #VALUE! Error

Reason: This occurs when a formula has an incorrect data type or an invalid argument.

Example 1 (Adding Text Instead of Numbers):

=A1 + A2

If A1 contains "Text" and A2 contains 10, Excel will return #VALUE! because text cannot be added to a number.

Example 2 (Incorrect Argument in a Function):

=LEFT(1234, 2)

The LEFT function requires text, but 1234 is a number.

Solution:

Ensure you are using numbers for mathematical operations.
Convert numbers to text using the TEXT function if needed:

=LEFT(TEXT(1234, "0"), 2)

4. #DIV/0! Error

Reason: This occurs when a formula attempts to divide a number by zero or an empty cell.

Example 1 (Dividing by Zero):

=A1 / A2

If A2 is 0, Excel returns #DIV/0!.

Example 2 (Dividing by a Blank Cell):

=100 / B1

If B1 is empty, Excel treats it as zero, leading to #DIV/0!.

Solution:

Ensure the denominator is never zero.
Use an IF condition to prevent errors:

=IF(A2=0, "Error", A1/A2)

Alternatively, use IFERROR:

=IFERROR(A1/A2, "Invalid Division")

5. #REF! Error

Reason: This occurs when a formula refers to a cell that has been deleted or is no longer valid.

Example (Deleting a Referenced Cell):

Suppose A1 = 10, and B1 = A1 * 2, which results in 20.
If you delete column A, B1 will return #REF! because its reference is no longer valid.

Solution:

Undo the deletion using Ctrl + Z.
Avoid deleting cells referenced in formulas.
Update formulas manually if references are lost.

6. #N/A Error

Reason: This occurs when a function like VLOOKUP or MATCH cannot find a value in the dataset.

Example (VLOOKUP Not Finding a Value):

=VLOOKUP(100, A2:B10, 2, FALSE)

If 100 does not exist in column A, Excel returns #N/A.

Solution:

Verify that the lookup value exists in the dataset.
Use IFERROR to display a custom message instead of #N/A:

=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(100, A2:B10, 2, FALSE), "Not Found")

Summary Table of Excel Errors

Error Type	Reason	Example	Solution
`#####`	Column too narrow	A1 contains "12/31/2025" but is not wide enough to show it	Expand the column width
`#NAME?`	Misspelled function or missing quotes	`=SUMM(A1:A5)` (should be `SUM`)	Check spelling, add quotes for text
`#VALUE!`	Wrong data type in a formula	`="Text" + 10`	Ensure correct data type
`#DIV/0!`	Dividing by zero or empty cell	`=100 / 0`	Use `IF` or `IFERROR` to handle zero
`#REF!`	Deleted or invalid reference	Deleting A1 when B1 = `A1 * 2`	Avoid deleting referenced cells
`#N/A`	Lookup function can’t find value	`=VLOOKUP(100, A2:B10, 2, FALSE)` (if 100 isn’t in A2:A10)	Ensure lookup value exists, use `IFERROR`

Common Excel Errors – Explanation with Examples