Find the error. Fix the sheet.

What this site is

Sheet Error is a reference library for people who have a Google Sheet open and a cell that will not calculate. Match the error value — #N/A, #REF!, #DIV/0! — or the function that failed, then open that tutorial. You do not need an account, and you do not need a general spreadsheet tour first.

Each page is one case. You recreate it on a blank sheet, read what is actually wrong and what it is not, then type a formula. Screenshots use the English Google Sheets UI. The broken cells stay on the sheet so you can see the error and the fix together.

The cards on this page are a short starter set of common cases. The grouped index is Tutorials. The sidebar lists every published page. Tutorial pages show an Updated date when they change. If a recreate no longer matches Sheets, or the error you hit is missing, send the page URL through Contact.

Start here

Match the value in the cell, then open the page. The rest of the library is on Tutorials.

Common cell errors

#N/ANo match. VLOOKUP, MATCH, and FILTER all use this. Confirm the miss before you wrap it.

#REF!The reference is gone after a delete. Different from a circular loop or a VLOOKUP index past the range.

#DIV/0!Divide by zero, or by a blank cell that counts as zero. Guard the divisor.

#VALUE!Wrong type. 10 + pcs is #VALUE!. Not a lookup miss and not a parse error.

#NAME?Unknown function or name. VLOKUP is not VLOOKUP. Not a locale parse error.

Circular dependency#REF! from a formula that refers to itself. A two-cell loop and a SUM that includes its own cell are the same error.

Lookups

VLOOKUP #N/AThe sku is on the sheet and VLOOKUP still misses. Number vs text, or a trailing space.

XLOOKUP #N/AExact miss. Pass if_not_found (missing_value) instead of wrapping IFERROR. Not a VLOOKUP type miss.

FILTER #N/AZero matching rows, or a condition range that is not the same height as the data.

IFERROR vs IFNAIFERROR turns #N/A, #REF!, and #DIV/0! into none. IFNA only catches #N/A. Pick IFNA for lookups.

Imports and locale

IMPORTRANGE accessIMPORTRANGE shows #REF! until you click Allow access. The destination has not been granted permission yet.

Formula parse errorVLOOKUP copied with commas is a Formula parse error when this spreadsheet’s locale uses semicolons.

Full catalog

These twelve pages are a starter set. Tutorials is the grouped index — #N/A, #REF!, QUERY, imports, and the other families. The sidebar lists every published tutorial.

Browse the full catalog

How to use

Open the matching tutorial and type the recreate. About explains how a page is written. Contact is for corrections and missing errors.