Formulas > =IF()

How To Use IF() Function in Google Sheets

Description

Returns one value if a logical expression is `TRUE` and another if it is `FALSE`.

What are the common questions about the IF formula?
What is the syntax of the IF formula? IF(logical expression, value if true, value if false)
How do I use the IF formula in combination with other functions? You can nest functions in the logical expression, or in the true, or false areas. Creating sort of gateways for your formulas.
Can I nest IF formulas within each other? Yes
Can the IF formula be used for more than two conditions? yes using the AND() and OR() formulas in the logical expression.

How can the IF formula be used appropriately?
The IF formula can be used appropriately to test a condition and return one value if the condition is true, and another value if the condition is false. It can also be used in combination with other functions, such as SUMIF or AVERAGEIF, to perform more complex calculations. Additionally, it can be nested within itself to evaluate multiple conditions.

Find more Formula Combination tutorials here: at Better Sheets' selection of Formula Combination tutorials.

How can the IF formula be commonly mistyped?
The most common mistake when typing the IF formula is forgetting to close the parentheses, but Google Sheets will usually complete the last parentheses for you.

Another common mistake is using the wrong syntax, such as not including the correct arguments or not using quotes around text values. It is easy to get the order of value if true and value if false backwards.

What are some common ways the IF formula is used inappropriately?
One common way the IF formula is used inappropriately is by nesting too many IF statements within each other, which can make the formula hard to read and, at times it seems to slow down the spreadsheet. Additionally, using the IF formula for a large dataset can be inefficient, and other functions like SWITCH, or VLOOKUP, or IFS may be more appropriate.

What are some common pitfalls when using the IF formula?
One common pitfall when using the IF formula is not considering all possible outcomes of the condition being tested. For example, if the condition is based on a range of values, it is important to consider what happens if the value is outside that range, not just true or false. If you find yourself thinking in ranges then SWITCH might more appropriate, or IFS. Another pitfall is not testing the formula thoroughly to ensure it is working as intended.

What are common mistakes when using the IF Formula?
Common mistakes when using the IF formula include:
  • Using the wrong syntax, such as not including the correct arguments or not using quotes around text values
  • Not considering all possible outcomes of the condition being tested
  • Not testing the formula thoroughly to ensure it is working as intended

What are common misconceptions people might have with the IF Formula?
One common misconception is that the IF formula can only be used for simple true/false conditions. In fact, it can be used for more complex conditions and nested within itself for even more complex calculations. Another misconception is that the IF formula always returns a value. In reality, if the condition is false and no value is provided for the ""false"" argument, the cell will be left blank."

How To Actually Use IF() in Sheets

IF(logical_expression, value_if_true, value_if_false)

65Better Sheets Tutorials

Use Google Sheets to quickly find pages we can optimize. Using data directly from Google Search Console. Also check out the simple formula combination: AND() with IF()
how to create an auto-updating sales chart that displays the trailing 12 months of data in Google Sheets. The tutorial uses a sample dataset to demonstrate how to build a dynamic chart that updates automatically as new data is added.
Send daily emails to yourself to master sales every single day. 100% completely free for Better Sheet members.
I got this lead magnet via twitter. It's simply a list of faceless youtube channel from a Faceless Youtube Academy. But I think it could have been a lot better. Let's explore ways to make this particular lead magnet into an Epic one.
Search through and filter data to get what you want, when you want it. Tired of sifting through endless rows and columns? Learn how to filter your Google Sheet database with dates, checkboxes, and dropdowns. Simplify your workflow today!
Learn how to use a free Google API to create QR codes in sheet to any URL. And we'll learn how to make them magically appear as you enter domains.
A brief description of types of automation. I go way more in depth in “Master Spreadsheet Automation” on Udemy and “Spreadsheet Automation 101” on Better Sheets
- Built-in Formulas that seem like automation IF()
- Custom Functions in Apps Script
- Time Driven Triggers
- Event Driven Triggers
Create a little web app, or a tool inside of Google Sheets that can take any text input and give us the correct case we want. It can do Title Case or Sentence Case. It can do UPPER and lower case as well.

I added a little apps script to it that will check only one of the options. Check out the Radio Button Apps Script in another video.
how to create and customize checklists using Google Sheets. I show you how to add check boxes, headers, and formatting to make your checklists visually appealing. I also explain how to use conditional formatting to create a progress bar and add fun elements like easter eggs. Watch this video to learn how to make the ultimate checklist and feel free to suggest more features for future videos!
10 Things I Hate About Your Spreadsheets and how to fix them. Here is a list of 10 things you can do today to make your sheets more lovable.

The 10 Things I Hate about your Sheets
  1. Squeezed Rows
  2. Garbage Data
  3. Looks The Same
  4. Crazy Column Width
  5. Where’s Waldo 
  6. Of Results
  7. Too Many Clicks
  8. Instructions Unclear
  9. Eye Strain and Headaches
  10. Lazy Conditional Formatting
  11. Too Many Cells
Create the Ultimate Headline Writer: Unleash the Power of Google Sheets and OpenAI's API / GPT-3.5-Turbor to Create Compelling Website Headlines. Write in different styles, using different parameters to make the ultimate headline writer for an agency or for your own business.
The video tutorial demonstrates how to leverage Google Sheets and Google Apps Script to create a simple API for managing and checking the status of jobs or projects. This is particularly useful for project or product managers who need a straightforward system for tracking job statuses without exposing their entire Google Sheet to external users. The process involves:

  1. Setting up a Google Sheet as a database: The sheet contains job IDs and their corresponding statuses. This setup acts as a backend where job statuses can be updated.
  2. Creating an API with Google Apps Script: By writing a custom script, a doGet function is deployed as a web app. This function allows users to query the Google Sheet by job ID via a URL, returning the job's current status.
  3. Deploying a web app: The script is deployed as a web application, which generates a unique URL. This URL acts as an endpoint for the API, where requests can be sent to check job statuses based on job IDs.
  4. Front-end form for checking job status: A form is created using an online tool (like CARRD) where users can input a job ID. Upon submission, the form sends a request to the API, retrieves the job status from the Google Sheet, and displays it to the user.
  5. Securing data visibility: This method ensures that only the relevant job status information is shared with external users, without revealing the entire content of the Google Sheet.
  6. Integration with other Sheets: The API can also be used in conjunction with other Google Sheets using the IMPORTDATA function, allowing for the automated retrieval of job statuses into other spreadsheets without manual data entry or revealing the original data source.

This approach is valuable for project management, allowing for real-time status checks of various jobs with minimal setup and without the need for complex database systems or advanced coding knowledge.
Create a better checklist for project based task management.
'll show you a game-changing Google Sheet formula that will make your day, especially if you're into bulk publishing and chat GPT. With this formula, you'll be able to insert lists of keywords into prompts effortlessly. I'll guide you step-by-step on how to set it up and use it effectively. Get ready to become faster, better, and more efficient in your publishing tasks. Let's dive in!
Create an epic writing tool to generate text from AI with a parade of prompts. A list of prompts you create and write that can be used over and over again. Or use this template to create your own workbook to sell a sheet of your own prompts.
How to figure out a percentage score when our reporting numbers are a formatted in a particular way. In this case we have a score and then a slash and then the total possible score in a single cell. We go through each option of solution and try to derive a solution that is both useful in the exact situation and possibly useful for other problems too.

We find that the Query formula and other solutions are inflexible or time intensive. We want a solution that does actually solve the problem at hand, in a quick way, and also is easy to edit and flexible to solve other problems.
Create a ChatGPT prompt inside a sheet, edit that prompt with a single input 100 times over. In this case we're creating a twitter thread prompt and replacing the topic 100 times. so you can use 1 prompt to run 100 ai calls, and then we go further

We make it better.

We add a checkbox and another prompt to take the output of the 1st prompt and run it again. And we can do that 100 times too. So each horizontal row can be it's own ChatGPT.

You can get the ai Apps Script in this video's sheet or in the sheet connected to the GPT-4 upgrade: https://bettersheets.co/tutorials/upgrade-google-sheets-openai-prompt-to-gpt-4
Walk through step-by-step going from a blank sheet to an AI powered prompt engineering cheat sheet of a spreadsheet.

Watch the Upgrade to GPT-4 video to see the differences between GPT-3 and GPT-4 Apps Script

This is an attempt to create a waterfall effect in sheets. Where an AI response becomes the prompt in another ai API call.
I show you one way not to do it, that fails with onEdit() but then I do show one particular way it could work. We wrestle with AI a bit in this video and the conclusion is not so sweet.

Get the sheet below with the Apps Script and API code already written for you.
Wanted to share with members this course outline I am using for my own course making process. I outlined the course then added a bunch of cool little stats to help see my progress and keep me on a certain pace of video creation. 
Got an amazing tool from Inside Google Ads course by Jyll. She shares this tool, and I went for 30 minutes reviewing it, improving it, and redesigning it. Hope members can learn from this video. Jyll graciously allows me to share this sheet with members only!
We're actually gonna go build the dashboard today.
Revolutionary Method to Manage Your Video Stories! Learn how to delete old videos in just 24 hours. Keep your content fresh and engaging. Click here for the ultimate guide. 
Build a list of domains you can buy right now. Easily check if the domain you want is still available.
Building a clone of Wordle inside Google Sheets.
Count your words inside a sheet. Great for ad writing, novel writing, or if you need to meet minimums.
Useful for calculation or filters by dates.
Unlock the Power of Email Notifications! 📧 Dive into our latest video tutorial, where we show you step-by-step how to add email notifications to your Google Sheets. Stay ahead of the game, get instant updates, and keep your workflow seamless! Check it out now! 
Create a simple to-do list that does so much more.
Hide data with these simple tricks. Just using the IF() formula.
We're going to like take some data, twist it and turn it into a different type of like look and feel. And then we're going to do the same thing in reverse.
We're going to create some magic here. Some if magic, sprinkle a little magic on your sheets, you can use these formulas in existing sheets.
Count different types of blank cells. Cells with nothing in them.
Track your goals with a thermometer.
Got a list of names, need to add new ones to main list.
Created a daily email with a motivational quote in the subject.
Covering some of the basics I skipped over in the part 1 video.
A funky way to password protect some data in a sheet, 3 ways to do it: with IF(), Apps Script, and Encoding
Create a start time and end time and duration of that, with a little bit of Apps Script.
4 formulas that make your sheets feel automated. Start with user-started actions, and get automated data flowing in other parts of your sheet.
So in this video we're going to compare two tabs and differences. Basically, someone asked actually on AppSumo, someone asked how do I compare two sheets to know what the differences are? This is the answer.
Here are 5 advanced ways to manage projects inside of Google Sheets Manage Task Flow with IF() and a Checkbox Manage Data Inputs with IF() and ISBLANK() Create Quick Dashboard headers with: Transpose / Unique Create Pickers with Index / Match Email reports with Apps Script
Learn to create a fun game called Hangman in Google Sheets with Better Sheets. Watch the video to challenge yourself and see how it works. What other games can you make inside of Google Sheets? Create a game of hangman inside Google Sheets. Showcases a few Google Sheet formulas like SEARCH()
Learn how to find duplicates with a simple formula in Google Sheets.
Create a duplicate detector with a few google sheet formulas.
There was a stories craze. Every app/platform/business was adding 24 hour lasting videos to their users accounts. Now you can do that with Google sheets.
Let’s talk about the IF formula and the differences. Learn how to insert a checkbox and all the other things it can do for you.
Create a pastel colored hunting game, just in time for Easter.
One of the most simplest and useful formula combinations is using and and or inside of an if and what happens is we want to use this when we want an if formula to have multiple criteria.
Figure out who won a game of tic tac toe. inside a Google Sheet. Great for teachers and educators.
The issues you might run into validating data and 4 formulas you can use to create workflows or processes in sheets. Covering: ISBLANK, ISFORMULA, ISURL, ISTEXT formulas.
Find out the results of YouTube Thumbnail A/B Tests with this YouTube Thumbnail Image hack we can do in Google Sheets.
Revolutionize the way you handle data with the BetterSheets REGEXMATCHER! Imagine having the ability to effortlessly validate text patterns, ensuring the integrity of your data. Whether you're searching for specific mentions, cleaning up unwanted content, or filtering out irrelevant information, our REGEXMATCHER is your go-to solution.

Error-Free Data: 
Experience precise data validation ensuring your information is accurate and error-free.
Effortless Pattern Recognition: 
Easily identify and eliminate unwanted data patterns, guaranteeing a clean and organized dataset.
Tailored Data Classification: 
Classify your data based on specific patterns, streamlining your workflow and increasing efficiency.

Uncover the Magic of Regex Match! 🎩✨ Explore 200+ Examples at BetterSheets.co. Validate emails, detect hashtags, format data & more! Dive into the world of Regular Expressions. Start Your Regex Journey Now!

Use REGEXMATCHER to generate any REGEXTMATCH formula you want.
Unlock the Secrets of SEO Meta Descriptions! Learn how to craft compelling meta descriptions using AI and Google Sheets. Boost your website's visibility and engage your audience. Dive into the world of effective SEO writing now! 
Learn how to make better lead magnets from Google Sheet checklists. Great for marketers and solo operators trying to get more leads, more customers, more clients.
Learn how to import DropCatch data with 100,000 domains into a Google Sheet. Find out how to get a filtered list of domains with sheet in them. And how to generate ideas of what to build based on these found domains.

Leveraging Expired Domain Names for Google Sheets Business: The speaker discusses using expired domain names to create and sell Google Sheets templates or tools. He demonstrates how to find domain names related to 'sheets' and suggests creative business ideas around them.

Importing and Analyzing Data in Google Sheets: The process of importing CSV data into Google Sheets and manipulating it to find specific information (like domains containing the word 'sheet') is showcased. This highlights the versatility of Google Sheets in handling and analyzing data.

Idea Generation and Business Opportunities in Google Sheets: The speaker, Andrew Kamphey, provides several examples of how to generate business ideas using Google Sheets. He suggests various niches like WordPress-related spreadsheets, balance sheets for accountants, and even educational tools like math workbooks, demonstrating the wide range of potential applications for Google Sheets in various domains.
Learn how to use apps script to add emoji animations when you complete a checklist in Google Sheets.
Find out how to turn some data you can copy/paste from the web into a branded lead magnet for yourself.

Check out Josh's Tweet about the sheet.
and check out his Podia.
 
The video shows the importance of adding personal touches to a Google Sheet to connect better with users. It explains how to analyze the sheet's data to find trends and best practices for website content. Lastly, it discusses ways to share the sheet widely while still giving credit to its creator.
Built a Domain Availability Checker in Google Sheets. You can build your own with the code provided. Use RapidAPI and Domainr.com to get an APIEKY for your own free checker.

Learn how to integrate sheets with a TLD Availability API.
Updated the Spintax tool to allow you to generate Spintax. Instead of having to come up with it all yourself, you can let AI generate the Spintax for you. Create variations on headlines, or phrases, or emails.
Someone asked about how to find all the permutations of text and I thought it was a perfect example to show you how to use Spintax add-on. Free for everyone.

→ Get Spintax

Learn more about the IF() formula:

How to Make an Interactive To Do List In Google Sheets

Imagine this kind of to-do list: Any time we check off one of our chores in our list, the text changes to something that shows us what we’ve done. Instead of just a checkbox, the text actually changes.

Automate Google Sheets without Apps Script, without Zapier

Automate Google Sheets without Apps Script, without Zapier. Using a few Google Sheets formulas you can bring automation-esque actions to your sheets. Using these 6 formulas (2 formulas and 2 formula pairs) you can make pure magic inside your sheets. Without learning apps script, and without using a 3rd party automation like Zapier.

Generate a IF() formula for your needs with AI

Google Sheets Formula Generator

Whatever you need to do in sheets, you can generate a formula. Use the Better Sheets Formula generator to create a formula for any need. Completely free for members.

Asa

Looking for more help inside sheets get the free Add-on: Asa. Ask Sheets Anything. Go ahead, ask it any problem you migth have. Bring your own APIKEY and generate formulas inside of Google Sheets.