Formulas > =SWITCH()

How To Use SWITCH() Function in Google Sheets

Description

Tests an expression against a list of cases and returns the corresponding value of the first matching case, with an optional default value if nothing else is met.




What is the SWITCH formula?
The SWITCH formula is a function used in Google Sheets to evaluate and compare a list of conditions until a match is found. Great replacement for those knotty, thorny, nested IF formulas.

How can the SWITCH formula be used appropriately?
The SWITCH formula can be used to test for multiple conditions, replace nested IF formulas, and compare text, numbers and ranges.

How can the SWITCH formula be commonly mistyped?
The SWITCH formula can be mistyped by mixing up the order of the criteria and results of the formula, reversing the separators (commas); forgetting to use quotes for texts; not having an ELSE at the end; or inputting invalid values.

SWITCH can also be misspelled as WITCH, or SWTCH, or SWITH, or SWITC, or WTCH, or SWITH, or SCHWITCH, or SHWITCH, or SHITWCH.

What are some common ways the SWITCH formula is used inappropriately?
The SWITCH formula is commonly used inappropriately by using too many compared values; nesting SWITCH functions; using the wrong data type; using the incorrect criteria; or using too many or the wrong type of ELSE statements.

What are some common pitfalls when using the SWITCH formula?
Common pitfalls when using the SWITCH formula include getting confused by the syntax; accidentally omitting some arguments; forgetting to use quotes for text; and misunderstanding the data type of each value.

What are common mistakes when using the SWITCH Formula?
Common mistakes when using the SWITCH formula include not enclosing the criteria values in quotes, reversing the order of the criteria and the results, not including the result, and more than one comparison operator in each criteria condition.

What are common misconceptions people might have with the SWITCH Formula?
Common misconceptions about the SWITCH formula include believing that it can be used to look up values in tables or perform calculations; thinking that it can return a text string or array when it is limited to numeric values only; and thinking that the IF statement is better than the SWITCH statement when the opposite is true.

Some other misconceptions about the SWITCH formula are that it switches data types. It cannot check for the veracity of your data. It cannot and will not know if your data is correct or valid. You'll have to make sure the underlying data is correct to your business to ensure that the SWITCH formula works as you expect it to.

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How To Actually Use SWITCH() in Sheets

SWITCH(expression, case1, value1, [default or case2, value2], …)

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Learn more about the SWITCH() formula:

SWITCH Function (Multiple IF conditions, IFS function) - Google Sheets - similar in Excel

Learn how to use SWITCH function in Google Sheets or Excel to create multiple If statements. Understand the difference between SWITCH & IFS functions. Function covered in this tutorial: SWITCH, IFS, DGET, YEAR, MONTH

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