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How to highlight cells that contain errors in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Conditional formattingExcel & Google Sheets
=ISERROR(A2)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Result |
| 100 |
| #N/A |
| 250 |
| #DIV/0! |
=ISERROR(A2)→FALSE
Try it with your data
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Sample data — click any cell to edit
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Step by step
- 1Select the range that may contain formula errors, e.g. A2:D50.
- 2Open Conditional Formatting and choose 'Use a formula'.
- 3Enter =ISERROR(A2), pick a bold highlight color like red, and save. Every cell returning any error type will be flagged.
Tips
- To highlight only #N/A errors (common with VLOOKUP), use =ISNA(A2) instead of ISERROR for more targeted highlighting.
Working on a sheet you inherited? Run the Auditor on the whole file first — it flags every #REF!, #N/A, broken column pattern, and inconsistent formula in seconds, free, no signup.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between ISERROR and ISERR?
ISERR returns TRUE for all errors except #N/A, while ISERROR catches every error type including #N/A. Use ISERROR when you want to catch all error types.
More on Conditional formatting
See all →How-to
How to highlight duplicate values
Highlight duplicate cells automatically with Conditional Formatting using a COUNTIF rule — no formulas to copy manually.
How-toHow to highlight cells greater than a value
Use Conditional Formatting with a simple greater-than rule to automatically color cells that exceed a threshold value.
How-toHow to highlight the highest value in a range
Color the maximum value in a range automatically using a Conditional Formatting rule based on the MAX function.
How-toHow to highlight the lowest value in a range
Color the minimum value in a range using a Conditional Formatting rule built on the MIN function.
How-toHow to highlight blank cells
Use conditional formatting with ISBLANK to automatically highlight empty cells in your spreadsheet for easy visual identification.
How-toHow to highlight cells that contain specific text
Use conditional formatting with SEARCH or ISNUMBER(SEARCH()) to highlight any cell containing a specific word or phrase automatically.