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How to combine IF and OR in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:IF, IFS & nested conditionsExcel & Google Sheets
=IF(OR(A2="Red",A2="Blue"),"Primary","Other")✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Color | Category |
| Red | |
| Green | |
| Blue | |
| Yellow |
=IF(OR(A2="Red",A2="Blue"),"Primary","Other")→Primary
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Step by step
- 1List all conditions where any one being true should trigger the result, inside OR(): OR(condition1, condition2, …).
- 2Use OR() as the logical_test of IF: =IF(OR(A2="Red",A2="Blue"),"Primary","Other").
- 3Press Enter. The formula returns the true value if any condition in OR is TRUE; otherwise it returns the else value.
Tips
- For matching against a long list of values, consider using COUNTIF instead: =IF(COUNTIF({"Red","Blue","Yellow"},A2)>0,"Primary","Other").
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Frequently asked
Can I combine AND and OR in the same IF formula?
Yes: =IF(AND(A2>0,OR(B2="Yes",B2="Maybe")),"OK","No") tests that A2 is positive AND that B2 is either Yes or Maybe.
Is there a limit to how many OR conditions I can have?
OR accepts up to 255 logical conditions.
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