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IFERROR vs IFNA: which to use in Excel and Sheets
Excel & Google Sheets
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2,B2:B6,1,FALSE),"Not found")✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Lookup | Source |
| Alice | Alice |
| Bob | Carol |
| Zara | Bob |
| Carol | David |
| David | Eve |
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2,B2:B6,1,FALSE),"Not found")→Not found
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Step by step
- 1Use IFERROR when you want to suppress any error and replace it with a friendly message: =IFERROR(formula, "fallback").
- 2Use IFNA when your formula should only hide #N/A (the 'not found' result from lookups): =IFNA(VLOOKUP(A2,range,col,FALSE),"Not found").
- 3Prefer IFNA in lookup formulas so that real errors like #REF! or #VALUE! still surface and can be debugged.
- 4Nest IFNA inside IFERROR only when you need different messages for #N/A vs other errors: =IFERROR(IFNA(formula,"Not found"),"Formula error").
Tips
- Favour IFNA over IFERROR in VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP formulas to avoid accidentally hiding formula mistakes caused by mistyped ranges.
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
Is IFNA available in all Excel versions?
IFNA was introduced in Excel 2013. It is also available in all versions of Google Sheets.
Can I use IFERROR and IFNA together?
Yes — wrap IFNA inside IFERROR to return one message for #N/A and a different message for all other errors.