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How to write a nested IF formula in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:IF, IFS & nested conditionsExcel & Google Sheets
=IF(A2>=90,"A",IF(A2>=80,"B",IF(A2>=70,"C","F")))✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Score | Grade |
| 95 | |
| 82 | |
| 74 | |
| 55 |
=IF(A2>=90,"A",IF(A2>=80,"B",IF(A2>=70,"C","F")))→A
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Step by step
- 1Decide the order of conditions — always test from most restrictive to least restrictive. For grades: check 90+ first, then 80+, then 70+.
- 2Build the formula from the inside out: start with the innermost IF and wrap each condition. Example: =IF(A2>=90,"A",IF(A2>=80,"B",IF(A2>=70,"C","F"))).
- 3Press Enter. Each condition is evaluated in order; the first TRUE condition's value is returned. The last value ("F") is the default when no condition matches.
Tips
- Excel and Google Sheets both support up to 64 nested IFs, but readability degrades quickly. Consider IFS or SWITCH for more than 3–4 conditions.
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Frequently asked
How many IFs can I nest?
Excel and Google Sheets allow up to 64 levels of nesting, but more than 4–5 levels becomes very hard to read and debug.
What is the IFS function and when should I use it instead?
IFS(condition1, value1, condition2, value2, …) is a cleaner alternative to nested IFs when you have many conditions. It is available in Excel 2019+ and all versions of Google Sheets.
More on IF, IFS & nested conditions
See all →How-to
How to hide #N/A and other formula errors
Replace #N/A, #DIV/0!, and other errors with a blank or a friendly message using IFERROR or IFNA. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
Error fixFix Nested IF
Nested IF formulas not working in Excel and Google Sheets — fix bracket mismatches, wrong evaluation order, overlapping conditions, and the 64-nesting limit.
How-toHow to return a value if a cell contains text
Check if a cell contains specific text with IF + ISNUMBER + SEARCH and return any value you want — plus case-sensitive checks, multiple keywords, and wildcard alternatives.
How-toHow to return blank instead of zero
Stop formulas showing 0: wrap them in IF to return an empty string, suppress zeros with a custom number format, or hide them sheet-wide — plus the VLOOKUP-returns-0 fix.
How-toHow to sum if a cell contains specific text
Use SUMIF with wildcard criteria (*text*) to sum values in a column whenever a related column contains a specific substring.
How-toHow to write an IF with multiple conditions
Combine IF with AND or OR to test multiple conditions simultaneously and return a result based on whether all or any are true.