IFERROR in Google Sheets
IFERROR returns a formula's result, or a fallback value if the formula produces an error: =IFERROR(B2/C2, 0) shows 0 instead of #DIV/0! when C2 is empty.
It's most common around lookups: =IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2, F:H, 3, FALSE), "Not found"). Use it deliberately: hiding every error can also hide real mistakes such as a typo in a range. When you only expect a missing value, IFNA is more precise because it catches only #N/A.
Syntax
=IFERROR(value, [value_if_error])
Example
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(A2, $F$2:$H$50, 3, FALSE), "Not found")
A friendly message instead of #N/A.
Common mistakes
- Wrapping everything in IFERROR and hiding real bugs.
- Returning "" in a column you later sum or average.
- Leaving out the second argument, which returns an empty cell.
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