Google Sheets Formula Builder & Error Fixer
Pick what you want to do and where your data is: the tool writes the formula for Google Sheets (and the Excel version). You can also translate a formula between Excel and Google Sheets, or answer two questions to fix an error. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Which error do you see in the cell? Hover over the cell in Google Sheets to read the message under the error; it helps with the questions.
Prefer a ready-made sheet? Our free Google Sheets templates (budget, expenses, timesheet, habits, to-do list) already have the formulas built in.
See the free templatesHow the formula builder works
Choose a task, type the column letters where your data is (for example A for IDs and C for prices), and the rows it covers. If the data is on another tab, type the tab's name and the tool adds it to the ranges, with quotes when the name has spaces. The formula updates as you type; copy it and paste it into a cell.
The example table under each formula uses sample data so you can see what the formula returns. Your own sheet will give its own result.
How we checked the formulas
Every Google Sheets formula the builder produces, every replacement the translator suggests, and every error message in the error fixer was tried in a real Google Sheets file before publishing. For example, we confirmed that Google Sheets has no TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, TEXTSPLIT, SORTBY, TAKE or REGEXTEST (they return #NAME?), and that its CONCAT accepts only two arguments.
The Excel versions follow Microsoft's documentation for Excel 365 and Excel 2021. We don't test them in Excel ourselves, so the tool marks them as untested.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tool send my formulas anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser with JavaScript. Nothing you type leaves the page.
Why is the Excel formula sometimes different?
Most functions work the same in both programs, but some exist in only one. Google Sheets has QUERY, IMPORTRANGE, SPLIT and REGEXEXTRACT; Excel 365 has TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, TEXTSPLIT and SORTBY. When there's no shared function, the tool uses the closest equivalent for each program.
My formula shows "Formula parse error". Why?
If your spreadsheet uses commas as the decimal separator, the arguments must be separated with semicolons. Tick the semicolon option in the translator, or see how to fix Formula parse error.
Where can I learn the functions properly?
Each result links to a step-by-step guide. The formulas cheat sheet lists the 50 most useful functions on one page.