Excel error values: what each one means

Each Excel error starts with a hash sign and names a kind of problem. Knowing the kind tells you where to look.

The error values at a glance

Error	The formula...	First thing to check
`#DIV/0!`	divides by zero or by an empty cell	The divisor cell
`#N/A`	looked something up and did not find it	The value and the list: spaces, text versus numbers
`#NAME?`	contains a word Excel does not know	Spelling of functions and names, missing quotes
`#VALUE!`	has the wrong type of value	Text where a number is needed
`#REF!`	points at a cell that was deleted	The formula text: the broken part reads #REF!
`#NUM!`	has a number that is not allowed	Negative roots, impossible results
`#NULL!`	uses a space between ranges that do not meet	A space where a comma belongs
`#SPILL!`	cannot show all of its results	Cells in the way below or beside it
`#CALC!`	returned an empty array	The condition of `FILTER`; add a third argument
`#####`	is fine, but the column is too narrow	Widen the column

Each of these has its own page on this site. The examples there were typed into a real copy of Excel, and the results shown are what Excel displayed.

Tools that find the cause

Evaluate Formula (Formulas tab) steps through a formula and shows the value of each part, until you see where it turns into an error.
Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents draw arrows to the cells that a formula uses, and to the cells that use it.
Error Checking (Formulas tab) goes through the sheet and explains each error in words.
F9 in the formula bar: select a part of a formula and press F9 to see its value. Press Esc to leave the formula unchanged.
The little warning icon beside an error cell has a menu with "Help on this error" and "Show Calculation Steps".

Do not hide errors too early

IFERROR(formula, 0) hides every error, including the ones that tell you the formula is wrong. Fix the cause first. Use IFNA for a missing lookup, and IF for the cases that you expect, such as an empty divisor. Reserve IFERROR for places where you really do not care why the formula failed.

Types and spaces cause most problems

A large share of #N/A, #VALUE! and #DIV/0! errors come from data: numbers stored as text, spaces at the end of words, and cells that look empty but are not. Check with =ISNUMBER(A1), =LEN(A1) and =TRIM(A1), and clean the data once.

Do errors spread to other cells?

Yes. A formula that uses a cell with an error usually shows the same error. Fix the first one and the others disappear.

Why is a hash in a cell not an error value?

It only says the column is too narrow to show the content. The cell value itself is fine.

This is an independent guide. It is not connected with Python, Microsoft, Google, GitHub or the Git project. Product names belong to their owners. Examples were run on 13 November 2026 in a practice folder or a blank workbook; your version may word a message slightly differently.