The ISFORMULA is a Lookup & Reference function that checks whether the specified reference contains a formula. The function returns a Boolean value based on the outcome - TRUE if there is a formula, and FALSE if not. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to use ISFORMULA Excel function and also go over some tips and error handling methods.

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Supported versions

• Excel 2013 and later versions

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Syntax

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Arguments

reference

The cell or range reference you want to check.

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Examples

Cell

formula returns TRUE because there is a formula in cell F3. A string or number will not be considered formulas.

Range

When the ISFORMULA function is used with a range reference, it returns an array of formulas to referenced range. If you do not use the Ctrl + Shift + Enter key combination to generate an array, the formula will return only the first value. Alternatively, you can use a function that works with arrays to retrieve this information.

The following formula uses the INDEX function to get a formula on the 3^rd row and 1^st columns from an array. That array returns a range reference from the ISFORMULA function.

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Tips

• To see the formula string of a reference, use FORMULATEXT function instead.