Why do my formulas work in some cells but not others?
 

Excel 2003 (and earlier versions)
I frequently run into the problem where I type a formula in one cell and it
doesn't work (all I see is the text of the formula in the cell), yet I can
type the exact same formula in a different cell on the same spreadsheet and
get it to calculate.

For example - I'm trying to use this formula (where XA:XZ represents any
random range):

=SUMIF(XA:XZ,"750000")

And it won't work in all the cells. I've tried clearing the contents and
also deleting the cell, but nothing works. Any suggestions?

the cell is probably already formatted as text. change the format to
general, then edit the cell (F2) and hit enter, or retype the formula and hit
enter.


"Lowly Worm" wrote:

Excel 2003 (and earlier versions)
I frequently run into the problem where I type a formula in one cell and it
doesn't work (all I see is the text of the formula in the cell), yet I can
type the exact same formula in a different cell on the same spreadsheet and
get it to calculate.

For example - I'm trying to use this formula (where XA:XZ represents any
random range):

=SUMIF(XA:XZ,"750000")

And it won't work in all the cells. I've tried clearing the contents and
also deleting the cell, but nothing works. Any suggestions?

Sounds like the format for that cell is set to text. Change it to general or
number.

"Lowly Worm" wrote:

Excel 2003 (and earlier versions)
I frequently run into the problem where I type a formula in one cell and it
doesn't work (all I see is the text of the formula in the cell), yet I can
type the exact same formula in a different cell on the same spreadsheet and
get it to calculate.

For example - I'm trying to use this formula (where XA:XZ represents any
random range):

=SUMIF(XA:XZ,"750000")

And it won't work in all the cells. I've tried clearing the contents and
also deleting the cell, but nothing works. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help everyone! This did the trick!

"Sloth" wrote:

Sounds like the format for that cell is set to text. Change it to general or
number.

"Lowly Worm" wrote:

Excel 2003 (and earlier versions)
I frequently run into the problem where I type a formula in one cell and it
doesn't work (all I see is the text of the formula in the cell), yet I can
type the exact same formula in a different cell on the same spreadsheet and
get it to calculate.

For example - I'm trying to use this formula (where XA:XZ represents any
random range):

=SUMIF(XA:XZ,"750000")

And it won't work in all the cells. I've tried clearing the contents and
also deleting the cell, but nothing works. Any suggestions?