Excel won’t automatically calculate formulas when they haven’t been entered correctly. One of the things hardest to spot is a space in the formula just ahead of the equals (=). When there’s a space right at the beginning of the formula, its cell will display the function instead of a result for it.
Here are a few things to check if your Excel spreadsheet is calculating wrong. In the “ Calculation options ” area, ensure “ Automatic ” is selected.
Symptoms : A cell displays the formula, not the result. If your Excel formula is not working because a cell displays the function instead of the calculated value, it’s because one of the following reasons. Show Formulas mode is turned on.
Another thing we wondered was: why is my sum formula not working in Excel?
The below screenshot shows that even a simple Excel SUM formula may not work because of numbers formatted as text: To fix this, select all problematic cells, click the warning sign, and then click Convert to Number: In some cases, however, neither green triangles nor the warning sign appear in cells.
When Excel formulas are not updating automatically, most likely it’s because the Calculation setting has been changed to Manual instead of Automatic. To fix this, just set the Calculation option to Automatic again. On the Excel ribbon, go to the Formulas tab > Calculation group, click the Calculation Options button, and select Automatic:.
Why is my Excel suddenly not working?
Every once in a while, you might find Excel behaving in a bizarre or unexpected way. One example is when you accidentally trigger the scroll lock feature. Another example is when one or more formulas suddenly stops working.
What are the common problems with Excel formulas?
Excel formulas not working – a formula returns an error or wrong result. Excel formulas not updating – a formula displays an old value after the values of the dependent cells have been updated. Excel formulas not calculating – a cell displays a formula, not result.
With Show Formulas enabled, columns are widened, and every formula in a worksheet is displayed with no results anywhere in sight, as shown in the screens below. To check if Show Formulas is turned on, visit the Formula tab in the ribbon and check the Show Formulas button:.