Excel POWER Function

The POWER function returns a number raised to a given power. POWER is an alternative to the exponent operator (^) in a math equation.

The POWER function takes two arguments: number and power. Number should be a numeric value, provided as a hardcoded constant or as a cell reference. The power argument functions as the exponent, indicating the power to which number should be raised.

Examples

To raise 2 to the 3rd power, you can use POWER like this:

=POWER(2,3) // returns 8

To raise 2 to the 8th power:

=POWER(2,8) // returns 256

To cube the value in cell A1:

=POWER(A1,3) // cube A1

Fractional exponents

To use the power function with a fractional exponent, enter the fraction directly as the power argument:

=POWER(27,1/3) // returns 3
=POWER(81,1/4) // returns 3
=POWER(256,1/8) // returns 2

Exponent operator

In Excel, exponentiation can also be handled with the exponent (^) operator, so:

=2^2=POWER(2,2)=4
=2^3=POWER(2,3)=8
=2^4=POWER(2,4)=16