Summary

The Excel ISERR function returns TRUE for any error type except the #N/A error. You can use the ISERR function together with the IF function to test for an error and display a custom message, or perform a different calculation if found.

Purpose 

Test for any error but #N/A

Return value 

A logical value (TRUE or FALSE)

Syntax

=ISERR(value)
  • value - The value to check for any error but #N/A.

How to use 

The ISERR function returns TRUE for any error type except the #N/A error. This includes #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0!, #NUM!, #NAME?, #NULL!, #CALC!, and #SPILL! errors. The ISERR function takes one argument, value, which is typically a cell reference. 

Examples

ISERR will return TRUE if A1 contains any error except  #N/A:

=ISERR(A1) // TRUE if A1 contains an error

You can use the ISERR function together with the IF function to test for an error and display a custom message, or perform a different calculation if found.

=IF(ISERR(A1),"custom message") 

Other error functions

Excel provides a number of error-related functions, each with a different behavior:

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Dave Bruns

Hi - I'm Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.