ERROR.TYPE

See Also

Returns a number corresponding to one of the error values in Microsoft Excel or returns the #N/A error if no error exists. You can use ERROR.TYPE in an IF function to test for an error value and return a text string, such as a message, instead of the error value.

Syntax

ERROR.TYPE(error_val)

Error_val is the error value whose identifying number you want to find. Although error_val can be the actual error value, it will usually be a reference to a cell containing a formula that you want to test.

If error_val is	ERROR.TYPE returns
#NULL!	1
#DIV/0!	2
#VALUE!	3
#REF!	4
#NAME?	5
#NUM!	6
#N/A	7
Anything else	#N/A

Example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

Show How?

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help
Press CTRL+C.
In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.

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A
Data
#NULL!
=1/0
Formula	Description (Result)
=ERROR.TYPE(A2)	Number of the #NULL! error (1)
=IF(ERROR.TYPE(A3)<3,CHOOSE(ERROR.TYPE(A3),"Ranges do not intersect","The divisor is zero"))	Checks cell A3 to see whether the cell contains either the #NULL! error value or the #DIV/0! error value. If it does, then the number for the error value is used in the CHOOSE worksheet function to display one of two messages; otherwise, the #N/A error value is returned. (The divisor is zero.)