#VALUE! Error in Excel
#VALUE! means the formula received the wrong data type or argument shape — text where a number was required, or mismatched ranges.
Common causes
- Numbers imported as text (left-aligned, apostrophe)
- Math on cells that contain labels
- Date text Excel cannot parse
- SUMIFS/COUNTIFS ranges with different shapes
- FIND/SEARCH when substring is missing
Numbers stored as text
=VALUE(A2)
=A2*1
=--A2
=VALUE(TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A2,CHAR(160),"")))Bulk: Data → Text to Columns → Finish, or Paste Special → Multiply by 1.
Fix workflow
- Formulas → Evaluate Formula
- Check ISTEXT / ISNUMBER on inputs
- Coerce text numbers; align range sizes
- Use IFERROR only after the root type issue is fixed