Information
ISFORMULA Function in Excel
Returns TRUE if the cell contains a formula.
Syntax
- =ISFORMULA(reference)
Arguments
- reference (required): Cell reference to check
Examples
- =ISFORMULA(A1) - Check if A1 has formula - Result: TRUE/FALSE
Defensive formulas with ISFORMULA
- Use IS* functions inside IF to branch on blank, error, text, or number cells.
- Prefer [IFERROR](/functions/iferror/) when you only need a fallback display value.
- Error hub: [Fix formula errors](/guides/fix-excel-formula-errors/).
Common errors
- Only works with cell references
Use cases
- Audit formulas
- Data validation
- Spreadsheet analysis
Frequently asked questions
- How do I highlight all cells with formulas? Use conditional formatting with =ISFORMULA(A1) as the formula (adjust A1 to your range's first cell). Apply to your entire data range. This highlights cells containing formulas vs. static values.
- Does ISFORMULA detect spilled array results? ISFORMULA returns TRUE only for the cell containing the actual formula, not for spilled results. Spilled cells show the result but don't contain a formula themselves. Check the source cell of the spill range.
- How do I count cells with formulas in a range? Use =SUMPRODUCT(--ISFORMULA(A1:A100)) to count cells containing formulas. The -- converts TRUE/FALSE to 1/0 for summing. This helps audit spreadsheets for formula vs. hardcoded values.
Editorial review
- Reviewed by Excel.Directory Editorial Team. Updated May 2026.