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    FORMULATEXT

    Information

    Returns the formula of a referenced cell as text.

    Translations
    EnglishFORMULATEXT
    FrenchFORMULETEXTE
    SpanishFORMULATEXTO
    GermanFORMELTEXT
    ItalianFORMULA.TESTO
    PortugueseFÓRMULATEXTO
    DutchFORMULETEKST
    PolishFORMUŁA.TEKST
    RussianФОРМУЛАТЕКСТ
    TurkishFORMÜLMETNİ
    CzechFORMULATEXT
    HungarianKÉPLETSZÖVEG
    SwedishFORMELTEXT
    DanishFORMELTEKST
    FinnishKAAVANTEKSTI
    Syntax
    FORMULATEXT(reference)

    Arguments

    • referenceCell containing a formula
    Examples
    =FORMULATEXT(A1)
    =SUM(B:B)

    Shows formula from A1

    =FORMULATEXT(Sheet2!C5)
    Formula text

    From another sheet

    =IF(ISERROR(FORMULATEXT(A1)),"No formula",FORMULATEXT(A1))
    Safe check

    Handles cells without formulas

    Tips & Best Practices
    • •Returns #N/A if cell has no formula
    • •Useful for documentation
    • •Available in Excel 2013 and later
    Common Mistakes
    • •Using FORMULATEXT on a cell that contains only a value, not a formula, and being surprised by the resulting #N/A error instead of an empty result
    • •Forgetting that FORMULATEXT shows the formula as literal text, not its calculated result, so it's easy to confuse the two when reviewing a sheet quickly
    • •Expecting FORMULATEXT to update automatically in a way that reflects formatting changes to the original formula - it always reflects the current formula text exactly, but any error in referencing the wrong cell won't be obvious at a glance
    Related Functions
    ISFORMULAChecks whether a cell contains a formula and returns TRUE/FALSE, often used before FORMULATEXT to avoid a #N/A error.
    CELLRetrieves other information about a cell, like its formatting or address, rather than the text of its formula.
    IFERRORCommonly wraps FORMULATEXT to substitute a friendly message when the referenced cell doesn't contain a formula.
    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why does FORMULATEXT return #N/A?

    The referenced cell doesn't contain a formula - it's either empty or holds a plain value. Wrap it in IFERROR or check first with ISFORMULA to avoid the error.

    Does FORMULATEXT show the formula's result or the formula itself?

    The formula itself, as literal text - like "=SUM(B:B)" rather than whatever number that formula calculates.

    Can FORMULATEXT reference a cell on another sheet?

    Yes, use a normal cross-sheet reference, like FORMULATEXT(Sheet2!C5), and it returns that cell's formula as text.

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