ERROR.TYPE Function

Returns a number that corresponds to a specific error value

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What is the ERROR.TYPE Function?

The ERROR.TYPE Function[1] is categorized as an Excel Information function. The function returns a number that corresponds to a specific error value. If there is no error, it will return #N/A.

While doing financial analysis, we can use this to test for a specific error value. Also, we can use ERROR.TYPE to display a customized error message. This can be done using the IF function. The IF function can be used to test for an error value and return a text string, such as a message, instead of the error value.

Formula

=ERROR.TYPE(error_val)

Where:

Error_value (required argument) – This is the error value for whom we wish to find the identifying number. Though error_val can be the actual error value, it will usually be a reference to a cell containing a formula that we want to test.

The numbers provided by Excel:

If error_val isERROR.TYPE returns
#NULL!1
#DIV/0!2
#VALUE!3
#REF!4
#NAME?5
#NUM!6
#N/A7
#N/A8
Anything else#N/A

How to use the ERROR.TYPE Function in Excel?

Let’s see a few examples to understand how the ERROR.TYPE function works.

Example

Suppose we wish to display customized messages for certain errors:

ERROR.TYPE Function

Now we wish to input a customized message. What we want is that this formula should check the given cell reference, i.e., cell A2, to see whether the cell contains either the #NULL! error value or the #DIV/0! error value.

If errors are found, 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 formula to use is:

=IF(ERROR.TYPE(A2)<3,CHOOSE(ERROR.TYPE(A4),”Ranges do not intersect”,”The divisor is zero”))

ERROR.TYPE Function - Example 1

We get the result below:

ERROR.TYPE Function - Example 1a

Click here to download the sample Excel file

Additional Resources

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