#DIV/0! — division by zero
Excel is being asked to divide by zero or by an empty cell. Wrap the formula with IFERROR — =IFERROR(A1/B1, 0) — or guard with IF: =IF(B1=0, "", A1/B1).
#VALUE! — wrong type
A formula received text where it expected a number (or vice versa). Use VALUE() to convert text-numbers and TRIM() to remove invisible spaces, then check that every argument matches the expected type.
#REF! — broken reference
A formula refers to a cell, row, column, or sheet that no longer exists. The fix is almost always to undo the deletion and re-point the formula before saving — or to rebuild the broken reference manually.
#NAME? — Excel doesn't recognise something
Usually a typo in a function name (=SUME instead of =SUM), a text value without surrounding quotes, or a named range that hasn't been defined yet. Check spelling, quote your strings, and confirm the name in Formulas → Name Manager.
#N/A — lookup didn't find a match
VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, or MATCH couldn't find the value you searched for. Common culprits: a number stored as text, a stray space, or simply no match in the source data. Wrap with IFNA or use XLOOKUP's if_not_found argument to handle it gracefully.
#NUM! — numeric problem
The math is impossible (SQRT of a negative number), the iteration didn't converge, or the result is too large for Excel to represent. Guard the inputs and check the function's allowed range.
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