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Excel troubleshooting hub

Start with what you can see, not what you think the function is called. Pick the symptom, follow the shortest fix, then use a free browser tool to check the result before you submit.

Match my symptom Audit my formulas

What is the workbook doing?

Formula shows as textThe cell displays =SUM(A2:A10) instead of a result, or the formula refuses to update.Open the fix Dates will not sortDates sort as 1, 10, 11, 2, show as 45678, or keep the wrong regional order.Open the fix Numbers stored as textSUM returns 0, COUNT is lower than COUNTA, or VLOOKUP cannot match a number.Open the fix VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP returns #N/AThe lookup looks correct but the key has a different type, a space or a duplicate.Open the fix VSTACK or a new function returns #NAME?The function may not exist in your Excel version, or the syntax is not supported.Open the fix FILTER returns #CALC! or #SPILL!The result has nowhere to land, no rows match, or the criteria reference the wrong range.Open the fix Excel shows #VALUE!, #REF! or #DIV/0!Open the exact error code for the cause, a safe formula pattern and a step-by-step fix.Open the fix The workbook is due and needs a final checkRun the 23-point readiness check across the brief, formulas, layout and submission.Open the fix Too many formulas to check one by onePaste up to 200 formulas and get a health score, ranked fixes and a per-formula report.Open the fix

The five-minute triage

1Press Ctrl + backtick to turn off Show Formulas, then check Formulas → Calculation Options → Automatic.
2Confirm the cell format is not Text. Change it to General or Number, then press F2 and Enter to re-enter the formula.
3Test the inputs: =ISNUMBER for numbers and dates, =ISTEXT for labels, =COUNT against =COUNTA for a text-number gap.
4Check for #REF!, #N/A, #VALUE! or a circular-reference warning in the status bar. Open the matching error guide.
5Paste the distinct formulas into the Workbook Health Check, fix the red items first, then run the readiness check.

Free tools that diagnose the problem

Date FixerConvert text dates to real Excel dates and catch ambiguous day/month order.Data CleanerStrip spaces, duplicates and hidden characters before numbers or dates enter Excel.Formula CheckerFind syntax errors, wrong argument counts and risky lookup patterns.Workbook Health CheckAudit a list of formulas and see what to fix first before submission.

If you only need the data

See which faults cost students the most marks

The Excel Error Index 2026 analyses 500+ student workbooks and ranks the seven fault patterns behind broken formulas, unsortable dates, text numbers and failed lookups.

Read the Excel Error Index

Excel troubleshooting questions

Why does Excel show a formula instead of the result?

The cell is usually formatted as Text, has a leading apostrophe, Show Formulas is turned on, or the formula is missing its leading equals sign. Check those four first, then look for Manual calculation and circular references.

Why will my dates not sort in Excel?

The dates are probably stored as text. Test with =ISNUMBER(A2). If it returns FALSE, convert the column with Data → Text to Columns and choose Date with the correct DMY or MDY order. Formatting alone does not convert text to a date.

Why does SUM return 0 when the cells contain numbers?

The values are probably text numbers, so SUM ignores them. Convert the range with Text to Columns, or use =VALUE(A2) in a helper column and paste the values back. Check with =ISNUMBER and =COUNT.

How do I find which formula is broken in a large workbook?

Paste the formulas into the free Workbook Health Check, one per line. It flags syntax errors, wrong argument counts, approximate-match lookups, whole-column references, volatile functions and hard-coded errors, then ranks the fixes.

Can I fix a whole workbook at once?

You can audit the formulas in one pass with the Workbook Health Check and run the 23-point Assignment Readiness Check for the brief, layout, formulas and submission. The tools do not edit your file; they tell you exactly what to change.

Are the troubleshooting tools free and private?

Yes. Every tool runs in your browser with no signup. Formulas, dates, pasted rows and workbook labels are never uploaded, logged or stored.

When should I ask a human instead of fixing it myself?

Ask for help when the logic is unclear, the deadline is close, or the file must be rebuilt rather than patched. Send the workbook, rubric and deadline for a fixed quote; a human expert returns a tested solution with the formulas explained.

Need it done for you?

Deadline close and the workbook still will not behave?

Send the file, rubric and deadline. A human Excel expert diagnoses the formulas, fixes the data types and returns a tested workbook with the logic explained — from $15/hr with a fixed quote.

Get a fixed quote Run the readiness check