Error

Error is a data type representing failed formula evaluation. When a formula cannot compute a valid result, it returns an error value that propagates through dependent calculations.

Error Types

Google Sheets recognizes the following error types:

Error	Name	Typical Cause
#ERROR!	ERROR	Generic error or circular dependency detected
#NULL!	NULL_VALUE	Invalid range intersection (using space operator incorrectly)
#DIV/0	DIVIDE_BY_ZERO	Division by zero or empty cell
#VALUE!	VALUE	Wrong type of argument or incompatible operation
#REF!	REF	Invalid cell reference (deleted cells, out of bounds)
#NAME?	NAME	Unrecognized function or range name
#NUM!	NUM	Invalid numeric value in formula
#N/A	N_A	Value not available (lookup functions, explicit NA())
Loading...	LOADING	Formula is currently being calculated

Error Propagation

Errors propagate through formulas. If a cell contains an error, any formula referencing that cell also returns an error (typically the same error type). This cascading behavior helps identify the source of calculation problems.

Exceptions:

• IFERROR can intercept and replace errors
• IFNA specifically handles #N/A errors
• ISERROR, ISERR, ISNA can test for errors without propagating them
• Certain functions like AGGREGATE and SUBTOTAL can ignore error values

Common Causes

#ERROR!

• Circular references in formulas
• Parsing errors in expressions
• Array formula size mismatches

#NULL!

• Incorrect use of space as intersection operator
• Example: =SUM(A1:A10 B1:B10) when ranges don’t intersect

#DIV/0

• Dividing by zero: =1/0
• Dividing by empty cell: =A1/B1 where B1 is blank
• Mathematical operations resulting in division by zero

#VALUE!

• Type mismatch: =A1+B1 where one contains text
• Function expects number but receives text
• Incompatible array dimensions in array operations

#REF!

• Referencing deleted rows/columns
• Formula references cells outside sheet bounds
• INDIRECT creates invalid reference

#NAME?

• Misspelled function name: =SUMM(A1:A10)
• Unquoted text treated as named range
• Reference to non-existent named range

#NUM!

• Numeric calculation out of range
• Invalid argument to mathematical function
• Iteration limit exceeded in iterative calculations

#N/A

• VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MATCH find no match
• Explicit =NA() function call
• Missing value in data set

Loading...

• Temporary state while formula calculates
• Common with complex recursive formulas or external data sources
• Usually resolves automatically

Error as Values

In the Google Sheets API, errors are represented as ErrorValue objects containing:

• type — the error type enum (see table above)
• message — localized descriptive message

See Also

• IFERROR — handle errors with fallback values
• IFNA — handle A specifically
• ISERROR, ISERR, ISNA — test for errors
• Data type — core data types in Google Sheets