N – Support Center

Description

Use this function to return a number when given a value.

This function is typically used to convert TRUE and FALSE to 1 and 0 respectively. Refer to the value conversion table for other uses.

N(value)

This function has the following arguments:

Name	Required	Description	Valid input
`value`	Yes	The value to be evaluated.	A cell reference, a number, a date, a text string, an error, or a formula which results in any of these.

Values are converted as shown here:

Supplied value	Returned value
Any number	Same number. The sign (positive or negative) is retained.
A date in the format yyyy/mm/dd	A date in serial number format
A date in any other format.	A number calculated by treating the date as an equation. If the date is in quotation marks, then the #VALUE! error is returned
TRUE	1
FALSE	0
Error (#VALUE, #N/A, #NUM!, etc.)	Same error code
Other values (Including text in quotation marks)	0
Text in not in quotation marks	#NAME? error

Use case	Formula	Explanation and Result
Convert a text value to a number.	`=N("red")`	The N function converts a value to a number. When the value is text, the function returns 0.
Convert the contents of a cell containing text to a number.	`=N(A1)`	This formula converts the value in cell A1 to a number. Since A1 contains the text "red," the function returns 0.
Convert a date in a cell to its corresponding serial number.	`=N(A2)`	The N function recognizes dates and converts them to their underlying serial numbers. The serial number for the date in cell A2, "12/06/2024," is 45632.
Convert a logical value to a number.	`=N(B1)`	This formula converts the logical value `TRUE` found in cell B1 to its numeric equivalent, which is 1.
Convert a logical value to a number.	`=N(B2)`	This formula converts the logical value `FALSE` found in cell B2 to its numeric equivalent, which is 0.
Convert a mathematical operation's result to a number.	`=N(A3+B3)`	The N function takes the result of the calculation `A3+B3`, which is `12+15`, and returns that number. The result is 27.
Convert an error value to a number.	`=N(A4)`	The N function cannot convert an error value like `#VALUE!` into a number. Therefore, it returns the error itself, which is #VALUE!.