Comprehensive technical database for Microsoft Excel troubleshooting and productivity. Resolve complex formula errors, master advanced functions, and streamline your spreadsheet tasks with professional, data-driven documentation.
You see the #GETTING_DATA message in your Excel cells, and it stays there for minutes or never goes away. This happens when Excel is trying to pull data from an external source like a database or web query. The connection is either too slow, broken, or blocked. This article explains why the data refresh gets … Read more
You open an Excel workbook and see strange prefixes like _xlfn. before function names. This happens when a file uses newer functions but is opened in an older Excel version. The _xlfn. prefix indicates a compatibility error. This article explains why this occurs and how to fix it. Key Takeaways: Fixing the _xlfn. Prefix Error … Read more
Your VLOOKUP formula is returning a zero when the source cell is empty. This happens because Excel treats blank cells as having a value of zero in certain contexts. The result is a spreadsheet filled with zeros that should be visually empty. This behavior is a default calculation rule in Excel. The article explains why … Read more
You may find that your COUNTIF formula returns zero or an error when trying to count cells containing long text strings. This happens because the COUNTIF function has a hidden limitation. The function cannot correctly evaluate criteria that are longer than 255 characters. This article explains this specific technical limit and provides several reliable methods … Read more
Excel’s function tooltips, called ScreenTips, can sometimes vanish or appear in the wrong place. This happens when display settings are changed or the tooltip window gets stuck off-screen. You can regain control over these helpful hints to improve your workflow. This guide explains how to manage ScreenTip visibility and position. You will learn to restore … Read more
You press the F4 key in Excel to lock a cell reference, but nothing happens. The dollar signs for an absolute reference do not appear. This problem is almost always caused by a keyboard setting or a conflict with another program. This article explains the specific causes and provides the steps to restore the F4 … Read more
You see numbers in your Excel sheet that are left-aligned like text. This prevents you from using them in formulas or charts. The cells are storing the numbers as text strings, which is a common data import error. This article explains why this happens and provides steps to convert the text back to real numbers. … Read more
You try to subtract one date from another in Excel but get a #NUM! error instead of the expected number of days. This error occurs when Excel cannot perform the calculation due to an invalid date format or a calculation that results in a negative date. This article explains why the #NUM! error appears during … Read more
Your Excel SUMIFS formula is returning an incorrect total, often zero or a number that seems too high or low. This usually happens when the ranges you specify for the sum and the criteria are different sizes. The formula cannot match data correctly when the ranges do not align. This article explains why this mismatch … Read more
Your Excel formulas using INDIRECT stop working and show a #REF! error. This happens after you close the workbook that contains the source data. The INDIRECT function cannot reference cells in closed external workbooks. This article explains why this error occurs and provides practical workarounds to maintain your dynamic references. Key Takeaways: Fixing INDIRECT #REF! … Read more