ERROR.TYPE function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

What is ERROR.TYPE function in Excel?

ERROR.TYPE function is one of the Information functions in Microsoft Excel that returns a number corresponding to one of the error values in Microsoft Excel or returns the #N/A error if no error exists. You can use ERROR.TYPE in an IF function to test for an error value and return a text string, such as a message, instead of the error value.

Syntax of ERROR.TYPE function

ERROR.TYPE(error_val)

The ERROR.TYPE function syntax has the following arguments:

• Error_val: The error value whose identifying number you want to find. Although error_val can be the actual error value, it will usually be a reference to a cell containing a formula that you want to test.

If error_val is	ERROR.TYPE returns
#NULL!	1
#DIV/0!	2
#VALUE!	3
#REF!	4
#NAME?	5
#NUM!	6
#N/A	7
#GETTING_DATA	8
Anything else	#N/A

Example of ERROR.TYPE function

Steps to follow:

1. Open a new Excel worksheet.

2. Copy data in the following table below and paste it in cell A1

Note: For formulas to show results, select them, press F2 key on your keyboard and then press Enter.

You can adjust the column widths to see all the data, if need be.

Data
#NULL!
#DIV/0!
Formula	Description	Result
=ERROR.TYPE(A2)	Number of the #NULL! Error(1).	1
=IF(ERROR.TYPE(A3)<3,CHOOSE(ERROR.TYPE(A3),”Ranges do not intersect”,”The divisor is zero”))	Checks cell A3 to see whether the cell contains either the #NULL! error value or the #DIV/0! error value. If it does, then the number for the error value is used in the CHOOSE worksheet function to display one of two messages; otherwise, the #N/A error value is returned.	The divisor is zero