How to Use the IFERROR Function in WPS on Windows

Use IFERROR through 4 how-to topics, all available without membership, and jump to each task from the index below.

How-to Index

How-to Guide

1. Enter the IFERROR function

Entry point: Formulas tab → formula bar

1. Open WPS Spreadsheet and select the cell where you want to enter the formula.
2. Type = in the formula bar or directly in the cell.
3. Type IFERROR(.
4. Review the syntax prompt that appears.
5. Continue entering the remaining parameters.

Success Criteria

• On-screen result: A syntax prompt appears after you enter the function name.
• What you can do next: You can continue filling in the formula and complete it.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: If you do not start with =, the content may be treated as plain text.
• Environment note: You need to work in an editable spreadsheet cell.

2. Fill in the parameters with the correct syntax

Entry point: formula bar or target cell

1. After IFERROR(, enter the formula or expression that you want to check.
2. Enter the parameter separator used in your current spreadsheet environment.
3. Enter the value to return when an error occurs, such as text, a number, or a blank-handling choice.
4. Add the closing parenthesis.
5. Press Enter.

Success Criteria

• On-screen result: The cell shows the calculated result, or the fallback value when the original formula returns an error.
• What you can do next: You can copy the formula to other cells.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: Unmatched parentheses, incomplete parameters, or incorrect separators can prevent the formula from calculating correctly.
• Environment note: Some spreadsheet environments also use semicolons as separators.

3. Use IFERROR in cross-sheet or nested formulas

Entry point: formula bar

1. Build the cross-sheet reference formula or nested formula first.
2. Add IFERROR( around the outer formula.
3. Place the original formula as the first parameter.
4. Set the second parameter as the value to return when an error occurs.
5. Press Enter and check whether the result updates correctly.

Success Criteria

• On-screen result: The original result appears when the formula works, and the fallback content appears when an error occurs.
• What you can do next: When referenced data changes, the result recalculates automatically.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: IFERROR can hide the displayed error, but you should still verify whether the original cross-sheet reference is correct.
• Environment note: Make sure the referenced sheets and cells exist.

4. Check and fix unexpected IFERROR results

Entry point: result cell → formula bar

1. If the result still looks wrong, first confirm that the formula starts with =.
2. Check whether all parentheses are paired correctly.
3. Check whether the parameter types and count match the formula you are building.
4. Check whether referenced cells contain numbers stored as text or whether a circular reference exists.
5. If needed, press F9 to recalculate and review the result again.

Success Criteria

• On-screen result: The formula returns either the expected result or the fallback value.
• What you can do next: You can continue editing, copying, or filling the formula down.

Tips While Using

• Common mistake: Using text-formatted numbers directly in calculations can produce unexpected results.
• Environment note: If the source data itself is incorrect, fix the source values first.