Syntax
BITXOR(number1, number2)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| number1 | Parameter of the BITXOR function. |
| number2 | Parameter of the BITXOR function. |
Examples
Basic XOR operation
Formula
=BITXOR(5, 3)
6. In binary: 101 XOR 011 = 110, which is 6 in decimal. Bits that differ between the two numbers are set to 1.
Toggle a flag
Formula
=BITXOR(7, 2)
5. In binary: 111 XOR 010 = 101. Flips bit 1 (the middle bit), turning off write permission from 'rwx' (7) to get 'r-x' (5).
Simple checksum
Formula
=BITXOR(BITXOR(65, 66), 67)
64. XOR-ing multiple values together produces a simple checksum. If any value changes, the checksum changes.
Common Errors
#NUM!
One or both numbers is negative, or exceeds 2^48 - 1.
#VALUE!
A non-numeric argument was provided.
Tips
Toggle bits on/off
XOR flips specific bits: BITXOR(value, mask). Apply the same XOR twice to get the original value back — this is the basis of XOR encryption.
Self-XOR is always zero
BITXOR(x, x) = 0 for any x. Every bit matches, so all results are 0. This property is used in algorithms to detect duplicates.
Find differing bits
BITXOR highlights which bits differ between two values. A result of 0 means the values are identical. Non-zero means they differ.
Try BITXOR in Viztab
Import your data and use BITXOR with 370+ other formulas. No signup required.
Open Viztab