Viztab › Formulas › ISFORMULA
Information

ISFORMULA Formula

ISFORMULA returns TRUE if the referenced cell contains a formula and FALSE if it contains a constant value or is empty. It is useful for auditing spreadsheets, building documentation of which cells are calculated vs. manually entered, and conditional formatting to highlight formula cells.

Syntax

ISFORMULA(reference)
ParameterDescription
reference Parameter of the ISFORMULA function.
Try ISFORMULA in Viztab — free, no signup

Examples

Check for formula

Formula
=ISFORMULA(A1)
Returns TRUE if A1 contains a formula (like =B1+C1). Returns FALSE if A1 contains a typed value like 42 or "hello" or is blank.

Audit calculated cells

Formula
=IF(ISFORMULA(B2), "Calculated", "Manual entry")
Labels each cell as calculated or manually entered. Useful for data audits to identify which values are derived vs. input.

Conditional formatting

Formula
=ISFORMULA(A1)
Use this as a conditional formatting rule to color all formula cells differently from constant cells — helps visualize spreadsheet structure.

Common Errors

#VALUE!

Occurs if the argument is not a valid cell reference. ISFORMULA requires a reference, not a value — =ISFORMULA(42) errors.

Tips

Reference required

ISFORMULA needs a cell reference, not a value. =ISFORMULA(A1) works, =ISFORMULA(42) does not. It checks what's IN the cell, not the value itself.

Empty cells return FALSE

Blank cells are not formulas and not constants — ISFORMULA returns FALSE for them.

Great for auditing

Use ISFORMULA across a data range to spot where someone pasted values over formulas, breaking the calculation chain.

Try ISFORMULA in Viztab

Import your data and use ISFORMULA with 370+ other formulas. No signup required.

Open Viztab

Related Formulas

ISBLANK Returns TRUE if cell is empty ISERROR Returns TRUE if value is any error ISNA Returns TRUE if value is #N/A ISNUMBER Returns TRUE if value is a number ISTEXT Returns TRUE if value is text ISNONTEXT Returns TRUE if value is not text