Syntax
TYPE(value)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| value | Parameter of the TYPE function. |
Examples
Determine data type
Formula
=TYPE(A1)
Returns 1 if A1 is a number, 2 if text, 4 if TRUE/FALSE, 16 if an error, 64 if an array.
Type-specific handling
Formula
=CHOOSE(TYPE(A1), A1*2, UPPER(A1), IF(A1,"Yes","No"), "", "Error")
Doubles numbers, uppercases text, converts booleans to Yes/No. CHOOSE routes to the right handler based on TYPE result.
Find non-numeric cells
Formula
=IF(TYPE(B2)<>1, "Not a number", "")
Flags cells that aren't numbers. More granular than ISNUMBER because TYPE tells you exactly what the value IS.
Common Errors
#VALUE!
TYPE itself does not error — it returns a valid number for any input, including error values (returns 16 for errors).
Tips
Type codes
1=Number, 2=Text, 4=Logical (TRUE/FALSE), 8=Formula, 16=Error, 64=Array. Number includes dates since dates are stored as numbers.
Cannot distinguish dates from numbers
Both dates and numbers return TYPE=1. Dates are just formatted numbers internally. There is no built-in way to detect date type specifically.
Handles errors gracefully
Unlike most functions, TYPE doesn't propagate errors. TYPE(#DIV/0!) returns 16, not #DIV/0!. It is one of the few functions that can examine errors without triggering them.
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