Syntax
XOR(logical1, [logical2, ...])
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| logical1 | Parameter of the XOR function. |
| [logical2 | (Optional.) Parameter of the XOR function. |
| ...] | Parameter of the XOR function. |
Examples
Either/or check
Formula
=XOR(A1>100, B1>100)
TRUE if exactly one cell exceeds 100. If A1=150 and B1=50, returns TRUE because only one condition is met.
Parity validation
Formula
=XOR(C1="Yes", D1="Yes", E1="Yes")
TRUE when an odd number of cells contain "Yes" (1 or 3 of them). FALSE when 0 or 2 contain "Yes".
Toggle switch logic
Formula
=XOR(ISBLANK(A2), ISBLANK(B2))
TRUE when exactly one of the two cells is empty — useful for forms where you need one field filled but not both.
Common Errors
#VALUE!
Occurs when an argument cannot be evaluated as a logical value, such as passing text that isn't TRUE/FALSE.
#N/A
Can occur if a referenced cell contains a #N/A error and isn't wrapped in an error-handling function.
Tips
XOR vs OR
OR returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE. XOR returns TRUE only when an odd number are TRUE. For a simple "one but not both" check with two arguments, XOR is what you want.
Nesting with IF
Use =IF(XOR(A1>0, B1>0), "One positive", "Both or neither") to act on the exclusive-or result.
More than two arguments
With 3+ arguments, XOR checks parity (odd count of TRUEs), not "exactly one." For exactly-one logic with many arguments, use =COUNTIF(range, TRUE)=1 instead.
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