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Use Excel's TYPE Function to Check the Type of Data in a Cell

By Ted French Ted French Writer Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 14, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Excel Word Powerpoint Outlook

What to Know

Choose a cell to make it active. Go to the Formulas tab and select More Functions > Information > TYPE.Select a cell in the worksheet to enter the cell reference. Select OK to complete the function.A number appears in the active cell. A 1 indicates the referenced cell contains a number; a 2 indicates text. See the chart for a complete list. The article explains how to check the type of data in an Excel Cell using the TYPE function.

How to Check the Type of Data in an Excel Cell

Excel’s TYPE function is one of the information functions that can be used to find out information about a specific cell, worksheet, or workbook. The TYPE function reveals the type of data located in a specific cell, but it doesn't determine whether a cell contains a formula.

Open the Dialog Box

This information covers the steps used to enter the TYPE function into cell B2 of the chart below using the function's dialog box. Click on cell B2 to make it the active cell - the location where the function results will be displayed; Click on the Formulas tab of the ribbon menu; Choose More Functions > Information from the ribbon to open the function drop-down list; Click on TYPE in the list to bring up that function's dialog box.

Enter the Function' s Argument

Click on cell A2 in the worksheet to enter the cell reference into the dialog box; Click OK to complete the function and return to the worksheet; The number "1" should appear in cell B2 to indicate that the type of data in cell A2 is a number; When you click on cell B2, the complete function =TYPE(A2) appears in the formula bar above the worksheet.

What the Type Function Results Mean

Data Type Function Returns a number returns a value of 1 - row 2 in the image above; text data returns a value of 2 - row 5 in the image above; Boolean or logical value returns a value of 4 - row 7 in the image above; error value returns a value of 1 - row 8 in the image above; an array returns a value of 64 - rows 9 and 10 in the image above. In the example, cells A4 and A5 contain formulas that return a number and text data respectively. As a result, the TYPE function in those rows returns a result of 1 (number) in row 4 and 2 (text) in row 5.

Arrays and Type 64

In order to get the TYPE function to return a result of 64, indicating that the type of data is an array - the array must be entered directly into the function as the Value argument, rather than using the cell reference to the array's location. As shown in rows 9 and 10, the TYPE function returns the result of 64 no matter whether the array contains numbers or text.

The TYPE Function' s Syntax and Arguments

A function's syntax refers to the layout of the function and includes the function's name, brackets, and arguments. The syntax for the TYPE function is: = TYPE ( Value ) Value: (required) Can be any type of data such as a number, text or array. This argument can also be a cell reference to the location of the value in a worksheet.

Type Function Options

Options for entering the function and its arguments include: Typing the complete function: =TYPE(A2) into cell B2 Selecting the function and its arguments using the TYPE function dialog box Although it is possible to just type the complete function by hand, many people find it easier to use the dialog box to enter the function's arguments. Using this approach, the dialog box takes care of such things as entering the equal sign, the brackets, and, when necessary, the commas that act as separators between multiple arguments. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Round Numbers Down in Excel With the ROUNDDOWN Function How to Count Data in Selected Cells With Excel's COUNTIF Function Use Excel's EOMONTH Function to Add or Subtract Months How to Combine the ROUND and SUM Functions in Excel How to Use Excel's MROUND Function Round up Numbers in Excel With the ROUNDUP Function Use the Excel RIGHT Function to Extract Characters Excel SUMIFS: Sum Only Values Meeting Multiple Criteria How to Subtract Dates in Excel Excel QUOTIENT Function: Divide Numbers How to Use the Excel TRUNC Function Excel SUM and OFFSET Formula How to Use the Google Spreadsheets AVERAGE Function How to Use a Dynamic Range in Excel With COUNTIF and INDIRECT How to Use the Round Function in Excel How to Use AVERAGEIF Function in Excel Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies