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How to Use the IF Function in Excel for Decisions

By , Excel & Data Analytics trainer LinkedIn Published: Last updated:

Read this guide in: English · मराठी · हिंदी

The IF function returns one result when a test is TRUE and another when it is FALSE — perfect for High/Low or Pass/Fail labels on a shop sheet.

Chala mitrano! Amount baghun “High” ki “Low” lihaycha aahe? IF decides. Why? Dashboards and shop trackers need status words, not only numbers. How? One test, two outcomes, fill down. Stay with me.

Quick answer

Vertical steps:

  1. Decide the rule (example: Amount ≥ 100 → High).
  2. Click the status cell beside Amount.
  3. Type =IF(B2>=100,"High","Low").
  4. Press Enter.
  5. Fill down the column.
  6. Change a number and watch the label flip.
=IF(B2>=100,"High","Low")

Language: English · मराठी · हिंदी

Before and after (look at the tables first)

Before

City Amount
Mumbai 150
Pune 80

After (Status column)

City Amount Status
Mumbai 150 High
Pune 80 Low
Before IF City amounts without status.

Before

After IF IF labels High and Low.

After

Why use IF?

  1. Managers read High/Low faster than raw rupees sometimes.
  2. Pass/Fail on marks uses the same pattern.
  3. Phone-bill style: bill ≥ 1000 → “Over budget”, else “OK”.

What is IF?

IF runs a logical test. TRUE → second argument. FALSE → third argument.

Formula parts

=IF(B2>=100,"High","Low")
  1. B2>=100 — the test.
  2. "High" — value if true (text needs quotes).
  3. "Low" — value if false.

What happens (tiny numbers)

  1. Row Mumbai: 150 ≥ 100 → TRUE → High.
  2. Row Pune: 80 ≥ 100 → FALSE → Low.
  3. Excel does not change Amount; it only writes a label.

Vertical practice steps

  1. Enter City + Amount for two rows.
  2. In C2 write the IF formula.
  3. Fill to C3.
  4. Change Pune to 120 → status becomes High.
  5. Try Pass/Fail: =IF(C2>=35,"Pass","Fail") on a marks column.
  6. Later: nested IF or IFS for three bands (course).

Nested IF — only a preview

=IF(B2>=150,"Elite",IF(B2>=100,"High","Low"))
  1. First true wins in nested reading top-down.
  2. Past three levels → prefer IFS when your Excel has it.

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Quote text results. Numbers for thresholds usually stay without quotes. Students mix "100" as text with numeric Amount and then the test looks “broken”. Check types once — ghabru naka.

Practice task

  1. Build five shop rows with Amount.
  2. Add Status with IF ≥ 100.
  3. Add a second sheet with marks Pass/Fail.
  4. Write your threshold in a cell (G1) and use B2>=$G$1.

Learn it properly

Course lessons:

Related guides: SUMIF and SUMIFS · COUNTIF and COUNTIFS · VLOOKUP exact match

Samajla ka? IF = test, then, else. High/Low and Pass/Fail are the same idea. Aata pudhe SUMIF try kara.

Frequently asked questions

What does IF do?

IF runs a logical test. If TRUE it returns the second argument; if FALSE it returns the third.

Basic IF syntax?

IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false). Quotes around text results.

Pass/Fail example?

IF(C2>=35,"Pass","Fail") for a marks sheet — same idea as High/Low on sales.

When do I nest IF?

When you need more than two outcomes. Prefer IFS in newer Excel when available.

IF shows FALSE unexpectedly?

Often a missing else value, or the test never matches because of text vs number.

Course lesson?

Chapter 3 — IF, nested IF and IFS. Linked below.