The OR function is used to check more than one logical condition at the same time, up to 255 conditions, supplied as arguments. Each argument (logical1, logical2, etc.) must be an expression that returns TRUE or FALSE or a value that can be evaluated as TRUE or FALSE. The arguments provided to the OR function can be constants, cell references, arrays, or logical expressions. The purpose of the OR function is to evaluate more than one logical test at the same time and return TRUE if any result is TRUE. For example, if A1 contains the number 50, then: The OR function will evaluate all values supplied and return TRUE if any value evaluates to TRUE. If all logicals evaluate to FALSE, the OR function will return FALSE. Note: Excel will evaluate any number except zero (0) as TRUE. Both the AND function and the OR function will aggregate results to a single value. This means they can’t be used in array operations that need to deliver an array of results. To work around this limitation, you can use Boolean logic. For more information, see: Array formulas with AND and OR logic.
Examples
For example, to test if the value in A1 OR the value in B1 is greater than 75, use the following formula: OR can be used to extend the functionality of functions like the IF function. Using the above example, you can supply OR as the logical_test for an IF function like so: This formula will return “Pass” if the value in A1 is greater than 75 OR the value in B1 is greater than 75.
Array form
If you enter OR as an array formula, you can test all values in a range against a condition. For example, this array formula will return TRUE if any cell in A1:A100 is greater than 15: Note: In Legacy Excel, this is an array formula and must be entered with control + shift + enter.
Notes
Each logical condition must evaluate to TRUE or FALSE, or be arrays or references that contain logical values. Text values or empty cells supplied as arguments are ignored. The OR function will return #VALUE if no logical values are found
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
