BITLSHIFT Function in Excel: Shift Bits Left

BITLSHIFT Function in Excel: Shift Bits Left featured illustration

πŸ“Ž This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓

⏱ 2 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

EngineeringLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2013+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. BITLSHIFT in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions
  9. Continue learning

BITLSHIFT shifts bits left, multiplying by powers of two.

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Syntax

=BITLSHIFT(number, shift_amount)
Argument What it means
shift_amount Negative shifts right.

Examples

Example 1

=BITLSHIFT(1, 4)

Returns 16 β€” the value of flag number 5.

BITLSHIFT in practice

Where you will use it

  • Multiply by powers of 2 for bit masks
  • Build flags: BITLSHIFT(1,n)
  • Low-level protocol data

Worked example

NumberShiftFormulaResult
13=BITLSHIFT(A2,B2)8
52=BITLSHIFT(A3,B3)20
16-2=BITLSHIFT(A4,B4)4

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Negative shiftShifts right instead
OverflowResults over 2^48 give #NUM!

BITRSHIFT Β· POWER

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πŸ“Ž Practice files for this article

  • πŸ“—
    Practice workbook: Engineering & conversion15 tasks on realistic sales data β€” type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.
    ⬇ XLSX Β· 34 KB

Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text β€” import them with Alt+F11 β†’ File β†’ Import File, and always test on a copy.

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