BITXOR Function in Excel: Bitwise Exclusive OR

BITXOR Function in Excel: Bitwise Exclusive OR 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. BITXOR in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions
  9. Continue learning

BITXOR flips bits β€” on where exactly one input has them on.

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Syntax

=BITXOR(number1, number2)
Argument What it means
number1, number2 Whole numbers.

Examples

Example 1

=BITXOR(B2, 4)

Toggle the flag worth 4.

BITXOR in practice

Where you will use it

  • Toggle a flag
  • Find which bits differ
  • Simple checksums

Worked example

ABFormulaResult
53=BITXOR(A2,B2)6
1212=BITXOR(A3,B3)0
25515=BITXOR(A4,B4)240

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Expecting ORBits set in both become 0
Text inputConvert first

BITOR Β· BITAND

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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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