FILTER Function in Excel: Return Every Row That Matches

⏱ 1 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

Dynamic ArrayLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 365 / 2021+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Example 2
  5. Example 3
  6. Power combo
  7. Common errors and fixes
  8. Related functions

FILTER returns all rows (or columns) that meet a condition, and the result updates live as data changes.

Syntax

=FILTER(array, include, [if_empty])
Argument What it means
array The data to filter.
include TRUE/FALSE test with the same height, e.g. B2:B500=”North”.
if_empty What to show when nothing matches.

Examples

Example 1

=FILTER(A2:E500, B2:B500="North", "None")

All North rows.

Example 2

=FILTER(A2:E500, (B2:B500="North")*(E2:E500>50000))

AND: multiply conditions.

Example 3

=FILTER(A2:E500, (B2:B500="North")+(B2:B500="East"))

OR: add conditions.

Power combo

=SORT(FILTER(A2:E500, E2:E500>50000), 5, -1)

Live “big deals” report sorted by amount.

Common errors and fixes

You see Why, and the fix
#SPILL! Something is in the way of the results — clear the cells below/right.
#CALC! Nothing matched and if_empty is missing.

SORT · UNIQUE · XLOOKUP · TEXTJOIN

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