IMREAL Function in Excel: Real Part

IMREAL Function in Excel: Real Part 1
⏱ 1 min readUpdated 5 October 2026

Complex numbersLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

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

IMREAL returns the real coefficient a of a+bi. Complex numbers are text like 3+4i; build them with COMPLEX.

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Syntax

=IMREAL(inumber)
Argument What it means
inumber Complex number as text, e.g. “3+4i”

Examples

Example 1

=IMREAL(A2)

Result: 3. See the worked example table below for more cases.

IMREAL in practice

Where you will use it

  • AC circuit calculations (impedance, phase)
  • Signal processing
  • Engineering coursework

Worked example

zFormulaResult
3+4i=IMREAL(A2)3
1-i=IMREAL(A3)1
2i=IMREAL(A4)0

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Spaces inside the text"3 + 4i" gives #NUM!; write 3+4i
Result is textUse IMREAL/IMAGINARY to get numbers back

COMPLEX · IMABS · IMREAL

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Excel Functions A–ZAVERAGEIF Function in Excel: Average With One ConditionExcel Functions A–ZIMABS Function in Excel: Size (Modulus) of a Complex NumberExcel Functions A–ZLINEST Function in Excel: Full Regression Statistics
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