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“Does Not Equal” is a comparison operator that can be used in Google Sheets to evaluate if two values are not equal. To use this operator, simply type “” (without the quotation marks) between the two values you want to compare. This will return a TRUE or FALSE result, indicating whether the two values are not equal. This operator can be useful for filtering data or creating conditional formatting rules in your spreadsheet. It can also be combined with other functions and operators to perform more complex comparisons.
Use Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets (With Examples)
In Google Sheets, we use “<>” as the “does not equal” symbol in formulas.
For example, we can use the following formula to determine if the value in cell A2 is equal to “Guard”:
=A2<>"Guard"
If the value in cell A2 is not equal to “Guard” then the formula will return TRUE. Otherwise, the formula will return FALSE.
We can also use the “<>” symbol to determine if two cell values are not equal. For example, we can use the following formula to determine if the value in cells B2 and C2 are not equal:
=B2<>C2
If the values in B2 and C2 are not equal, then the formula will return TRUE. Otherwise, it will return FALSE.
The following examples show how to use this syntax in practice.
Example 1: Use Does Not Equal” with String
Suppose we have the following dataset in Google Sheets that contains information about various basketball players:
We can use the following formula to determine if the value in the Position column is equal to “Guard” in each row:
=A2<>"Guard"
The following screenshot shows how to use this formula in practice:
The formula in the first row returns FALSE because the value in the Position column actually is equal to “Guard.”
However, the formula in the last row returns TRUE because the value in the Position column is not equal to “Guard.”
Example 2: Use Does Not Equal” to Compare Cell Values
Once again suppose we have the following dataset in Google Sheets:
We can use the following formula to determine if the value in column B and column C is not equal in each row:
=B2<>C2
The following screenshot shows how to use this formula in practice:
The formula in the first row returns TRUE because the Game 1 points value and Game 2 points value are indeed not equal.
However, the formula in the second row returns FALSE because the Game 1 points value and Game 2 points value are actually equal.
Cite this article
stats writer (2024). How do I use “Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-i-use-does-not-equal-in-google-sheets/
stats writer. "How do I use “Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 26 Jun. 2024, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-i-use-does-not-equal-in-google-sheets/.
stats writer. "How do I use “Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2024. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-i-use-does-not-equal-in-google-sheets/.
stats writer (2024) 'How do I use “Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets?', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-i-use-does-not-equal-in-google-sheets/.
[1] stats writer, "How do I use “Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets?," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, June, 2024.
stats writer. How do I use “Does Not Equal” in Google Sheets?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2024;vol(issue):pages.