How to use ABS function in Excel

MS Excel Functions – ABS

What does the ABS function do?

It removes or ignores the negative sign and gives the value as positive for any number.

What to type in a cell of a Excel sheet?

This function can only have one argument and that one argument can be any number, cell reference or range.

“=ABS(Value)” or

“abs(Value)” or

“=ABS(Cell reference)” or

“=ABS(Cell range)”

 

When to use this function?

When we don’t want negative sign of the values. We only need the value as the positive number.

Examples:

Passing the positive number and we are getting back the same. No change as its absolute value is same.

Passing the negative number (-17) and we are getting back the absolute number (17).

Passing the value by the cell reference. Here abs function uses the value that is present in the cell C2.

Passing the value by the cell reference (A1). Here abs function absolute value of 100% i.e 1 as 100% means 100/100 = 1.

Passing the cell range gives the absolute values in return. And when the cells are empty, absolute values are returned as 0.

Also read, How to use Sum Function in Excel?
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