Excel Comparison Operators: =, <>, >, <, >=, <=

Excel not equal to is written <>: a less-than sign followed by a greater-than sign. It is one of six comparison operators, the signs that ask Excel a yes-or-no question and get TRUE or FALSE back. Every IF, COUNTIF and conditional format depends on them, so this guide covers all six, plus the edge cases with text, dates and blank cells.

What are the six comparison operators in Excel?#

A comparison operator compares two values and returns TRUE or FALSE. These are logical values, not text, so other formulas can use them. Here they are, tested on an order of exactly 100 in D3:

The first = starts the formula. The second one is the comparison. In the two-character signs, the < or > always comes first: >= and <=. Excel rejects => and =<.

Excel does comparisons last, after any maths in the formula. So =D3+20>100 adds first and then compares: (100+20) is greater than 100, so the result is TRUE. You don't need brackets around the sum, but adding them can make the formula easier to read.

The boundary is where most mistakes happen. "Over 100" means >100, which leaves out 100 itself. "At least 100" means >=100, which includes it.

Excel not equal to: how to use <>#

<> returns TRUE when two values are different. It works with numbers, text and cell references:

=C2<>"Delivered"
=E2<>D2

The first is TRUE for any status other than Delivered, such as Pending or Cancelled. The second is TRUE when the amount paid doesn't match the order amount.

Excel doesn't accept != (used in many programming languages) or the ≠ symbol. Only <> works.

To turn the answer into a label, put it inside IF:

=IF(C2<>"Delivered","Follow up","Done")

To check that a cell isn't empty, compare it with empty text: =B2<>"" is TRUE when B2 holds anything.

How do comparisons work with text?#

Text goes in double quotes, and three rules apply:

1. Capital letters are ignored. ="LEEDS"="Leeds" is TRUE. For a case-sensitive check, use =EXACT(B2,"Leeds").
2. Spaces count. "Leeds " with a trailing space is not equal to "Leeds". Clean imported data with TRIM: =TRIM(B2)="Leeds".
3. Greater and less than compare alphabetically. ="apple"<"banana" is TRUE because a comes before b.

Without quotes, =B2=Leeds gives #NAME?, because Excel looks for something called Leeds.

There's one surprise when numbers meet text. Excel treats any text as greater than any number. So if a score of 58 in B2 was imported as text, =B2>=70 returns TRUE, and a failing score can show as a pass. Check those cells with ISNUMBER and ISTEXT.

How do you compare dates in Excel?#

Excel stores dates as numbers, so the operators work on them directly. Build the date with DATE, or point at a cell that holds one:

=A2>=DATE(2025,1,1)
=A2<=$J$3

Don't type the date in quotes, like =A2>="1/1/2025". That compares a number with text, and text always counts as greater, so the answer is always FALSE. DATE also avoids locale problems: 1/2/2025 means January 2 in the US but February 1 in the UK and much of Europe.

How do you use comparison operators in COUNTIF and SUMIF?#

Inside COUNTIF, SUMIF and their -IFS versions, the operator goes inside quotes as part of the criteria:

=COUNTIF(C2:C7,"<>Delivered")
=COUNTIF(D2:D7,">"&M1)
=SUMIF(D2:D7,">=100")

• The first counts orders whose status isn't Delivered. It also counts empty cells in the range, so make sure the range stops at the last row of data.
• The second compares with a cell. Keep the cell outside the quotes and join it with &. Inside quotes, ">M1" is just the letters M and 1.
• The third adds every amount of at least 100.

See how COUNTIF counts with conditions for more criteria examples.

How do blank cells compare?#

An empty cell counts as 0 in a number comparison and as empty text in a text comparison. So if B2 is empty, both =B2=0 and =B2="" return TRUE. That can make a missing value look like a real zero. If blanks matter, test for them first with =ISBLANK(B2) or =B2="".

Can you add up TRUE and FALSE?#

Yes, with care. In a calculation, Excel treats TRUE as 1 and FALSE as 0. So =(D2>100)*1 gives 1 or 0, and =(D2>100)*D2 gives the amount only when it's over 100.

But SUM skips TRUE and FALSE values stored in cells. If F2:F7 holds the results of =D2>100, =SUM(F2:F7) returns 0. Count them with COUNTIF instead:

=COUNTIF(F2:F7,TRUE)

Or skip the helper column and count straight from the data with =SUMPRODUCT(--(D2:D7>100)). The double minus turns each TRUE or FALSE into 1 or 0 so SUMPRODUCT can add them. On six orders of 120, 100, 85.5, 240, 64 and 150 in D2:D7, both give 3: the amounts 120, 240 and 150. The order of exactly 100 doesn't count, because 100 is not greater than 100.

How to use comparisons inside IF and other functions#

A comparison on its own shows TRUE or FALSE. Most of the time you use it as the test of another function:

For the IF pattern, read the Excel IF function explained simply. When you're matching a cell against several exact values, the SWITCH function is often shorter than a chain of = tests. The IF function guide has a quick reference for every argument.

Practise it#

Comparison signs are quick to learn but easy to get wrong under time pressure. Try the exercise on this page, then practise TRUE, FALSE and comparisons in a live spreadsheet. You'll use all six operators on real orders, including text, boundary values and a locked approval limit.