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MINUS

The MINUS formula is a math operator that subtracts value2 from value1 and returns the result. It can be used to perform simple arithmetic operations in Google Sheets.

Usage

Use the MINUS formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters:

=MINUS(value1, value2)
Parameters:
  1. value1 (required):
    The first value to be subtracted from.
  2. value2 (required):
    The second value to subtract from value1.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the MINUS formula in Google Sheets.

Subtracting numbers

You can use the MINUS formula to subtract one number from another. For example, to subtract the value in cell A2 from the value in cell B2, you would use the formula =MINUS(B2, A2).

Calculating differences

You can use the MINUS formula to calculate the difference between two values. For example, to calculate the difference between the value in cell A2 and the value in cell B2, you would use the formula =MINUS(A2, B2).

Counting down to a date

You can use the MINUS formula to count down to a specific date. For example, if you have a date in cell A2 and you want to know how many days are left until that date, you can use the formula =MINUS(A2, TODAY()).

Common Mistakes

MINUS not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the MINUS Google Sheets Formula:

Incorrect argument types

One or both of the arguments provided to the MINUS formula are not numbers or valid cell references.

Incorrect order of arguments

The order of the arguments provided to the MINUS formula is reversed, resulting in an incorrect calculation.

Using MINUS instead of subtraction operator

The MINUS formula is used instead of the subtraction operator (-), resulting in a longer and less efficient formula.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to MINUS or are often used with it in a formula:

  • SUM

    The SUM function in Google Sheets adds up a range of numbers. This function is most commonly used to sum the values in a range of cells.

  • PRODUCT

    The PRODUCT formula in Google Sheets multiplies all the numbers given in the arguments and returns the product. It is commonly used to calculate the total product of a range of cells.

  • AVERAGE

    The AVERAGE function calculates the average (arithmetic mean) of the values passed to it. It is commonly used to find the average of a range of cells containing numerical data.

  • MAX

    The MAX function returns the maximum value from a range of cells or a set of supplied values. It is commonly used to find the largest value in a dataset.

  • MIN

    The MIN formula is a statistical function that returns the smallest value in a set of numbers. It is commonly used to find the minimum value from a range of cells or a list of values.

Learn More

You can learn more about the MINUS Google Sheets function on Google Support.