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Google Sheets Not Equal: The Ultimate Guide for 2023
Google Sheets offers a range of powerful features, one of these is the Not Equal feature. There are two methods of implementing the Not Equal feature, by using the Not Equal to operator which can be identified by: <>. We can also call the Not Equal function. In this guide we will cover these methods in detail including the variety of uses we can apply Not Equal to.
Does Not Equal Symbol in Google Sheets <>
The Not Equal sign <> in Google Sheets is referred to as the Does Not Equal symbol, it can be applied by using it in a formula.
Google Sheets Does Not Equal Formula
The Not Equal formula in Google Sheets is constructed as follows:
=Value1 <> Value2
Google Sheets utilizes this formula comparing Value1 and Value2 to see if they are not equal; the results are displayed as a TRUE value if they are NOT equal and a FALSE value if they ARE equal.
Google Sheets Not Equal Operator Examples
Example 1: Performing basic comparison on cells
In this example we will be comparing two cells in Google Sheets to check if they are not equal. A data set has been created displaying students and their scores in two subjects. We will compare the two scores using the Not Equal operator <>.
Step 1: Select an empty cell adjacent to the data set
Step 2: Input the Not Equal formula
For this example the formula is:
=C3<>D3
Formula Breakdown:
C3 - This is the Value1 and the cell target
<> - The Not Equal operator
D3 - This is the Value2 and the second cell target, information contained in this cell will be compared to Value1 to check for non-equality
Step 3: Press enter to apply and see the result
Google Sheets will now compare the two values. C3 contains “7”, D3 also contains “7”. This means the cells are equal, FALSE is shown.
Example 2: Check cells are not containing specific values
In this example a data set has been created in Google Sheets. This data displays five students and the subjects they have taken. We wish to see which students have NOT taken “Science”. We can use the Not Equal Operator to achieve this:
Step 1: In Google Sheets select an empty cell adjacent to the data set
Step 2: Input the Not Equal Formula
In our example this is: =C3<>"Science"
Breakdown:
C3 - This is the Value1 and is the first cell value
<> - The Not Equal operator
“Science” - This is the Value2 and is a specified value denoted by the quotation marks at either side, Google Sheets will check against Value1 and compare it to this specific value.
Step 3: Press enter to see the result
Google Sheets will now check Value1 (C3) which is Mathematics against our specified value (“Science''), as the two values are Not Equal it returns the value TRUE.
Example 3: Apply the Not Equal formula for area comparison
For this example in Google sheets we will apply the Not Equal to operator in a comparison of multiple data amounts. Our data displays five students, a value representing their student loan and how much has been paid. We will compare the total sum of all student loans to the total sum of all amounts paid to see if the total values are not equal. We will use the Not Equal operator to achieve this.
Step 1: Select an empty cell adjacent to the data set
Step 2: Enter the Not Equal formula in conjunction with SUM
In this example the formula will be:
=SUM(C3:C7)<>SUM(D3:D7)
Formula Breakdown:
=SUM - This will total the numeric values in a range
C3:C7 - Google Sheets will sum the total amount within this range.
<> - The Not Equal operator
D3:D7 - This is the second range, Google Sheets will total this.
Step 3: Press enter to see the results
As we can see, the student named “Matthew” does not have equal amounts and therefore the Google Sheets returned TRUE
Not Equal Function (NE) in Google Sheets
The second method to check non-equality is to use the Not Equal function which is called by using the NE marker.
Not Equal Function (NE) Syntax
The syntax for the Not Equal Function in Google Sheets is as follows:
=NE(Value1,Value2)
This function compares Value1 and Value2. If they are not equal the result is then displayed as a TRUE value. If they are equal - a FALSE value is displayed.
Not Equal Function Examples
Example 1 - Check cells for basic comparison
For this example we will use a demonstration data set, the data set shows five students with student loan arrears and how much has been paid. We want to perform a basic non-equality comparison to check if the loan amount and paid amount are not equal.
Step 1: Select an empty cell next to the data set
Step 2: Input the Not Equal function
When we apply this function to our use case we will use:
=NE(C3,D3)
Breakdown:
=NE - The Not Equal marker to call the Not Equal function
C3 - This is the Value1 and is the first target, Google Sheets will check any information in this cell
D3 - This is the Value2 and is the second target, any information in this cell will be compared to Value1 to see if it does not equal
Step 3: Press enter to display the results
As can be seen from the results, the results are FALSE. The C3 cell value was the same as the D3 value and therefore equal. If you have additional rows Google Sheets will present the option to autofill and give a preview in light green as to the results, select the tick to apply or the cross to dismiss.
Example 2 - Check cells are not containing a specific value
In this example we are going to use a data set in Google Sheets containing five students and subjects they have taken. We wish to find the students who did NOT take English.
Step 1: Select an empty cell next to the data set
Step 2: Input the Not Equal function
In our example the function is: =NE(C3,"English")
Function Breakdown:
=NE - The Not Equal marker to call the Not Equal function
C3 - This is the Value1 and is a cell target, Google Sheets will check against any information in the target cell
“English” - This is the Value2 and is a specified value denoted by the quotation marks at either side, Value1 is compared to this value.
Step 3: Press Enter to see results
