How to use the INFO function

What is the INFO function?

The INFO function returns information about the current operating environment, file path, number of active worksheets, Excel version etc.

1. Syntax

INFO(type_text)

type_text

Required. Text that determines what the INFO function returns.

Here are the different options.

type_text	What it returns
"directory"	Path of the current directory or folder.
"numfile"	Number of worksheets in the open workbook.
"origin"	Returns the absolute cell reference of the top and leftmost cell visible in the window, based on the current scrolling position, as text prepended with "$A:". This value is intended for for Lotus 1-2-3 release 3.x compatibility. The actual value returned depends on the current reference style setting. Using D9 as an example, the return value would be: A1 reference style     "$A:$D$9". R1C1 reference style    "$A:R9C4"
"osversion"	Current operating system version, as text.
"recalc"	Current recalculation mode; returns "Automatic" or "Manual".
"release"	Version of Microsoft Excel, as text.
"system"	Name of the operating environment: Macintosh = "mac" Windows = "pcdos"

What is a path to a current folder or directory?

A path to a current folder or directory refers to the full location of that folder or directory on a computer's file system. It provides the filesystem with directions on how to navigate to that particular folder or directory from the root folder or drive.

Paths provide a hierarchical structure starting from the root folder

•  C:\ on Windows
• / on Linux/macOS)

down through subdirectories to reach the target folder. Paths use forward slashes (/) on Linux/macOS or backslashes (\) on Windows to separate folder/directory names.

An absolute path specifies the full path from the root folder. For example: C:\Users\Laura\Pictures A relative path provides a partial path relative to the current working directory. For example: Documents\Reports

What is a worksheet?

A worksheet is a single page in an Excel workbook sometimes also called only sheet. You can see the different worksheets in your open workbook by examining the tabs located in the bottom of the worksheet. The tabs have names that you can rename but they also have a sheet number that represents the order or rank in the workbook. The first tab which is the bottom most left one is numbered 1, the next one is the second worksheet and so on.

The worksheet contains a cell grid where you can enter, organize, manipulate and analyze data. Excel allows worksheets within a workbook to have different visibility states: Visible worksheet: Worksheet is fully visible and interactive in the workbook, the tab is shown at the bottom. This state is default for new worksheets.

Hidden worksheet: Not visible but can be made visible using the Unhide command, the tab is hidden at the bottom of the worksheet which makes it impossible to select it. This state is useful for hiding data but keeping it accessible.

Very hidden worksheet: Not visible and not accessible via the Unhide command, the tab is hidden at the bottom. A worksheet can only be made "very hidden" using VBA or the Visual Basic Editor.

What is a cell reference?

A cell reference lets you "fetch" and use values in other cells in a formula.

There are two types of cell references:

• A1-style reference
• R1C1 reference

The A1-style reference is the default style in Excel, it names columns by letters from A to Z. After Z it starts over with AA, AB, and so on until XFD. Rows are numbered from 1 to 1048576, older Excel versions use less row numbers.

The R1C1-style uses row number and column number like: R1C1, R2C5 and R10C15. Rows are labeled R1, R2, R3 and so on, columns are labeled C1, C2, C3 etc.

The A1-style reference notation is the most common one, here are some examples:

A1 - single cell reference on the same worksheet
A1:D5 - reference to a cell range on the same worksheet
Budget!Z3 - a single cell reference to worksheet Budget
'Budget 2050'!A3 - a single cell reference to a worksheet containing a space character

There are two types of cell references:

• Relative cell references
• Absolute cell references

The examples above are all relative cell references, they change accordingly if a cell is copied and pasted to another cell which absolute cell references do not.

The $ dollar character lets you an absolute cell reference meaning you can lock a cell reference horizontally, vertically or both. Here is one example:

A$1 has a relative column reference but an absolute row reference, this means that the column letter may change if the cell is copied and pasted to cells in another column than A.

What is an OS version?

OS stands for operating system which is a system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. It acts as an intermediary between computer hardware and the software running on the computer.

An operating system (OS) version refers to the release number or edition of a particular operating system. It provides information about the features, improvements, and capability differences between variants of the same base operating system.

For example, a windows 11 operating system returns Windows (64-bit) NT 10.00

What is the recalculation mode?

The recalculation mode in Excel determines when formulas will be recalculated when changes are made to the worksheet. There are three main recalculation modes:

1. Automatic: This is the default setting. Any change made to the worksheet will trigger a recalculation of all related formulas.
2. Manual: Formulas will only be recalculated when the user requests it by pressing F9 or the "Calculate Now" button.
3. Automatic Except for Data Tables: This recalculates all formulas automatically except for Data Tables.

You can check and change the recalculation setting by going to Formulas > Calculation Options.

What is Microsoft Excel version?

Excel version refers to the release number or edition of Microsoft Excel that is installed. Each version of Excel contains new features, capabilities and improvements over previous versions.

Versions of Excel Explained [Updated 2021]

What is the name of the operating system?

The operating system (OS) is the core software on a computer that manages the hardware and software resources and provides common services for applications. Some common operating system names include:

• Windows - Created by Microsoft, Windows is the most popular OS for personal computers. The most recent version is Windows 11.
• macOS - Created by Apple for their Macintosh computers.
• Linux - Open source OS based on the Linux kernel. Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora are popular Linux distributions.
• Android - OS created by Google for Android mobile devices.
• iOS - Apple's proprietary OS that runs on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.
• Chrome OS - OS from Google designed for Chromebook devices. Based on the Linux kernel and Google Chrome browser.

Excel returns

• "mac" for Macintosh
• "pcdos" for Windows

2. Example

3. Function not working

The INFO function returns

• #VALUE! error if you use a non-valid input value.
• #NAME? error if you misspell the function name.
• propagates errors, meaning that if the input contains an error (e.g., #VALUE!, #REF!), the function will return the same error.

3.1 Troubleshooting the error value

When you encounter an error value in a cell a warning symbol appears, displayed in the image above. Press with mouse on it to see a pop-up menu that lets you get more information about the error.

1. The first line describes the error if you press with left mouse button on it.
2. The second line opens a pane that explains the error in greater detail.
3. The third line takes you to the "Evaluate Formula" tool, a dialog box appears allowing you to examine the formula in greater detail.
4. This line lets you ignore the error value meaning the warning icon disappears, however, the error is still in the cell.
5. The fifth line lets you edit the formula in the Formula bar.
6. The sixth line opens the Excel settings so you can adjust the Error Checking Options.

Here are a few of the most common Excel errors you may encounter.

#NULL error - This error occurs most often if you by mistake use a space character in a formula where it shouldn't be. Excel interprets a space character as an intersection operator. If the ranges don't intersect an #NULL error is returned. The #NULL! error occurs when a formula attempts to calculate the intersection of two ranges that do not actually intersect. This can happen when the wrong range operator is used in the formula, or when the intersection operator (represented by a space character) is used between two ranges that do not overlap. To fix this error double check that the ranges referenced in the formula that use the intersection operator actually have cells in common.

#SPILL error - The #SPILL! error occurs only in version Excel 365 and is caused by a dynamic array being to large, meaning there are cells below and/or to the right that are not empty. This prevents the dynamic array formula expanding into new empty cells.

#DIV/0 error - This error happens if you try to divide a number by 0 (zero) or a value that equates to zero which is not possible mathematically.

#VALUE error - The #VALUE error occurs when a formula has a value that is of the wrong data type. Such as text where a number is expected or when dates are evaluated as text.

#REF error - The #REF error happens when a cell reference is invalid. This can happen if a cell is deleted that is referenced by a formula.

#NAME error - The #NAME error happens if you misspelled a function or a named range.

#NUM error - The #NUM error shows up when you try to use invalid numeric values in formulas, like square root of a negative number.

#N/A error - The #N/A error happens when a value is not available for a formula or found in a given cell range, for example in the VLOOKUP or MATCH functions.

#GETTING_DATA error - The #GETTING_DATA error shows while external sources are loading, this can indicate a delay in fetching the data or that the external source is unavailable right now.

3.2 The formula returns an unexpected value

To understand why a formula returns an unexpected value we need to examine the calculations steps in detail. Luckily, Excel has a tool that is really handy in these situations. Here is how to troubleshoot a formula:

1. Select the cell containing the formula you want to examine in detail.
2. Go to tab “Formulas” on the ribbon.
3. Press with left mouse button on "Evaluate Formula" button. A dialog box appears.
   The formula appears in a white field inside the dialog box. Underlined expressions are calculations being processed in the next step. The italicized expression is the most recent result. The buttons at the bottom of the dialog box allows you to evaluate the formula in smaller calculations which you control.
4. Press with left mouse button on the "Evaluate" button located at the bottom of the dialog box to process the underlined expression.
5. Repeat pressing the "Evaluate" button until you have seen all calculations step by step. This allows you to examine the formula in greater detail and hopefully find the culprit.
6. Press "Close" button to dismiss the dialog box.

There is also another way to debug formulas using the function key F9. F9 is especially useful if you have a feeling that a specific part of the formula is the issue, this makes it faster than the "Evaluate Formula" tool since you don't need to go through all calculations to find the issue..

1. Enter Edit mode: Double-press with left mouse button on the cell or press F2 to enter Edit mode for the formula.
2. Select part of the formula: Highlight the specific part of the formula you want to evaluate. You can select and evaluate any part of the formula that could work as a standalone formula.
3. Press F9: This will calculate and display the result of just that selected portion.
4. Evaluate step-by-step: You can select and evaluate different parts of the formula to see intermediate results.
5. Check for errors: This allows you to pinpoint which part of a complex formula may be causing an error.

The image above shows cell reference B3 converted to hard-coded value using the F9 key. The INFO function requires valid input values which is not the case in this example. We have found what is wrong with the formula.

Tips!

• View actual values: Selecting a cell reference and pressing F9 will show the actual values in those cells.
• Exit safely: Press Esc to exit Edit mode without changing the formula. Don't press Enter, as that would replace the formula part with the calculated value.
• Full recalculation: Pressing F9 outside of Edit mode will recalculate all formulas in the workbook.

Remember to be careful not to accidentally overwrite parts of your formula when using F9. Always exit with Esc rather than Enter to preserve the original formula. However, if you make a mistake overwriting the formula it is not the end of the world. You can “undo” the action by pressing keyboard shortcut keys CTRL + z or pressing the “Undo” button

3.3 Other errors

Floating-point arithmetic may give inaccurate results in Excel - Article

Floating-point errors are usually very small, often beyond the 15th decimal place, and in most cases don't affect calculations significantly.

Functions in 'Information' category

The INFO function function is one of 19 functions in the 'Information' category.

Excel function categories

Excel categories

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