AVERAGE Function: Excel, Sheets, Calc & Numbers

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The AVERAGE function in Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers returns the average (arithmetic mean) of the provided arguments.

In simple terms, it calculates the central tendency or center of a group of numbers in a statistical distribution.

When using the AVERAGE function, the arguments should be numeric values or arrays of numeric values. It ignores text, logical values, and empty cells within the range or cell reference argument. However, it includes cells with the value zero in the calculation.

If the arguments contain error values or text that cannot be translated into numbers, the AVERAGE function may produce errors.

In cases where you want to include logical values and text representations of numbers in the calculation, you can use the AVERAGEA function.

To calculate the average of values that meet specific criteria, you can use the AVERAGEIF function or the AVERAGEIFS function.

Using the AVERAGE function, one can easily determine the central tendency of a set of numbers, and it provides a convenient way to calculate averages within a range or among individual values.

You can also check out other Spreadsheet Functions like CEILING Function, MAX Function, MIN Function, NUMBERTEXT, SpellNumber, and SpellNumber Indian Rupees on our Functions Page.

So, let us figure out how to use the AVERAGE Function in each spreadsheet program.

How To Use the AVERAGE Function In Excel?

To use the AVERAGE function in Excel, follow these steps:

  1. Open Excel and select the cell where you want the average to be displayed.
  2. Type the formula “=AVERAGE(” in the selected cell.
  3. Specify the range of cells or individual values for which you want to calculate the average. You can do this in one of the following ways:
  4. Type the cell references separated by commas. For example, if you want to calculate the average of values in cells A1 to A5, enter “A1, A2, A3, A4, A5” after the opening parenthesis.
  5. Alternatively, you can select the range of cells directly by clicking and dragging over the desired range. Excel will automatically populate the cell references for you.
  6. Close the parenthesis “)” to complete the AVERAGE function. Press Enter.

Excel will calculate the average based on the specified range or values and display the result in the selected cell.

SYNTAX

=AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)

Where:

number1, number2, …: These are the arguments of the function. You can include multiple arguments, separated by commas. Each argument represents a numeric value, a cell reference, or a range of cells.

Numeric values: You can enter specific numbers directly as arguments, such as 5, 10, 15, etc.

Cell references: You can specify individual cells by their references, such as A1, B2, C3, etc.

Ranges: You can define a range of cells using the “:” (colon) operator. For example, A1:A10 represents the range of cells from A1 to A10.

You can include up to 255 arguments in the AVERAGE function.

AVERAGE Function

How To Use AVERAGE Function in OpenOffice Calc?

To use the AVERAGE function in OpenOffice Calc, follow these steps:

  1. Open OpenOffice Calc and select the cell where you want the average to be displayed.
  2. Type the formula “=AVERAGE(” in the selected cell.
  3. Specify the range of cells or individual values for which you want to calculate the average. You can do this in one of the following ways:
  4. Type the cell references separated by semi-colons instead of commas. For example, if you want to calculate the average of values in cells A1 to A5, enter “A1; A2; A3; A4; A5” after the opening parenthesis.
  5. Alternatively, you can select the range of cells directly by clicking and dragging over the desired range. Calc will automatically populate the cell references for you.
  6. Close the parenthesis “)” to complete the AVERAGE function. Press Enter.

Calc will calculate the average based on the specified range or values and display the result in the selected cell.

SYNTAX

=AVERAGE(number1; number2; …)

Where:

number1; number2; …: These are the arguments of the function. You can include multiple arguments, separated by semicolons (;). Each argument represents a numeric value, a cell reference, or a range of cells.

Numeric values: You can enter specific numbers directly as arguments, such as 5; 10; 15, etc.

Cell references: You can specify individual cells by their references, such as A1; B2; C3, etc.

Ranges: You can define a range of cells using the “:” (colon) operator. For example, A1:A10 represents the range of cells from A1 to A10.

You can include up to 30,000 arguments in the AVERAGE function.

How To Use the AVERAGE Function in Google Sheets?

To use the AVERAGE function in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

  1. Open Google Sheets and select the cell where you want the average to be displayed.
  2. Type the formula “=AVERAGE(” in the selected cell.
  3. Specify the range of cells or individual values for which you want to calculate the average. You can do this in one of the following ways:
  4. Type the cell references separated by commas. For example, if you want to calculate the average of values in cells A1 to A5, enter “A1, A2, A3, A4, A5” after the opening parenthesis.
  5. Alternatively, you can select the range of cells directly by clicking and dragging over the desired range. Sheets will automatically populate the cell references for you.
  6. Close the parenthesis “)” to complete the AVERAGE function. Press Enter.

Google Sheets will calculate the average based on the specified range or values and display the result in the selected cell.

SYNTAX

=AVERAGE(number1, number2, …)

Where:

number1, number2, …: These are the arguments of the function. You can include multiple arguments, separated by commas (,). Each argument represents a numeric value, a cell reference, or a range of cells.

Numeric values: You can enter specific numbers directly as arguments, such as 5, 10, 15, etc.

Cell references: You can specify individual cells by their references, such as A1, B2, C3, etc.

Ranges: You can define a range of cells using the “:” (colon) operator. For example, A1:A10 represents the range of cells from A1 to A10.

You can include up to 30 arguments in the AVERAGE function.

How To Use The AVERAGE Function in Apple Numbers?

To use the AVERAGE function in Apple Numbers, follow these steps:

  1. Open Apple Numbers and select the cell where you want the average to be displayed.
  2. Type the formula “=AVERAGE(” in the selected cell.
  3. Specify the range of cells or individual values for which you want to calculate the average. You can do this in one of the following ways:
  4. Type the cell references separated by commas. For example, if you want to calculate the average of values in cells A1, A2, and A3, enter “A1, A2, A3” after the opening parenthesis.
  5. Alternatively, you can select the range of cells directly by clicking and dragging over the desired range. Numbers will automatically populate the cell references for you.
  6. Close the parenthesis “)” to complete the AVERAGE function. Press Enter or Return.

Numbers will calculate the average based on the specified range or values and display the result in the selected cell.

SYNTAX

=AVERAGE(number1, number2, …)

Where:

number1, number2, …: These are the arguments of the function. You can include multiple arguments, separated by commas (,). Each argument represents a numeric value, a cell reference, or a range of cells.

Numeric values: You can enter specific numbers directly as arguments, such as 5, 10, 15, etc.

Cell references: You can specify individual cells by their references, such as A1, B2, C3, etc.

Ranges: You can define a range of cells using the “:” (colon) operator. For example, A1:A10 represents the range of cells from A1 to A10.

You can include up to 256 arguments in the AVERAGE function.

Possible Errors

While using the AVERAGE function in various spreadsheet applications like Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers, there are a few potential errors that you might encounter:

#DIV/0! error: This error occurs when the AVERAGE function is dividing a value by zero. It can happen if one or more of the cells in the range used for the calculation contain zero values. To avoid this error, ensure that there are no zero values in the range or use error handling techniques like the IFERROR function.

#VALUE! error: This error occurs if one or more of the cells in the range contain non-numeric values, such as text or error values. The AVERAGE function can only calculate the average of numeric values. To resolve this error, ensure that all cells in the range contain valid numeric data.

#NAME? error: This error occurs when the spreadsheet application does not recognize the AVERAGE function. It typically happens if the function name is misspelled or if the function is not supported in the specific application or version. Check the spelling of the function and ensure that it is supported in your spreadsheet software.

#NUM! error: This error occurs when the AVERAGE function encounters invalid numerical data in the range, such as non-numeric characters or extremely large or small values that cannot be processed. Check the range of cells for any irregular or unsupported numeric values.

By addressing these potential errors, you can ensure that the AVERAGE function functions correctly and provides accurate results.

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