Formula Generator

Generate Excel and Google Sheets formulas from plain English descriptions, or paste a formula to get a step-by-step explanation. Uses 1 tool credit each.

The Formula Generator helps you create complex Excel and Google Sheets formulas using plain English. Describe what you need, and the AI generates the exact formula.

Two Modes

Generate Mode

Create formulas from descriptions:

  • Describe the calculation you need
  • Get a working formula
  • Copy directly to your spreadsheet

Explain Mode

Understand existing formulas:

  • Paste a complex formula
  • Get a plain English explanation
  • Learn how it works step-by-step

How to Generate Formulas

Step 1: Access the Generator

Click Formula Generator in the sidebar.

Step 2: Describe Your Need

Write what you want the formula to do:

Good examples:

"Sum all values in column A where column B equals 'Sales'"

"Find the average of the top 10 values in column C"

"Count unique values in column D"

"Calculate the percentage change between B2 and B3"

Step 3: Generate

  1. Click Generate (or press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter)
  2. Review the formula
  3. Copy to clipboard
  4. Paste into your spreadsheet

Writing Effective Descriptions

Be Specific About Columns

Good: "Sum values in column B where column A is 'Product X'"
Bad: "Sum values where there's a match"

Mention Cell References

Good: "Calculate B2 divided by C2, show as percentage"
Bad: "Calculate the percentage"

Describe the Logic

Good: "If A1 is greater than 100, return 'High', otherwise return 'Low'"
Bad: "Categorize the values"

Specify the Output

Good: "Format the result as currency with 2 decimal places"
Bad: "Make it look like money"

Example Prompts

Lookup Formulas

"Look up the value in A2 in column D and return the corresponding value from column E"

"Find the price for the product in A2 from the price list in columns G:H"

Conditional Calculations

"Sum column B only where column C is not empty"

"Average of column D where column A is 'Active' and column B is greater than 50"

"Count rows where column E contains the word 'complete'"

Date Calculations

"Calculate the number of business days between A2 and B2"

"Return the last day of the month for the date in A2"

"Calculate someone's age based on birthdate in B2"

Text Manipulation

"Extract the first word from the text in A2"

"Combine first name in A2 and last name in B2 with a space"

"Remove all spaces from the text in C2"

Statistical

"Find the median of values in column A"

"Calculate standard deviation of B2:B100"

"Rank the value in A2 among all values in A:A"

Explain Mode

Paste any formula to understand it:

Example

Formula:

=SUMPRODUCT((A2:A100="Sales")*(B2:B100>1000)*C2:C100)

Explanation: "This formula sums values in column C, but only where column A equals 'Sales' AND column B is greater than 1000. It uses SUMPRODUCT to apply multiple conditions simultaneously."

What You'll Learn

  • What the formula does overall
  • How each part works
  • Why certain functions are used
  • Any special techniques employed

Supported Platforms

Excel

  • All modern Excel versions
  • Excel for Mac
  • Excel Online
  • Microsoft 365

Google Sheets

  • Full Google Sheets support
  • Most formulas are identical
  • Platform-specific alternatives when needed

Some advanced Excel functions don't exist in Google Sheets (and vice versa). The generator will note compatibility issues.

Credit Usage

Formula generation uses tool credits:

ActionCredits
Generate formula1 credit
Explain formula1 credit

Tips for Complex Formulas

Build Step by Step

For complex needs, break it down:

  1. Generate the core calculation
  2. Add conditions one at a time
  3. Combine into final formula

Test with Sample Data

  • Try the formula on a few rows first
  • Verify the results make sense
  • Then apply to full dataset

Ask for Alternatives

"Give me another way to calculate this that might be faster"

Common Formula Categories

Lookup & Reference

  • VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP
  • INDEX/MATCH
  • XLOOKUP (Excel)
  • FILTER (newer versions)

Logical

  • IF, IFS
  • AND, OR, NOT
  • SWITCH
  • IFERROR

Math & Statistics

  • SUM, AVERAGE
  • COUNT, COUNTA
  • MIN, MAX
  • SUMIF, AVERAGEIF

Text

  • CONCATENATE, CONCAT
  • LEFT, RIGHT, MID
  • TRIM, CLEAN
  • FIND, SEARCH

Date & Time

  • TODAY, NOW
  • DATE, DATEVALUE
  • DATEDIF
  • NETWORKDAYS

Integration with Chat

You can also generate formulas in AI Chat:

  • Ask during your analysis
  • Get formulas for your specific data
  • Apply directly to exported files

Next Steps