What IFS does
IFS checks multiple conditions in order and returns the value for the first condition that is TRUE. It replaces nested IF formulas and makes multi-branch logic easier to read.
If no condition is TRUE, IFS returns a #N/A error. To avoid this, add TRUE as the last condition with a default value.
Practical examples
Assign a size label based on a value
=IFS(A2<10,"XS",A2<20,"S",A2<30,"M",A2<40,"L",TRUE,"XL")
Each condition is tested in order. The first match wins. The final TRUE acts as a catch-all default.
Grade a score
=IFS(B2>=90,"A",B2>=80,"B",B2>=70,"C",B2>=60,"D",TRUE,"F")
This is cleaner than five levels of nested IF and easier to extend when new grade thresholds are added.
Common mistakes and notes
Missing default condition
Without a TRUE catch-all at the end, rows that match no condition will return #N/A. Always include a default unless you specifically want an error for unmatched cases.
Condition order matters
IFS returns the value for the first TRUE condition. If you put A2<40 before A2<10, everything under 40 matches the first test and the smaller thresholds never run.
Availability
IFS is available in Excel 365, Excel 2021, and Excel 2019. It is not available in Excel 2016 or earlier.