#DIV/0! Error in AVERAGE: Complete Fix Guide

#DIV/0!

+AVERAGE

# Understanding #DIV/0! in the AVERAGE Formula The #DIV/0! error in Excel's AVERAGE function occurs when the formula attempts to divide by zero—a mathematical impossibility. This happens most commonly when AVERAGE tries to calculate the mean of an empty range or a range containing only text values, leaving no numbers to work with. If you're encountering this error, don't worry. It's one of the most frequent issues users face with AVERAGE, and it's straightforward to resolve. The problem typically stems from a few predictable causes: blank cells in your data range, text-formatted numbers, or referencing cells that haven't been populated yet. Understanding why #DIV/0! appears is the first step toward fixing it. By identifying which cells are causing the division-by-zero condition, you can quickly adjust your formula, clean your data, or add error handling to prevent the error from displaying. This guide walks you through the common culprits and practical solutions.

Why AVERAGE causes #DIV/0!

All cells in range are empty

AVERAGE divides the sum by the count of numeric values. If the range contains no numeric values (all empty cells or text), the divisor becomes 0, causing #DIV/0!.

=AVERAGE(A1:A10) where cells A1:A10 are all empty or contain only text like 'N/A'

Range contains only text values

AVERAGE ignores text entries when calculating the sum, but if the entire range contains only text (no numbers), it attempts to divide by zero since there are no numeric values to count.

=AVERAGE(B2:B5) where B2:B5 contain 'Pending', 'Complete', 'Pending', 'Incomplete'

Nested formula returns zero count

When AVERAGE is used with filtered data or conditional ranges that result in no numeric values being evaluated, the division count becomes zero.

=AVERAGE(IF(C1:C10>1000,D1:D10)) where no values in C1:C10 exceed 1000, leaving no values for D to average

Step-by-Step Solution

1Click on the cell displaying the #DIV/0! error to select it and view the formula in the formula bar
2Press Ctrl+` (grave accent) to toggle formula view mode and see the actual formula structure, or examine the formula bar directly to identify the AVERAGE range
3Check if the range argument in AVERAGE() contains only empty cells, text values, or logical errors—these cause division by zero
4Verify your data range contains at least one numeric value; if cells are empty or formatted as text, convert them to numbers using Ctrl+H (Find & Replace) or Data > Text to Columns
5Wrap your AVERAGE formula with IFERROR() using the syntax =IFERROR(AVERAGE(range), 0) to display 0 or custom text instead of #DIV/0! when no valid numbers exist
6If using AVERAGEIF or AVERAGEIFS, ensure your criteria actually match data in your range; use wildcards (*) if needed and verify criteria spelling matches exactly
7Press Ctrl+Shift+F9 to recalculate all formulas, then press Enter to confirm the corrected formula
8Test the formula by temporarily adding a numeric value to the range to confirm it calculates correctly, then remove the test value

Concrete Example

Monthly sales performance report with team averages

A sales manager calculates average revenue per team member using AVERAGE formula. The spreadsheet tracks sales data across multiple departments, and the manager needs to report average performance metrics.

Before (error)

=AVERAGE(B2:B50)

After (fixed)

=IFERROR(AVERAGE(B2:B50),0)

Problem: The #DIV/0! error appears because the range being averaged contains only empty cells or the denominator becomes zero when filtering data. This happens when a department has no sales records entered yet, or all entries are deleted but the formula still references that range.

Solution: Use IFERROR or AVERAGEIF to handle empty ranges gracefully. IFERROR catches the division error and returns a default value. AVERAGEIF ignores empty cells and only averages cells meeting criteria.

Prevention Tip

Use AVERAGEIF to exclude blank cells and zeros, or wrap AVERAGE in IFERROR to handle cases where all values are zero or the range is empty: =IFERROR(AVERAGE(range),0). This prevents division by zero when the denominator becomes zero.

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