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The formula =E101+D102-C102 is valid and should return 2578, so inspect E101, D102, and C102 for a number stored as text, hidden spaces, or an existing error.
Identify the problematic cell
In three empty cells, enter:
=ISNUMBER(E101)
=ISNUMBER(D102)
=ISNUMBER(C102)
Each result should be TRUE. A FALSE result means that the displayed value is not a true Excel number. Text or hidden characters in a referenced cell can produce #VALUE! during arithmetic.[^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/excel/how-to-correct-a-value-error#fix-the-error-for-a-specific-function "VALUE is Excel's way of saying, "There's something wrong with the way your formula is typed. Or, there's something wrong with the cells you are referencing." The error is very general, and it can be hard to find the exact cause of it. The information on this page shows common problems and solutions for the error.")
Also check whether any of those cells already displays an error such as #VALUE!, because that error will pass into your formula.
Convert text values into numbers
If a cell has a green triangle:
- Select the affected cell.
- Select the warning icon.
- Choose Convert to Number.
- Repeat for each affected cell.
Changing the cell format to Number does not necessarily convert text into a number; use Convert to Number instead.^2^
If the warning icon is unavailable, use a temporary cell:
=VALUE(E101)
Repeat for the affected references, then copy the converted results and use Home → Paste → Paste Special → Values to replace the original text entries.^2^
You can also test the conversion directly with:
=VALUE(E101)+VALUE(D102)-VALUE(C102)
The expected result is:
2456 + 954 - 832 = 2578
If VALUE still returns an error, double-click each source cell and remove any spaces, apostrophes, or other characters before or after the number, then re-enter the value.
References
- VALUE is Excel's way of saying, "There's something wrong with the way your formula is typed. Or, there's something wrong with the cells you are referencing." The error is very general, and it can be hard to find the exact cause of it. The information on this page shows common problems and solutions for the error.
- Convert numbers stored as text to numbers in Excel
