Calculating the square root of a number in excel is straightforward due to the mathematical formulas built directly into the software.
If you already have a number in mind, you simply need to use the following cell formula. You just need to swap ‘number’ with the number you wish to get the square root for.
=SQRT(number)For example, if you wanted to get the square root of 39, you would use:
=SQRT(39)
Once entered, the output will then show the square root of that value.
#NUM! – Error Message
You may stumble across the error message ‘#NUM!’ while trying to get the calculation to work correctly. Excel throws out this message if you’ve tried to calculate the root of a negative number.
This occurs as it’s not possible to find the square root of a negative number in terms of real numbers.
What Versions of Excel Do These Formulas Work For?
All the formulas have been tested and found to be working on Excel Online via Microsoft 365, along with Excel 2019 (PC and Mac), Excel 2016 (PC and Mac), Excel 2013, Excel 2011 (Mac) and Excel 2010.