How to Divide in Excel

Lee Stanton January 13, 2024

Microsoft Excel, renowned for its ability to perform complex calculations, can also help with simple division. This can be handy in real-life situations, from paying household bills to budgeting and splitting monthly bills among roommates. If you are new to Excel, you might be confused about how to divide in Excel.

This guide will help you learn how to use division in Excel.

How to Divide in Excel

Using the Divide Function

It is easy to sum a column in Excel using the “SUM” function. But there’s no such division function. Instead, you include the slash forward sign as the division operator within the formula.

Open the Excel spreadsheet and go to any cell.
Enter the Equal sign (=) to indicate that you want to enter a formula.
Type the dividend or the number you want to divide. For example, enter 63.
Enter a forward slash sign (/) after the dividend.
Type the divisor after the slash sign. For example, enter 9.
Confirm that your entry looks like this: “=63/9.”
If it’s okay, hit Enter, and the answer should automatically appear. In the example, you should get 7.

Using Cell Values

Typically, each Excel cell has a reference in the column row structure. Excel names the columns using alphabets (A to Z) and rows using numbers 1 to infinity. Hence, any given cell will have a letter and a number. For instance, the first cell in Excel will have a reference of A1. This means it’s in the first column and the first row.

You can also use this data for division:

Open the Excel spreadsheet and enter the divisor in any cell. For instance, put it in cell A1.
Put the divisor in another cell, say, B2.
Go to an empty cell where you want to display the answer, for example, cell C1.
Enter the Equal sign to signal Excel you want to enter a formula.
With the cursor behind the equal sign, click the cell with the dividend, in this case, cell A1.
Enter the Slash symbol after the first cell reference.
Tap the cell with the divisor, in the example, cell B1. At this point, the function should look like this: “=A1/B1”.
Hit Enter, and you’ll automatically get the answer.

Using the Quotient Function

This method is useful when you want a whole number as a result after dividing, leaving out the remainder. For instance, if you were to divide 7 by 3, you’d expect to get 2.33 as the answer. However, this function will only give 2 as the answer.

With your Excel spreadsheet open, enter the dividend in any cell. For example, enter 63 in cell A1.
Go to another cell and enter the divisor. For instance, enter 9 in cell B1.
Move to the cell you want to have your answer, for example, cell C1.
Enter the Equals sign.
Type the word QUOTIENT after the equal sign. Excel will automatically display this function after you type the first two letters. You can tap on it as well.
Open the brackets and click the cell with the dividend. Cell A1 in the example.
Put a comma, and tap the cell with the divisor. Cell B1 in the example.
Check if your function looks like this: “=QUOTIENT(A1, B1).”
Hit Enter, and you’ll automatically get the answer. In the example, you should get 7.

Instead of using cell reference, you can also use numbers. For example, “=QUOTIENT(63,9)” and the answer will still be the same. You can lock the Excel column in which the answer appears to ensure no one can tamper with it.

Using the MOD Function

The MOD function doesn’t give the full answer after dividing. Instprovidesit gives the remainder. For instance, if you divide 61 by 9, you’d get the answer as 6 remainder 7. While using the MOD function, you’ll get 7 as the answer. This function is useful when you want to determine if all numbers in a list are multiples of another number or whether a number is odd or even.

Open the Excel spreadsheet and select any cell.
Press the Equal sign on your keyboard to start entering a formula.
Type MOD after the equal sign and double-tap it from the function options that Excel displays beneath the cell you’re using.
Open the brackets and type the dividend.
Put a comma and enter the divisor.
Close the brackets and ensure your final input looks like this: “=MOD(61,9).”
Hit Enter, and you’ll automatically get the answer. In this case, the remainder.

Using the Paste Special Function

In this method, you don’t need to use a formula or function to divide in Excel. Instead, you use the Paste Special feature in Excel to divide the copied data and show the final result.

Here’s how this method works:

Enter your dividend in any cell. For example, type 63 in cell A1.
Type the divisor also in its cell. For example, enter 9 in cell B1.
Copy the cell with the divisor. Select it and press Ctrl + C. In the example, cell B1.
Select the cell with the dividend and right-click. In the example, cell A1.
In the context menu that appears, choose Paste Special.
In the paste special dialogue box, go to the Operation section and select Divide.
Hit OK once you finish. You’ll have your answer, 7 in this case, in the cell you had entered the dividend.

When working with a large spreadsheet with multiple functions, you can use VLOOKUP in Excel to find the appropriate data.

Avoid Division Errors

When learning how to work with Excel, it’s crucial to begin with the basic operations such as division. Understanding the various division methods makes it less challenging to progress to more complex applications.