Operators are symbols that represent specific mathematical operations, including the plus sign (+), minus sign (-), division sign (/), and multiplication sign (*). When performing these operations in a formula, Excel follows certain rules of precedence:

Expressions within parentheses are processed first.

Multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction.

Consecutive operators with the same level of precedence are calculated from left to right.

Enter some formulas to see how these rules apply. Select an empty cell and type =4+12/6. Press Enter, and you see the value 6. Excel first divides 12 by 6 and then adds the result (2) to 4. If Excel used different precedence rules, the result would be different. For example, select another empty cell and type =(4+12)/6. Press Enter, and you see the value 2.666667. This demonstrates how you can change the order of precedence using parentheses.

If you do not include a closing parenthesis for each opening parenthesis in a formula, Excel displays the message “Microsoft Excel found an error in this formula” and provides a suggested solution. If the suggestion matches what you had in mind, simply press Enter and Excel completes the formula for you. When you type a closing parenthesis, Excel briefly displays the pair of parentheses in bold. This feature is handy when you are entering a long formula and are not sure which pairs of parentheses go together.

Tip: When in doubt, use parentheses:

If you are unsure of the order in which Excel will process a sequence of operators, use parentheses—even if the parentheses aren’t necessary.

Parentheses also make your formulas easier to read and understand. This is helpful if you or someone else needs to change them later.