

You’ve probably seen it already: Starting a formula in Excel with “=+” (equal-plus) instead of just equal. So why do people use the “=+” instead of just “=”? Is there any meaning? This article describes the background of the equal-plus signs, the advantages and disadvantages.
Contents
If you type +A1, Excel automatically adds the equal sign.
Lotus 1-2-3 is a spreadsheet program and according to Wikipedia, it “was the IBM PC’s first killer application”. However, the last version was published in 2003 and support ended in 2014. Entering formulas or values in Lotus 1-2-3 you could use the “+”-sign instead of “=” like in Excel. In order to welcome Lotus 1-2-3 users, Excel tolerated entering formulas just using the “+”-sign. It automatically adds the “=”-sign before so that formulas are converted. The “+”-sign stays.
The = and + signs on the US keyboard layout.
Lotus 1-2-3 users don’t have to change their behavior of entering formulas in Excel.
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Maybe it sounds similar, but the equal-plus sign for starting a formula in Excel doesn’t have anything to do with the double minus sign. The double negative converts TRUE and FALSE in formulas to the number 0 for FALSE and 1 for TRUE. When do you need that? For example in the SUMPRODUCT formula (please refer to this article for more information).
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There are two methods to remove all “=+”-signs in Excel.
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When I receive an Excel file containing formulas with equal-plus signs, I usually have the following thoughts: Someone wants to show that he or she is an Excel expert by not using the “normal” way of typing formulas but rather using the more complicated way. Unfortunately, I get the opposite impression. The author of the Excel file didn’t use the simple way but rather the dirty, more complicated way. That’s not good for an Excel file.
What do you think? What is your opinion about the =+-characters at the beginning of an Excel formula?
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Comments 4
Upendra Thakkar
How to keep formula instead of value in formula bar inspite of using + sign in formula?
Becase i want to use only + sign in formula
Ann
My macros create formulas by finding the best values in a worksheet then tacking them on with “+” and a multiplier variable. So all these formulas start with “=+”, which I observed, as you did, makes very little difference.
Jay
I doubt anyone bats an eye at the “+” sign, let along judge a user’s level of expertise by it
Henrik Schiffner
Hi Jay,
Thanks for the comment. I suppose many people don’t… well, as I said, that’s what I feel about it when I see it in Excel files. I’ve seen a lot of Excel files so far and – it might be a stereotype from my side – but it used to proof true to me.
Best regards,
Henrik