Excel can handle routine measurement conversions in a worksheet with =CONVERT(number,from_unit,to_unit). For example, =CONVERT(A1,"mi","km") converts the value in A1 from miles to kilometers. The important catch: Excel expects supported unit codes, and the source and destination must be compatible.
How to use CONVERT in Excel
Microsoft describes CONVERT as a function that “Converts a number from one measurement system to another.” Its syntax is:
=CONVERT(number,from_unit,to_unit)
numberis the value to convert, or a cell reference containing it.from_unitis the starting unit code, entered as text in quotation marks.to_unitis the destination unit code, also entered as text.
For instance, put a distance in A1 and enter =CONVERT(A1,"mi","km") in another cell. Microsoft’s example converts six miles to 9.656064 kilometers.
Common examples
| Task | Formula |
|---|---|
| Celsius to Fahrenheit | =CONVERT(A1,"C","F") |
| Teaspoons to tablespoons | =CONVERT(A1,"tsp","tbs") |
| Inches to feet | =CONVERT(A1,"in","ft") |
The codes are not ordinary prose labels: use the exact unit code shown in Microsoft’s supported-unit table.
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What units can CONVERT handle?
Microsoft’s documented categories include weight and mass, distance, time, pressure, force, energy, power, magnetism, temperature, volume, area, information, and speed. The full list is extensive, so check the official table for less familiar units rather than guessing a spelling or abbreviation.
Metric prefixes can be added to supported metric units. Microsoft also documents binary prefixes for compatible units, but binary prefixes do not work with every unit. Unit codes and prefixes are case-sensitive, so capitalization matters.
Why a conversion may fail
The starting and destination units must be from compatible groups. A length cannot be converted into a time, for example: Microsoft’s formula =CONVERT(2.5,"ft","sec") returns #N/A.
| Error | Documented cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
#VALUE! |
Incorrect input data types. | Confirm the number argument is a valid number or cell reference. |
#N/A |
An unknown unit, units from different groups, or a binary prefix unsupported by that unit. | Check the exact code and capitalization, prefix support, and whether both units measure compatible things. |
These causes are described in Microsoft’s CONVERT documentation.
Use the right method for time-related work
CONVERT is appropriate when the task is to change one time unit into another. Microsoft advises considering a year as 365.25 days for conversions involving a year. But three spreadsheet tasks that look similar are different:
| What you need | Approach |
|---|---|
| Convert a time quantity from one unit to another | Use CONVERT with compatible time-unit codes. |
| Find the interval between calendar dates, such as months between two dates | Use a date-interval method; this is not the same as converting a unit with CONVERT. |
| Show a clock-style value such as hours:minutes:seconds as a decimal number, or format a decimal as standard time | Use the appropriate time calculation or cell formatting rather than treating it as a unit conversion. |
Microsoft separates these cases in its guidance on converting times. For more involved formulas, its overview of functions and nested functions explains how functions can be combined.
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Can CONVERT convert areas?
Yes, if you use a documented construction. Microsoft gives this nested formula for converting 100 square feet to square meters: =CONVERT(CONVERT(100,"ft","m"),"ft","m"). It returns 9.290304. The inner conversion changes feet to meters; the outer conversion applies the same conversion to the other dimension, producing an area result.
Which Excel versions list this function?
Microsoft lists CONVERT for Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016. Its applicability list also includes the Mac editions of Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021. See Microsoft’s engineering functions reference for the broader function category.
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