How to Divide in Google Sheets (Numbers, Cells, or Columns)

Google Sheets is now the go-to spreadsheet tool for most people. It’s free, super easy to collaborate with, and has some pretty awesome functions and features.

Even if you want to do something as basic as data record-keeping or simple calculations such as weighted averages or division, you can easily do that in Google Sheets.

In this tutorial. I will show you a couple of ways to divide in Google Sheets.

Just like with multiplying, you can easily divide numbers in Google Sheets using an inbuilt Google Sheets division formula or using the divide operator (as we will see with examples).

So let’s get started!

How to Divide in Google Sheets

1. Click on the cell you want the results in
2. Type the =DIVIDE formula and choose it from the suggestions
3. Click on the cell with the value you want to divide
4. Add a coma
5. Click on the cell with the value you want to divide by
6. Hit enter

How to Divide Two Cells In Google Sheets

If you want to divide two numbers in Google Sheets (or two cells that have the numbers), then there are a couple of ways to do this in Google Sheets.

How to Divide on Google Sheets Using the DIVIDE function

Doing a division in Google Sheets is such a regular task that there is an in-built division function in Google Sheets that allows you to divide two numbers or numbers that are in two cells.

It’s the DIVIDE function (no marks for guessing)!

DIVIDE Function Syntax

The syntax for the DIVIDE function is as follows:

=DIVIDE(dividend, divisor)

Dividend– the number you want to divide.

Divisor- the number you want to divide by.

Suppose you want to divide the value in cell A1 with the value in cell B1.

You can use the below Google spreadsheet DIVIDE formula to do this:

=DIVIDE(A1,B1)

1. Click on the cell you want the results in
2. Type the =DIVIDE formula and choose it from the suggestions
3. Click on the cell with the value you want to divide. In our example, this is cell A1
4. Add a coma,
5. Click on the cell with the value you want to divide by. In our example, this is cell B1
6. Click Enter.

In the above formula, the first argument is the dividend (the number which has to be divided) and the divisor (the number with which to divide)

I have used the cell references in the above example, but you can also hard-code values into the Google Sheets divide formula. For example, you can also use the below formula:

=DIVIDE(1200,15)

The benefit of using cell references is that your formula result becomes dynamic. This means that in case I change the value in cell A1 or B1, the formula would automatically update.

Using the DIVIDE Operator

Another quick way to divide numbers in Google Sheets is by using the divide operator – the forward-slash (/)

Suppose you have the data as shown below and you want to divide the value in cell A1 with the value in cell B1.

You can use the below equation to do this:

=A1/B1

Here’s how to divide in google sheets using the divide operator:

1. Click on the cell you want the results in
2. Type equal sign.
3. Click on the cell with the value you want to divide. (Or type the number to be divided) In our example, this is cell A1.
4. Add a forward slash (/)
5. Click on the cell with the value you want to divide by. In our example, this is cell B1.
6. Click Enter.

And in case you want to quickly divide numbers (instead of cell references), you can do that as well (as shown in the below formula):

=1200/15

Also read: How to Multiply in Google Sheets

Order of Precedence when Dividing Cells

An important thing to know when using arithmetic operators (such as division or multiplication) in Google Sheets is the order of precedence.

Let me try and explain this with an example.

Suppose I use the below formula:

=1200/15+15

Can you guess what the result would be?

It would be 95.

This happens as there is an order of precedence in Google Sheets where division is done before addition. Hence it first divides 1200 by 15 where the result is 80. It then adds 15 to this result giving you the overall result as 95.

Now, it’s not difficult to figure this out in our simple example, but this can lead to issues when working with large complex formulas.

In such cases, it’s best to not worry about the order of precedence by keeping calculations in brackets (parenthesis).

For example, in case you want to first do the addition and then the division, you can use the below formula:

=1200/(15+15)

This will give you the result as 40 (=1200/30)

Dividing Two Columns In Google Sheets

In real-life scenarios, you wouldn’t want to open Google Sheets for a simple division. You can easily do that using calculator on your smartphone or with a simple Google Search.

Where you can use Google Sheets is to quickly divide numbers into columns and get the result for hundreds of cells in a second.

For example, suppose you have the dataset as shown below and you want to calculate the division when the value in column A is divided by the corresponding cell in column B

Below is the formula that will give you the dividend and divisor:

=ArrayFormula(A1:A20/B1:B20)]

Here’s how to divide 2 columns in google sheets:

1. Click on the first empty cell in the results column.
2. Type the equal sign then ArrayFormula and choose it from the suggestions
3. Select the column with the values you want to divide. In our example, this is cell A1:A20
4. Add a forward slash (/).
5. Select the column with the values you want to divide by. In our example, this is cell B1:B20.
6. Click Enter.

Since this is an array formula, you only need to enter this formula in cell C1 only and it will give you the result as shown above.

Also, you can not delete or edit a part of the array. You can, however, delete the entire array by deleting the content in cell C1.

#DIV/O! Formula Error (Why Did it Happen?)

Sometimes you may get a #DIV/0 error after entering your formula. This is a result of the divisor being 0, which is not arithmetically possible. If you get this error, it may mean that you used a blank cell reference.

If you have a cell reference with a value that is not a number, you’ll get a #Value error instead.

How to Divide All Cells by 1000 in Google Sheets

You can also easily divide cells by 1000 in Microsoft Excel with a shortcut in the options menu. However, there’s no such option in Google Sheets, meaning you’d have to use the normal methods we’ve already mentioned.

Divide Without Remainder in Google Sheets

Let’s say you have the dataset as shown below, and you want to divide the value in column A with that of in column B.

The previous section uses Google Sheets integer division, so if you do it that way, you would get the integer part as well as the decimal part.

In case you don’t want any remainder when these values are divided (where the remainder is the decimal part), you can use the below formula:

=ArrayFormula(INT(A1:A20/B1:B20))

The above formula uses the same division formula but wraps it within an INT function, which will only return the integer part of the result and not the decimal part.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Division Symbol in Google Sheets? / How Do I Make a Divided by Symbol?

You can use the forward slash symbol / to divide in Google Sheets.

Wrapping Up

So these are some of the ways you can divide sheet in Google Sheets. Based on whether you want to divide numbers, cells, or columns, you can choose to use the DIVIDE function or the divide operator.

I hope you found this Google Sheets tutorial useful! You can also have a look at our Googles sheets percent guide.

Other Google Sheets tutorials you may find useful:

• How to Sum a Column in Google Sheets
• How to Number Rows in Google Sheets (Add Serial Numbers)
• How to Count Cells with Specific Text In Google Sheets
• How to Hide Zero Values in Google Sheets
• Convert Formulas to Values in Google Sheets
• How To Square In Google Sheets
• How to Round Numbers in Google Sheets