How to Use Greater Than or Equal To in Excel [4 Easy Examples]

Fact Checked By Jim Markus

Greater than or equal to in Excel is expressed through an operator >=. It is a valuable tool for comparing values and deciding on specific criteria. It allows you to determine whether one value is greater than or equal to another, enabling you to perform calculations, apply conditional formatting, filter data, and more.

It comes in handy when you want to highlight cells based on specific conditions, filter data to focus on relevant information or perform calculations based on certain criteria.

Throughout this guide, we’ll show you different ways to use the “greater than or equal to” operator in Excel. Read on to learn more.

How To Use Greater Than or Equal to in Excel

To create a “greater than or equal to” Excel formula, you simply have to use the >= operator. For example, if you wanted to see if the value in cell B2 is greater than or equal to 50, you could use the following formula:

=B2>=50

You can also create more complex Excel “greater than or equal to” formulas, such as those that contain “IF” functions.

How To Do Greater Than or Equal to in Excel

In our example worksheet, we can use “greater than or equal to” and find marks that are 50 and above. Here’s a step-by-step on how to put greater than or equal to in Excel:

  1. In the result cell, type the “equals” sign (=).
  2. Select the cell with the value we want to compare.
Greater than or equal to in Excel—Start the formula

 

  1. Add the “greater than or equal to” sign (>=), then add the value you want to compare.
The complete formula for a basic grater than or equal to calculation

 

  1. Hit “Enter.”
A false result from using the greater than or equal to operator

 

  1. Drag the formula down the column to copy it.
A finished set of data showing the grater thna or equal to results

 

For this example, we used the formula:

=B2>=50

This function is one way Excel is similar to Google Sheets, as an Excel equal to or greater than function returns TRUE or FALSE if the value meets the condition of being greater than or equal to the value you’re comparing it to.

As you can see in the above example, if the value in column B is indeed greater than or equal to 50, the formula will return TRUE. Otherwise, it will return FALSE.

How To Use with Greater Than or Equal to With an IF Function

By default, the “greater than or equal to” formula returns either TRUE or FALSE. However, you can have the formula return any other value of your choice by adding the “IF” function.

Let’s look at our example worksheet again, but this time we want to return PASS or FAIL.

  1. In the results cell, type the equal sign and add the “IF” function:
    =IF(.
How to start the IF function

 

  1. Select the cell you want to compare.
Add the cell reference to the formula

 

  1. Add the “greater than or equal to” sign (>=) and the value.
Add the condition (>=) to the IF function

 

  1. Add a comma, then in quotation marks, add the value to return if TRUE.
How to insert the value if true

 

  1. Add another comma, then in quotation marks, add the value to return if FALSE.
An example of adding the value if false and the closing bracket

 

  1. Close the brackets and hit “Enter.”
An example result of using the IF function

 

  1. Copy the formula to the rest of the cells.
A completed data set using greater thna or equal to and the IF function

 

For this example, we used the formula:

=IF(B2>=50,”PASS”, “FAIL”)

In the example above, if the value in column B is less than 50, the formula returns a FAIL, but if it is 50 or more than 50, it returns the word PASS.

How To Use with Greater Than or Equal to With the COUNTIF Function

We can also use greater than or equal to with the “COUNTIF” function as criteria. With our example worksheet, we can count the number of people who passed or got 50 and over.

  1. In the results cell, type the “equals” sign (=) and add the” COUNTIF” function.
Add the countif formula

 

  1. Select the range you want to count.
Select the data range B2:B11

 

  1. Add the “greater than or equal to” sign (>=) and the value in quotation marks.
Add the criteria

 

  1. Close the brackets and hit “Enter.”
An example result using the COUNTIF function

 

For this example, we used the formula:

=COUNTIF(B2:B11,">=50")

The formula counts the number of cells that have a value that is greater than or equal to 50.

How To Use with Greater Than or Equal to With the SUMIF Function

You can also use greater than or equal to if you want to sum up specific values based on that condition. For example, in our example worksheet, you can add the total for the students who got 50 and over.

Here’s how:

  1. In the results cell, type the “equals” sign (=) and add the “SUMIF” function.
Add the sumif function to an empty cell

 

  1. Select the range you want to sum.
Add the range to the formula

 

  1. Add the “greater than or equal to” sign (>=) and the value in quotation marks.
Add the criteria to the SUMIF function

 

  1. Close the brackets and hit “Enter.”
An example of a completed sumif function using the greater than or equal to operator

 

For this example, we used the formula:

=SUMIF(B2:B11,">=50")

The formula adds up all values that are greater than or equal to 50.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When Should the “Greater than or Equal to” Operator be Used in Excel?

The “greater than or equal to” operator (>=) in Excel is used to compare two values and determine whether the left value is greater than or equal to the right value. It can be used for different functions like the following:

  • Conditional formatting: You can apply conditional formatting rules using the “greater than or equal to” operator to highlight cells or ranges that meet specific criteria.
  • Filtering: When filtering data in Excel, you can use the “greater than or equal to” operator to show only the records that meet a certain condition.
  • Formulas and functions: The most common use of “greater than or equal to” is in formulas and functions. The greater than or equal to operator helps you perform calculations based on certain conditions.

How Is the Greater than or Equal to Symbol Written in Excel?

Here is how to type “greater than or equal to” in Excel: “>=”. This is a combination of the greater than symbol (>) and the equals to symbol (=).

Should I Use the “Greater than or Equal to” Operator for Text Comparison Purposes?

Unlike the not equal operator, the “greater than or equal to” operator (>=) can’t be used for text comparison purposes in Excel. The “greater than or equal to” operator is primarily used for comparing numerical values, not text.

Wrapping Up

The “greater than or equal to” operator has many uses in Excel. It allows you to compare values and determine if they meet specific criteria based on being greater than or equal to a specified value.

You can also apply the “greater than or equal to” operator in various scenarios, such as conditional formatting, filtering, or within more complex formulas.

In this article, we’ve shown you four ways to use greater than or equal to in Excel. Of course, it would be impossible to cover every single way to use this operator in one article, but once you get more acquainted with Excel, you can make your own formulas. To learn more about Excel, you can check out our guide on the best Excel courses.

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