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How to Use the MOD Function in Google Sheets

There are many useful functions for doing division operations n Google Sheets.

One lesser-known division function is the MOD function.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to use the MOD function in Google Sheets

Table of Contents

MOD Function

The MOD function returns the remainder after doing division. It returns the result of the modulo operator.

Syntax

The syntax of the MOD function is:

=MOD(dividend, divisor)

  • dividend – this is the number that will be divided to return the remainder
  • divisor – this is the number to divide by

Here is an example of how this works in a spreadsheet:

MOD function example

You can see in the above example, that MOD does division but only returns the remainder.

There are only two arguments to the function, so it is very easy to use.

How to Use the MOD Function

Here are the basic steps to set up this formula:

1. First select the cell where you want the formula to calculate and then press the Equals sign on your keyboard (=). Type “MOD” and press Tab to start the function

mod-1

2. Next you need to select the first argument of your function (dividend) that will be divided to return the remainder. Enter the cell containing your value and enter a comma (,)

mod-2

3. Now add the second argument (divisor) which is the number to divide by. Select the cell that contains this value. Add a closing parenthesis “)” and press Enter on your keyboard

mod-3

4. Your function should now have calculated. If you have additional rows to calculate for, you can copy and paste your formula down.

mod-4

In the example, I have used MOD with cell references as the arguments, but you can also enter the values into the formula themselves if you are just doing the calculation once.

Closing Thoughts

That is it for the MOD function. It is not a very difficult function to learn, but it is also not a very widely used function either.

If you are trying to return the result of the modulo operator, the MOD function in your spreadsheet will help you do this operation fairly quickly.

You can also use this function in combination with other functions depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

Try setting up this formula in your own spreadsheet to really get this down so that you understand it.

More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Do Math Formulas
How to Use the QUOTIENT Function