ABS

Removes the minus sign from a number.

How it’s written

ABS(number)

Example

A
1Variance
2-250
=ABS(A2)

Result: 250

Returns the size of the gap, ignoring its direction.

Try it yourself

Open a live sheet with this example, and type the formula yourself. It takes a moment to load.

Worth knowing

Helpful when you care how far off something is, not which way.

Practice it properly

Budget against actual gives you real tasks, with your formulas tested on data you haven’t seen.

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