Why is it better to start XL formulas with + ?

Copper Contributor

Hi,

I am an XL newcomer, I have a stupid question : I notice that in some spreadsheet every formula start wit =+...

Why ?

1 Reply

@Rad2167 

Starting a formula with + is a habit inherited from spreadsheet programs from the 1980's, before Excel.

The standard way to start a formula is =. Excel also allows + for compatibility with those older programs, but I would recommend using =.