XXLFormula AI

Google Sheets

QUERY Function in Google Sheets

QUERY runs a Google Visualization API query on a range of data — a SQL-like language that filters, sorts, aggregates, and pivots directly inside a sheet.

Syntax

=QUERY(data, query, [headers])

Parameters

  • dataRequired

    The range of cells to run the query against.

  • queryRequired

    A query string written in Google's query language.

  • headersOptional

    Number of header rows at the top of the data range.

Examples

Filter and sort

=QUERY(A1:D100, "SELECT A, B, D WHERE C > 100 ORDER BY D DESC", 1)

Selects columns A, B, D where column C > 100 and sorts by D descending.

Group and aggregate

=QUERY(A1:C100, "SELECT A, SUM(C) WHERE B = 'West' GROUP BY A", 1)

Totals column C per unique value in A, restricted to West.

Common Errors

  • #VALUE!

    Cause: Query references a column letter that doesn't exist in the data range.

    Fix: Use column letters relative to the data range (A is the first column of `data`, not the sheet).

Best Practices

  • Quote string literals with single quotes inside the query string.
  • Keep the data range tight — QUERY re-runs whenever the range changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need a custom version of this formula?

Describe what you need in plain English and get a ready-to-use formula in seconds.

Generate this formula with XLFormula AI