How to raise a number to a power in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=2^A2Use the caret, as in =2^A2, or the function form =POWER(2,A2).
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
B2, filled down toB6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in B2, filled down to B6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
The caret ^ means "to the power of", so 2^8 is 2 multiplied by itself 8 times: 256. Each bit doubles the number of possible values, which is why 16 bits hold 65,536. Exponents can be fractions (roots) or negative (1 divided by the power).
=2^A2Result256
A28The value in A2.
2^A2256The ^ operator raises to a power.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =2^A2. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =POWER(2,A2) | 256, 1,024, 4,096… | The function form; easier to read when the base or exponent is a long expression. |
Common mistakes
- Negation comes before the power in Excel:
=-2^2is 4, not -4. Write=-(2^2)when you mean the negative. - In
=2^A2*3the power is calculated first, then the multiplication. Use parentheses when the exponent is an expression:=2^(A2*3).
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Raise a number to a power
B2, calculate how many values the number of bits in A2 can hold (2 to that power), then fill down to B6.Questions
How do I square a number?
Use =A2^2; for a cube, =A2^3.
How do I type an exponent as superscript?
That is formatting only: select the digit in the cell, press Ctrl+1 and tick Superscript. It doesn't calculate anything.
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.