How to calculate a square root in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=SQRT(B2)

Use SQRT, =SQRT(B2), or raise the number to the power of one half with =B2^(1/2).

Result on the example: one result per row in C2, filled down to C6
Works in: Every current version
Google Sheets: Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in C2, filled down to C6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

The square root is the number that, multiplied by itself, gives the original: 12 × 12 = 144, so a 144 sq ft square room has 12 ft sides. SQRT works for any non-negative number; 220 gives about 14.83.

=SQRT(B2)

Result12

B2144
The value in B2.
SQRT(B2)12
SQRT: Square root.
- numberB2144

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =SQRT(B2). 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
=B2^(1/2)	12.00, 14.83, 10.00…	A power of 1/2 is a square root. The same pattern gives any root: ^(1/3) for a cube root.
=POWER(B2,0.5)	12.00, 14.83, 10.00…	POWER is the function form of ^.

Common mistakes

SQRT of a negative number returns #NUM!. Use =SQRT(ABS(B2)) if the sign doesn't matter.
=B2^1/2 without parentheses divides B2 by 2. The exponent needs brackets: ^(1/2).

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.

Calculate a square root

In C2, calculate the side length of a square room with the area in B2, then fill down to C6.

Questions

How do I square a number instead?

Use =B2^2.

How do I insert the √ symbol?

It is display only: Insert > Symbol, or format the result with a custom format like "√"0.00. The formula is still SQRT.

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.