REPT function
REPT repeats a piece of text a given number of times. It's handy for quick in-cell bar charts, star ratings and padding codes to a fixed length, all without charts or extra columns.
- Available in
- Every current version
- Category
- Text functions
- Returns
- Text: the input repeated number_times times.
- Google Sheets
- Works the same in Google Sheets.
Syntax
=REPT(text, number_times)
| Argument | Required? | What it is |
|---|---|---|
text | Required | The text to repeat. |
number_times | Required | How many times to repeat it. Decimals are cut off, and 0 returns an empty string. |
Examples
Each result below is calculated from the sample sheet by our formula engine, the same one that grades the practice.
| Cell | Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| D2 | =REPT("|",B2/100) | |||||||||||| | An in-cell bar: one mark per $100 of sales |
| D3 | =REPT("★",C3)&REPT("☆",5-C3) | ★★★★★ | A star rating out of five |
| D4 | =REPT("0",6-LEN(B4))&B4 | 002140 | Pads a number to six characters with leading zeros |
Try it live
This is the sample sheet. Change any number or text, or edit a formula, and the results update.
Show the sample data as a table
| Rep | Sales | Rating | Result |
| Ana | 1250 | 4 | |||||||||||| |
| Raj | 860 | 5 | ★★★★★ |
| Lee | 2140 | 2 | 002140 |
Practice REPT
Graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data.
Bars in cells
C2, draw a bar with one | character for each order in B2. Fill down to C6.Common mistakes
| What you see | Why, and how to fix it |
|---|---|
| #VALUE! on big numbers | The result can't be longer than 32,767 characters, the most a cell can hold. Scale the count down, for example B2/100. |
| #VALUE! on negative numbers | A negative number_times is an error. Guard it: =REPT("|",MAX(0,B2)). |
Tips
- Format the bar column in a monospaced font such as Consolas so equal values line up exactly.
Questions
How do I make an in-cell bar chart without a chart?
=REPT("|",B2/10) draws one bar character per 10 units. Conditional formatting data bars are the built-in alternative.
How do I repeat text in Excel?
=REPT("ab",3) returns "ababab". The second argument sets how many copies you get.
Last reviewed October 2026. Every example result on this page is calculated live by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine.