Do you want to learn how to convert TRUE/FALSE to YES/NO in Microsoft Excel? Keep reading!

Most logical functions in Microsoft Excel generate either TRUE or FALSE values as end results. The most popular ones that you might also be using are AND, OR, NOT, ISBLANK, ISERROR, ISNUMBER, and so on.

However, a non-technical audience might not understand the message clearly from the TRUE/FALSE values since they wouldn’t know these are Boolean values where TRUE means the condition is satisfied and FALSE means the condition hasn’t been satisfied yet.

Here, the Excel skill to convert TRUE/FALSE to YES/NO comes in handy. Join me as I show you the effortless ways to do this without impacting the current dataset and its structure, organization, and resulting values.

IF Function

The IF formula method is a simple and beginner-friendly way to convert TRUE/FALSE values into YES/NO in Excel. It works well if you’re dealing with logical outputs or Boolean values. Also, the method is suitable for small datasets where you can easily copy the formula across cells, and the file size isn’t an issue.

Click on the cell where you want to display the result. For example, it’s the cell D2 in this exercise.

Type the following formula into the formula bar located above the spreadsheet grid, right under the ribbon menu.

=IF(C2=TRUE,"YES","NO") 

Ensure you change C2 to the actual cell address where there’s a TRUE/FALSE value.

Press the Enter key on your keyboard to apply the formula and see either YES or NO, depending on the value in the cell C2.

Drag the fill handle (a small square at the bottom-right corner of the selected cell) downward to copy the formula to other cells in the same column.

That’s it! Excel will instantly apply the IF formula to the rest of the cells.

Right-click on column C header and select Hide from the context menu. You wouldn’t want to keep redundant columns visible in your reports. It’s better to hide it as the YES/NO column has taken over it.

Now you’ve got a perfect dataset that only shows YES/NO instead of TRUE/FALSE.

This method doesn’t dynamically handle non-logical values. For example, if a cell contains something other than TRUE/FALSE, it may still output NO without warning. Also, for large datasets, copying the IF formula repeatedly can increase the file size and processing time slightly.

Simple Arithmetic + IF

The simple arithmetic + IF method involves converting TRUE/FALSE to 1/0 using a math operation, then mapping those numbers to YES/NO using the IF function. This method is useful when your data needs numeric handling first, but you still want to present user-friendly labels like YES and NO.

Click on an empty cell where you want the result to appear, like D2 in the current exercise.

Find the formula bar, located just below the ribbon tabs at the top of Excel, and enter the following formula:

=IF(C2*1,"YES","NO")

Change the cell reference C2 to something else that contains the TRUE/FALSE values in your dataset. For example, it could be A2, B2, and so on.

Press the Enter key to confirm the formula. If A2 is TRUE, it’ll return YES. On the other hand, if A2 is FALSE, it will return NO.

Copy the formula to other rows by selecting the cell, placing your mouse on the bottom-right corner until a small plus sign appears. This is the fill handle. Now, drag down the fill handle to replicate the formula in the rest of the cells.

Excel will instantly convert all TRUEs and FALSEs to YESs and NOs in the source dataset.

You can now hide the column that contains the TRUE/FALSE values. This way, you reduce clutter and allow a non-tech-savvy audience to easily understand your reports.

It relies on arithmetic conversion, which may be confusing to you if you don’t know that TRUE/FALSE can behave like numbers. Also, if the original data isn’t purely Boolean, the formula may misinterpret unexpected values.

When to Use This Formula

Using =IF(D2*1,"YES","NO") instead of =IF(D2=TRUE,"YES","NO") is often preferred for simplicity and flexibility, especially in mixed or dynamic data environments. Here’s why:

1. Cleans up unexpected text or non-Boolean values: If D2 contains a string like TRUE (as text) or a blank cell, D2=TRUE returns FALSE, but D2*1 causes an error if not handled carefully. However, when used in a clean Boolean column, D2*1 behaves more like a numeric cast and avoids overchecking.
2. Shorter and cleaner: =IF(D2*1,"YES","NO") is shorter than =IF(D2=TRUE,"YES","NO"), and it still gives the exact same result when D2 contains TRUE/FALSE.
3. Works well when TRUE/FALSE come from logical tests: If your data is coming from formulas like A2>10, the arithmetic approach is super concise and avoids explicit comparisons.

REPT + Logical Test

The REPT + Logical Test method offers a clever workaround to return YES or NO without using the traditional IF function. It’s a neat trick if you wish to enjoy compact formulas and want a different approach to conditional text output.

Select the cell where you’d like to display the converted value—e.g., D2.

Click inside the formula bar located just above the column headers.

Enter the following formula:

=REPT("YES", C2) & REPT("NO", NOT(C2))

This works by repeating YES once when A2 is TRUE, and NO once when A2 is FALSE. Replace C2 with the actual cell range that contains the TRUE/FALSE values.

Press Enter to confirm. If A2 is TRUE, the formula outputs YES; if FALSE, it shows NO.

To apply this formula down the column, hover over the lower-right corner of the cell until a plus sign appears, then drag down to fill the rest of the cells.

Excel will show YES in place of TRUE and NO in place of FALSE.

Although it’s short and creative, this method lacks transparency and may confuse users unfamiliar with REPT and logical tricks. Also, if the source cell has anything other than a pure TRUE or FALSE value, the output can be unpredictable.

Power Query

When processing a large dataset containing hundreds and thousands of TRUEs and FALSEs and you need to convert those to YESs and NOs efficiently, use Power Query. It’s really easy to set up a data connection in Power Query once. Then, you can simply refresh the query to automatically fetch new data on TRUEs and FALSES and convert those to YESs and NOs.

Even if you’re using the tool for the first time in Excel, you can accomplish the goal. Now, let me walk you through the process below:

Import a Dataset From an External Source

Open your Excel workbook and click on the Data tab in the ribbon at the top.

In the Get & Transform Data group, click the Get Data dropdown arrow.

Hover over the type of external source you want (e.g., From File, From Azure, From Online Services, or From Other Sources).

Click the specific source type, such as From Excel Workbook, From Text/CSV, From Azure SQL Database, or From Web, depending on your needs.

In the file picker or connection window that appears, browse and select your data source file or enter the connection details, then click Import or OK.

Excel will show a navigator pane with available tables or a data preview. Select the table or sheet you want to import.

Click Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor.

Import a Dataset From an Excel Workbook

Select any cell inside your dataset (make sure it has headers and is in a rectangular block).

Go to the Data tab on the Excel ribbon.

In the Get & Transform Data group, click From Table/Range.

If your data is not yet formatted as a table, Excel will prompt you with a Create Table dialog. Make sure the checkbox My table has headers is selected. If so, click OK.

The dataset will open in the Power Query Editor window for further transformations or clean-up.

Process the Dataset to Get YESs and NOs

In the Power Query Editor window that opens, click the column header containing the TRUE/FALSE values.

Go to the Add Column tab in the top ribbon and click Conditional Column.

In the Add Conditional Column dialog box, do the following:

• New column name: Here goes the new column name, like YES/NO.
• Column Name: It should be the source column that has the TRUE/FALSE values.
• Operator: Click on the Operator drop-down menu and choose Equals.
• Value: The Value field should be TRUE.
• Output: The Output field should be YES.

Now, click on the Add Clause button in the Add Conditional Column dialog box and repeat the above steps. However, this time the Value field should be FALSE and the Output field should be NO.

Click OK to add the column.

A new column will show up in the Power Query Editor, showing YESs for TRUEs and NOs for FALSEs in the corresponding cells.

Click on the File tab and select the Close & Load To option.

The Import Data dialog box will show up. Click on the Existing worksheet option and use the mouse to select the top left corner cell for the entire destination cell range.

Click OK to complete importing the transformed data to the active Excel worksheet.

Now, select the existing dataset that you use in Power Query Editor, right-click, and choose Hide in the context menu.

Excel will hide the old dataset, and you should now see the converted one that has YES/NO in place of TRUE/FALSE.

Conclusions

So, these are some of the common ways to convert TRUE/FALSE to YES/NO in Microsoft Excel.

You can choose the method you find fit for your data transformation requirements in Excel and practice that to learn the skill functionally.

If you find this Excel guide helpful and functional in your Microsoft Excel learning pathway, share it with someone who can benefit just like you. Also, don’t forget to use the comment box to share your feedback.