ABS Function in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor: Syntax and Examples

Use =ABS(number) to get how far a number is from zero without keeping its positive or negative sign. =ABS(-12) has an expected result of 12. It does not tell you whether the original number was positive or negative.

Find the unsigned magnitude of a number, including negative balances and measurement deviations. The examples are designed for a spreadsheet you can create yourself, so no sample download or proprietary data is needed. Only the function’s explicitly documented behaviour is attributed to ONLYOFFICE; sample outputs are described as expected, not observations.

=ABS(number)

Only one argument is documented; do not add an invented optional rounding argument. The official ABS reference defines absolute value as the number without its sign. It does not specify detailed coercion rules for text or booleans.

Documentation scope: The signature and core purpose above are documented by the unversioned English ONLYOFFICE Docs Spreadsheet Editor function reference, checked 11 October 2026 (UTC). That confirms help-site documentation, not a universal guarantee that the function behaves identically in every installed release, browser integration, mobile app, or Desktop Editors build. The referenced Docs release history and distinct Desktop Editors release history were checked; neither establishes a first-supported version for this function. First-supported Docs/Desktop/mobile versions: UNKNOWN; target-version native compatibility: NOT TESTED.

In English examples, formulas begin with =, function arguments are enclosed in parentheses, and multi-argument functions use a comma (see ONLYOFFICE’s formula-entry instructions). Under File → Advanced Settings, formula language and region can be changed; the official regional settings instructions discuss locale and decimal/thousands separators. Do not blindly substitute semicolons or localized function names: confirm the target editor’s language, regional settings and argument separator. All sample decimals below use a dot and English function names.

How to try the examples

1. Create a new blank worksheet. Enter the input table below into the specified cell addresses; enter numeric values as numbers rather than quoted strings.
2. Enter each formula in its listed output cell, beginning with =. Choose Formula → Function to use the arguments wizard if necessary.
3. Compare with the values marked independently calculated expected results, not observed ONLYOFFICE outputs. Set the output cells to General or Number format as appropriate.
4. Keep original input values unchanged so the formulas can be independently checked, and log discrepancies against the installed software version and locale before relying on the result.

Try it: In B2 type =ABS(A2), press Enter, and copy only if you want the same reference pattern for adjacent rows; B6/B7 are deliberately different formulas. These are predictions based on arithmetic, not observed screenshots or native application results.

Highlight unusually large deviations while keeping direction separately

An inventory auditor wants to flag a change exceeding 10 units in either direction:

=IF(ABS(A2)>10,"Review","OK")

With A2=-12, the expected result is Review; replacing A2 with 7 would produce OK. ABS(A2)>10 checks magnitude and IF chooses a label. Keep A2, or an independent signed-difference column, because converting all changes to absolute values would destroy the net change and could misstate the ledger.

For a tolerance in C2, enter 10 into C2 and use =IF(ABS(A2)>C2,"Review","OK") so that the tolerance can be adjusted without changing formulas. Boundary behaviour: a value with magnitude exactly 10 yields OK because the formula uses > rather than >=.

Do not confuse absolute magnitude with rounding, multiplying by −1 or calculating a signed net sum. For a signed difference, =A2-A3 would correctly retain -19; ABS intentionally changes it to 19.

Microsoft documents the same ABS(number) signature and sign-removal purpose for Excel. LibreOffice Calc documents ABS(Number). No material difference for ordinary numeric inputs is established by these official definitions, but that is not evidence that every coercion and error case matches. The document’s English formula examples follow ONLYOFFICE’s comma convention where multiple arguments occur; do not carry a locale-specific separator across programs without checking configuration.

• ONLYOFFICE IF — classify deviations as Review or OK.
• ONLYOFFICE SQRT — square roots; using ABS on an invalid negative input changes its meaning.
• ONLYOFFICE MOD — remainder rather than unsigned magnitude.

• ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor — function documentation
• Docs release history
• Desktop Editors release history
• ONLYOFFICE’s formula-entry instructions
• official regional settings instructions
• IF
• LibreOffice Calc

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor.

• No genuine ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.