LN Function in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor: Natural Logs, Growth Rates and Examples

LN is not a base-10 log. If input rises by a factor of e, its natural log rises by 1. Inputs between 0 and 1 yield negative real logs.

For x>0: EXP(LN(x))=x; for positive a and b: LN(a/b)=LN(a)-LN(b); LN(1)=0.

=LN(number)

There is no optional base parameter: LN always means the natural logarithm, mathematically base e. The reference does not document any defaults.

The spelling, argument order and documented defaults above follow the ONLYOFFICE LN function reference, accessed 2026-10-13. No argument-order assumptions were borrowed from another spreadsheet product.

1. Open a blank spreadsheet and select an empty result cell.
2. Type a formula beginning with =, or use Formula → Function, search for LN, then enter the required arguments.
3. For the following examples, use the English function name, a decimal point, and commas where multiple arguments appear, matching ONLYOFFICE’s documented English formula examples.
4. Confirm the result, then use the cell’s number format to display six decimal places when comparing fractional expected values.
5. If a formula is rejected, check File → Advanced Settings for formula language and regional settings. ONLYOFFICE lets you change formula language and decimal/grouping separators; the exact punctuation for each locale has not been tested. Do not blindly replace commas with semicolons without checking the target installation.

Enter the positive values below into A2:A7, type =LN(A2) into B2, and fill downward through B7. Apply a six-decimal display format to column B; your exact visible decimals depend on the chosen cell formatting.

Verification method: table outputs above are numerical expectations computed independently with Python’s math library, formatted to six decimal places. They are not asserted as ONLYOFFICE screenshots, native execution results or exact display strings. The vendor’s reference verifies the formula form but not the sample rows.

The following formulas use literal numeric values, so they can be pasted into any blank result cell of a scratch workbook. Results are six-decimal mathematical expectations (unless the underlying calculation is an exact integer).

Avoid mistaking a displayed rounded value for exact mathematical equality. A visible 0.000000 may arise from cell formatting when the internal value is merely small.

Put the starting value 80 in B2 and the ending value 100 in C2. Then enter:

=LN(C2/B2)

The independently calculated expected log change is 0.223144. This is a logarithmic change, not the simple percentage change. For the simple percentage, =C2/B2-1 returns 0.25 (25%). When the initial and final values are positive and their ratio is close to 1, log change approximates fractional percentage change but is not identical to it.

Annualized continuous growth

Suppose B2=150, C2=200, and D2=4 years. Enter:

=LN(C2/B2)/D2

Expected 0.071921 (about 7.192% continuously compounded per year). This assumes the values are positive and the time period is greater than zero. An ordinary compounded annual growth rate instead is =(C2/B2)^(1/D2)-1; the results measure related but different quantities.

Undoing a natural log

For A2=2, =EXP(LN(A2)) is mathematically 2 (subject to rounding). For A2=0.5, =LN(EXP(A2)) is mathematically 0.5. These are identities, not proof that particular historical ONLYOFFICE builds evaluate the nested formulas identically.

Why LN of a ratio is useful

LN(C2/B2) = LN(C2) - LN(B2) for positive B2 and C2. Using the ratio directly is often simpler and reduces repeated cell references. Check both inputs are positive before doing this.

LN is undefined as a real-valued function for nonpositive inputs. The documentation explicitly requires the input to exceed zero but does not supply all possible coercion rules, exact error displays, first-supported Desktop release or error handling differences between self-hosted/web editors. These are pending native tests.

For a comparative spreadsheet tutorial, note that other spreadsheet editors may expose identically named functions, but naming alone does not prove equivalent coercion, domain error codes, or release support. Formula portability must be tested in the actual target software and version. No such third-party result is used to establish ONLYOFFICE behaviour here.

• Documentation scope: The current ONLYOFFICE Help Center function reference lists LN in the Math and Trigonometry catalogue and gives the syntax above. The page does not identify the first supported Desktop, Docs server or self-hosted release. The listing is evidence of present documentation, not an execution test across editions.
• Desktop/web: The separate Desktop Editors changelog and browser-oriented Spreadsheet Editor guide exist, but a specific minimum version for LN was not established. Do not label all historical versions compatible.
• Locale: ONLYOFFICE advanced settings documents formula language and regional numeric formatting. The formulas here use English names and decimal-point notation. Localized formula names, separators and translated errors remain pending native verification.
• File exchange: These examples are designed around workbook formulas and simple numeric cells; saved-file round trips and cross-application differences were not executed.

Native Desktop/web execution, text/blank coercion, invalid-argument errors, regional formula entry, historical release support and workbook round trips remain unverified.