Google Sheets UPLUS Function: Syntax, Examples & Tips

What Is UPLUS?

UPLUS returns its argument unchanged. =UPLUS(7) returns 7 and =UPLUS(-7) returns −7. It is the function form of the unary plus — a plus sign placed in front of a single value, as in =+A2.

That may sound pointless, and in everyday spreadsheets it mostly is: UPLUS exists so that every operator in Google Sheets has a matching function. Knowing what it does (and what it doesn't) helps you read formulas imported from other tools and avoid wrong assumptions.

How UPLUS Relates to the + Operator

Like the minus sign, the plus sign has two roles:

UPLUS is the counterpart of UMINUS (unary minus, which flips the sign) and UNARY_PERCENT (the trailing %).

What UPLUS Does Not Do

• It doesn't make numbers positive. UPLUS(-5) is still −5. To force a positive value, use ABS.
• It doesn't convert text to numbers. Google documents UPLUS only as returning a number unchanged, so don't rely on it to turn text into a number. To convert text, use VALUE, or the double-negative --A2.
• It doesn't change booleans. TRUE is returned as TRUE.

Basic Examples

Return a number unchanged

=UPLUS(42)

Returns 42.

Pass through a cell value

=UPLUS(B2)

Returns whatever B2 contains.

Formulas that start with a plus sign

Many people who learned spreadsheets in Lotus 1-2-3 start formulas with +, for example =+B2+C2. The leading plus is a unary plus on B2 and has no effect; the result is the same as =B2+C2.

Why Does UPLUS Exist?

Google Sheets defines a function for every operator so that formulas can be expressed entirely as function calls. This is useful for:

• Formula generation tools that build expressions programmatically.
• Documentation and teaching, when explaining how Sheets parses =+A1.
• Consistency, so that the operator set (ADD, MINUS, MULTIPLY, DIVIDE, POW, EQ, NE, GT, GTE, LT, LTE, UMINUS, UPLUS, UNARY_PERCENT, CONCAT) is complete.

Common Use Cases

• Understanding legacy formulas that begin with +.
• Placeholders in templates where a transformation might later be applied — swapping UPLUS for UMINUS flips a column's sign without restructuring the formula.
• Teaching operator-to-function mapping.

Common Errors

• Expecting a positive result: Use ABS(value) instead.
• Expecting text-to-number conversion: Use VALUE(value) or --value.
• Wrong argument count: UPLUS takes exactly one argument.

Tips and Best Practices

• In practice you can delete a leading + from any formula without changing the result.
• If you see UPLUS in a shared sheet, it's almost always a no-op; check whether the author meant ABS or VALUE.
• For a sign switch that you want to toggle, store 1 or −1 in a cell and multiply by it instead.

Related Functions

UMINUS, UNARY_PERCENT, ADD, MINUS, ABS, and VALUE.