How to Use BITXOR Function in Excel: Bitwise XOR Operations

Need to perform exclusive OR operations on binary numbers in Excel? The BITXOR function lets you compare two numbers at the bit level and return 1 only where the bits differ, without needing to manually convert to binary. This guide shows you how, step-by-step.

1. Understand BITXOR Function Logic

By default, BITXOR compares two numbers bit by bit and returns 1 only where the bits are different. So before you use BITXOR, you must:

• Understand that it works with positive integers only (0 to 2^53-1)
• Know that the result includes 1s only where one number has 1 and the other has 0 at each bit position

2. Step-by-Step: Use BITXOR for Bitwise Operations

✅ Step 1: Enter Your Numbers in Excel Cells

1. Open your Excel spreadsheet
2. In cell A1, enter your first number (for example: 12)
3. In cell B1, enter your second number (for example: 10)
4. Leave cell C1 empty for the BITXOR result

✅ Step 2: Write the BITXOR Formula

1. Click on cell C1 where you want the result
2. Type the formula: =BITXOR(A1,B1)
3. Press Enter
4. Excel calculates the bitwise XOR and displays the result (in this case: 6)

Now the formula is complete. BITXOR compared both numbers and returned only the bits where they differed.

3. Tips for Better BITXOR Operations

• Use cell references instead of hard-coded numbers so you can change values without editing the formula
• Combine with other bitwise functions like BITAND and BITOR for more complex operations
• Use BITXOR to toggle flags—XOR with the same value twice returns the original number

4. Bonus: Advanced BITXOR with Toggle and Comparison

Want even more control? You can use BITXOR to toggle flags or detect differences between two values. Here’s an example:

Example 1: Find differing bits between two numbers
Number1: 12 (binary: 1100)
Number2: 10 (binary: 1010)
Formula: =BITXOR(A1, B1)
Result: 6 (binary: 0110 = bits that differ)

Example 2: Toggle a specific bit flag on/off
CurrentSettings: 5 (binary: 0101)
ToggleBit: 2 (binary: 0010)
Formula: =BITXOR(CurrentSettings, ToggleBit)
Result: 7 (if bit was 0, now 1; if it was 1, now 0)

Example 3: Detect if two values are identical
Value1: 15
Value2: 15
Formula: =IF(BITXOR(Value1, Value2) = 0, "Identical", "Different")
Result: Identical (XOR of identical values is always 0)

Example 4: Find changed bits between two states
OldSettings: 9 (binary: 1001)
NewSettings: 13 (binary: 1101)
Formula: =BITXOR(OldSettings, NewSettings)
Result: 4 (binary: 0100 = only the 3rd bit changed)

This approach lets you toggle permissions, detect differences, or track which flags have changed.

Troubleshooting BITXOR Functions

Sometimes users say that BITXOR returns unexpected results or errors.

1. Check if your numbers are really positive integers between 0 and 2^53-1.
2. Make sure you’re using correct cell references or valid numbers in the formula.
3. Review the binary representation of your numbers—BITXOR should return 1 only where bits differ.

Another common issue is that BITXOR returns #NUM! error or 0 unexpectedly.

• Make sure both numbers are whole numbers, not decimals (BITXOR doesn’t work with decimals).
• Verify that neither number is negative—BITXOR requires non-negative integers.
• Check that your numbers don’t exceed 2^53-1, which is Excel’s limit for integer precision.

Learning how to use BITXOR in Excel is a great way to toggle flags, detect differences, or work with binary comparisons. You don’t have to manually calculate which bits differ—let BITXOR do the comparison and focus on your data logic.

Try it out and master bitwise operations in Excel today!