What is the difference between BITOR and OR?

OR performs logical comparison and returns TRUE or FALSE; BITOR performs bitwise comparison on individual bit positions and returns an integer. Use OR for Boolean checks ('Is salary > 50000 OR status is Active') and BITOR for combining numeric flags and permission codes.

How do I use BITOR to manage employee permissions and access levels?

Assign each permission its own bit position: read=1, write=2, delete=4, admin=8, etc. Use BITOR to combine multiple permissions (BITOR(1,2) = 3 for read+write), then use BITAND to check if a specific permission is granted: BITAND(3,2)=2 confirms write access is included.

Why do I get #NUM! error when using BITOR with employee salary data?

BITOR only accepts non-negative integers; if you use negative numbers (such as negative adjustments), it returns #NUM!. Convert to absolute values with ABS() first, or ensure your salary data and codes are positive before passing to BITOR.

Can I convert the BITOR result to see the binary representation?

Yes, use DEC2BIN to convert the result to binary: =DEC2BIN(BITOR(2,4)) displays '110', helping you visualize which bit positions are set. This is useful for debugging permission codes or understanding which features are combined.

BITOR function

Returns the bitwise OR of two numbers, combining all set bit positions from both values into a single numerical result.

=BITOR(number1, number2)

Generate a BITOR formula

Describe what you need. The generator will reach for BITOR where BITOR is the right tool, and tell you when it is not.

Arguments

How BITOR reads its arguments

Argument	Required	Description
number1	Required	A non-negative integer representing the first value in the bitwise operation; decimals are truncated to integers.
number2	Required	A non-negative integer representing the second value in the bitwise operation; decimals are truncated to integers.

Returns

An integer where each bit position represents the OR combination of the corresponding bits in both input numbers.

Availability

Excel: All · Google Sheets: Supported

Worked examples

1. Combine access permission codes for employees

Employee	Department	Base Access	Additional Access
Sarah	Sales	2	4

=BITOR(2,4)

Result: 6

Sarah's base access level is 2 (binary 0010) and she requires additional access 4 (binary 0100). BITOR merges them: 0010 OR 0100 = 0110 (decimal 6), encoding both permissions in a single code.

2. Merge employee status and department codes

Employee	Department	Status Code	Department Code
Michael	Engineering	1	8

=BITOR(1,8)

Result: 9

Michael's active status is encoded as 1 (binary 0001) and his Engineering department as 8 (binary 1000). BITOR produces 0001 OR 1000 = 1001 (decimal 9), combining both attributes into a single classification code.

3. Create composite employee classification from salary band and tenure

Employee	Salary Band	Tenure Code	Hire Date
Rebecca	16	2	2018-05-30

=BITOR(16,2)

Result: 18

Rebecca's salary band 16 (binary 10000, senior level) is combined with tenure code 2 (binary 00010, representing 5+ years). BITOR merges them: 10000 OR 00010 = 10010 (decimal 18), creating a composite code.

Common errors

Which BITOR error are you seeing?

Error	Why it happens	How to fix it
#VALUE!	BITOR receives text values instead of numbers, such as passing 'Active' or 'Engineering' directly rather than their numeric codes.	Convert text to numeric codes first using MATCH or a lookup table: =BITOR(MATCH('Sales',DepartmentList,0), MATCH('Active',StatusList,0))
#NUM!	One or both arguments are negative numbers or exceed the maximum value (~2^48), as BITOR only accepts non-negative integers.	Ensure both numbers are non-negative and within valid range. Use ABS() if needed: =BITOR(ABS(number1), number2)
#REF!	The formula references cells that no longer exist, such as when a salary or department column is deleted from the dataset.	Verify all referenced cells still exist in your worksheet and update cell references if columns were moved or removed.

Tips and when to use something else

BITOR is ideal for combining permission flags or binary feature codes; for simple true/false logic, use OR() instead.
Each bit position represents a separate feature or permission: bit 0 = 1, bit 1 = 2, bit 2 = 4, bit 3 = 8, bit 4 = 16, and so on.
Use BITAND to check whether a specific permission is included in a combined code, and BITXOR to toggle individual flags on or off.
BITOR truncates decimal inputs to integers, so 2.9 and 2.1 are both treated as 2; use INT() or ROUND() for explicit control.

Related functions

BITANDBITAND returns the bitwise AND of two non-negative integers, useful for checking if both values share certain bits or permission flags.BITXORBITXOR compares the binary representations of two integers and returns a new integer whose bits show exactly where the inputs differ.DEC2BINConverts a decimal number to its binary representation, optionally padding the result with leading zeros to a specified width.BIN2DECConverts a binary number (base 2) represented as a text string to its equivalent decimal (base 10) numeric value.MATCHMATCH returns the relative position of a lookup value within a one-dimensional range, optionally using exact, less-than, or greater-than matching.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between BITOR and OR?: OR performs logical comparison and returns TRUE or FALSE; BITOR performs bitwise comparison on individual bit positions and returns an integer. Use OR for Boolean checks ('Is salary > 50000 OR status is Active') and BITOR for combining numeric flags and permission codes.
How do I use BITOR to manage employee permissions and access levels?: Assign each permission its own bit position: read=1, write=2, delete=4, admin=8, etc. Use BITOR to combine multiple permissions (BITOR(1,2) = 3 for read+write), then use BITAND to check if a specific permission is granted: BITAND(3,2)=2 confirms write access is included.
Why do I get #NUM! error when using BITOR with employee salary data?: BITOR only accepts non-negative integers; if you use negative numbers (such as negative adjustments), it returns #NUM!. Convert to absolute values with ABS() first, or ensure your salary data and codes are positive before passing to BITOR.
Can I convert the BITOR result to see the binary representation?: Yes, use DEC2BIN to convert the result to binary: =DEC2BIN(BITOR(2,4)) displays '110', helping you visualize which bit positions are set. This is useful for debugging permission codes or understanding which features are combined.

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Reviewed 2026-09-17