Excel RANDBETWEEN Function — How to Use It (with 3 Examples)

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What does RANDBETWEEN do?

RANDBETWEEN returns a random whole number between a minimum and maximum value you specify, inclusive of both endpoints.

It recalculates every time the spreadsheet recalculates, so the same formula produces a different result each time unless you freeze it.

=RANDBETWEEN(bottom, top)

Argument	Description
bottom required	The smallest possible value to return.
top required	The largest possible value to return.

Example 1

Random number between 1 and 100

=RANDBETWEEN(1,100)

Returns a random whole number anywhere from 1 to 100, inclusive.

Example 2

Generate test data for a model

=RANDBETWEEN(1000,5000)

Quickly fills a column with plausible random sales figures for testing a spreadsheet model before real data is available.

Example 3

Randomly assign a category

=CHOOSE(RANDBETWEEN(1,3),"A","B","C")

Combines with CHOOSE to randomly assign one of three labels.

⚠️ Expecting the value to stay fixed

RANDBETWEEN recalculates constantly — paste the result as a value if you need a fixed random number that does not keep changing.

How do I freeze a random value once generated?

Copy the cell, then paste it back as a value only (paste special > values) to lock in that specific result.

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CHOOSE ROUND INT