SQRT
Quirk foundCategory: Math and trigonometry · Last tested 2026-08-06
Real, executed compatibility results for the SQRT function across Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc — verified by actually running it. Syntax and links to each vendor’s official documentation are below.
Support matrix
| Engine | Documented | Live-tested | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| Google Sheets | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| LibreOffice Calc | Yes | Yes (25.8.7.3, 2026-08-06) | Quirk found |
LibreOffice version history
We executed the same test cases under each LibreOffice release to show exactly when SQRT’s support changed — not documentation claims, real results.
| LibreOffice version | Verdict | Tested |
|---|---|---|
| 24.2.0.3 | Quirk found | 2026-07-19 |
| 24.8.7.2 | Quirk found | 2026-07-19 |
| 25.2.0.3 | Quirk found | 2026-07-24 |
| 25.8.7.3 | Quirk found | 2026-08-06 |
Why isn't SQRT working in LibreOffice?
SQRT exists in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3, but it is not a drop-in match for
Excel — our executed tests found real behavioral differences (detailed in the test results on this
page). If a formula that works in Excel or Google Sheets misbehaves in LibreOffice, compare your usage
against the failing cases above before assuming your data is wrong.
Discovered quirks
- =SQRT(-16) on LibreOffice Calc returned #VALUE!, but the documented/expected result is #NUM!. Microsoft's SQRT docs state verbatim: 'If number is negative, SQRT returns the #NUM! error value' -- https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Excel/functions/sqrt-function; MISMATCH vs expected: expected '#NUM!', got '#VALUE!'
Executed test cases
LibreOffice Calc 25.8.7.3 (tested 2026-08-06)
| Formula | Description | Result | Expected | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =SQRT(16) | Basic perfect-square root | 4 | 4 | Matched |
| =SQRT(0) | Square root of zero is zero | 0 | 0 | Matched |
| =SQRT(-16) | Negative input has no real square root -> #NUM! | #VALUE! | #NUM! Microsoft's SQRT docs state verbatim: 'If number is negative, SQRT returns the #NUM! error value' -- https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Excel/functions/sqrt-function |
Mismatch |
| =SQRT(ABS(-16)) | Microsoft's own SQRT documentation demonstrates wrapping a possibly-negative argument in ABS as the standard workaround to avoid #NUM! | 4 | 4 Same doc page above shows an example using '=SQRT(ABS(A2))' specifically to sidestep the negative-input #NUM! case |
Matched |
Docs & syntax
- Excel: official documentation
- Google Sheets: official documentation
- LibreOffice Calc: official documentation