How to Add an Exponent in Google Sheets (2025 Update)

How to Write an Exponent in Google Sheets

Exponents are a way to multiply a number by itself a certain number of times. Here's how to do an exponent in Google Sheets: 

Step 1: Select a Cell

Click on the cell where you want to display the result of your exponentiation operation.

Step 2: Enter the Formula

To enter a formula in Google Sheets, you start by typing the equal sign (=). 

For exponents, you will use the POWER function or the caret ^ symbol.

Using the POWER Function

The basic syntax for the POWER function in Google Sheets is:

=POWER(base, exponent)

Where: 

• base is the number that you want to raise to a certain power.
• exponent is the power to which the base number is raised.

For example, if you want to calculate 3 raised to the power of 4, you would type =POWER(3, 4) into the cell.

Press Enter. Google Sheets will calculate the result and display it in the selected cell.

Using the Caret Symbol

Alternatively, you can use the caret symbol ^ to indicate exponentiation. For the same example as above, you would type =3^4 into the cell.

We hope that this article has helped you and given you a better understanding of how to add an exponent in Google Sheets. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our articles on how to solve the problem if your Google Sheets cell won't change color and how to use MMULT in Google Sheets.