Looking to populate your Google Sheets spreadsheet with a bunch of randomized data? You can vastly speed up the process by making use of built-in functions.
There are two different functions that allow users to quickly generate random numbers in Google Sheets.
The RAND and RANDBETWEEN functions are a simple and easy way to populate a spreadsheet with randomized data.
Generate Random Numbers within a Range in Google Sheets
The simplest way to generate random numbers within a given range in Google Sheets is by making use of the RANDBETWEEN function.
The RANDBETWEEN function accepts two arguments: a minimum number and a maximum number.
The function will then return random numbers between these two values. Here is what the notation of the function looks like:
=RANDBETWEEN(min,max)
As an example, if you want to generate random numbers between 1 and 100 you would replace min with 1, and max with 100, giving you the formula below.
=RANDBETWEEN(1,100)
Simply enter this formula into any cell in a Google Sheets spreadsheet and press the enter key.
As you can see in the image above, a random number between 1 and 100 is generated in that cell.
This function also allows you to generate random numbers that are negative by tweaking the formula to:
=RANDBETWEEN(-100,-1)
The only limitation is that you must enter in integer values for the min and max (no decimals allowed) and the maximum must be greater than the minimum.
Tip: If you want to populate other cells with random numbers, all you need to do is click on the cell, click on the bottom right corner, and drag down.
Generate Random Numbers in Google Sheets
While the RANDBETWEEN function is great for generating integer values, it is not useful for those looking for decimal numbers.
If you want to generate random numbers with decimal values, then you can make use of the RAND function.
The RAND function returns a random decimal number between 0 and 1.
1. Click on a cell in a Google Sheets spreadsheet and type the following formula:
=RAND()
A random number between 0 and 1 will be generated in the cell.
If you want to generate a number greater than 1, you will need to multiply the result by any number.
For example, if you want a random number between 0 and 100, you would enter the following formula:
=RAND()*100
You will now see a random number between 0 and 100 being generated in that cell.
2. To populate other cells with random numbers, simply click on the cell, click on the bottom right corner, and drag down to populate the other cells.