Excel RANDBETWEEN: random whole numbers (and how to freeze them)

RANDBETWEEN returns a random whole number between a bottom and top value, both included.

The formula

=RANDBETWEEN(bottom, top)

=RANDBETWEEN(1,6) rolls a dice. =RANDBETWEEN(1000,9999) makes a 4-digit code.

Useful versions

• Random decimal between 0 and 1: =RAND()
• Random amount with 2 decimals: =RANDBETWEEN(10000,50000)/100 (100.00 to 500.00)
• Random date in 2026: =RANDBETWEEN(DATE(2026,1,1),DATE(2026,12,31)) — format as a date.
• Random name from a list: =INDEX(A2:A20,RANDBETWEEN(1,ROWS(A2:A20)))
• Excel 365, 10 numbers at once: =RANDARRAY(10,1,1,100,TRUE)

The numbers keep changing

RANDBETWEEN recalculates every time you edit anything. To freeze the current numbers: select them › Ctrl+C › Ctrl+Alt+V › Values › OK. The formulas become fixed numbers. See Paste Special.

Shuffle a list

Next to the list, =RAND() in every row, then sort by that column. In 365: =SORTBY(A2:A20,RANDARRAY(ROWS(A2:A20))).

Random but no repeats

RANDBETWEEN can repeat. For 10 unique numbers from 1–100 in Excel 365: =TAKE(SORTBY(SEQUENCE(100),RANDARRAY(100)),10). See SEQUENCE.