# Excel "Goal Seek": Can It Help Me...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-goal-seek-can-it-help-me/691343 "2014-06-22T02:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-goal-seek-can-it-help-me/691343/1 "2014-06-22T02:21:59Z")
I was told I need to use the “Goal Seek” feature of Excel. I have never used it before, so I worked through a simple example from “online help”. It seems you have to input the desired output and Excel will work it backwards to find the inputs that would produce that output! (If you follow me!). In my case, I need two formuals to converge on the answer I seek. (But, if I knew the desired end result, I wouldn’t have to run through this iterative process!) Can “Goal Seek” help me? If not, this may get real ugly… ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-goal-seek-can-it-help-me/691343/2 "2014-06-22T03:24:07Z")
Is your goal to get the two formulas to be equal? Then set a cell to the difference of the two formulas and tell Excel to make that cell 0. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-goal-seek-can-it-help-me/691343/3 "2014-06-22T03:48:42Z")
Yeah, that might just do it! :smack: I’ll have to try it.