The ISURL function in Google Sheets is categorized under Web functions and is used to check if a value is a valid URL.

The ISURL formula returns TRUE or FALSE based on whether the provided input is a valid URL. If the formula returns TRUE, it recognizes the input as a valid URL.

In Google Sheets, URLs are typically displayed with blue, underlined text, but even if they aren’t visually linked, the ISURL function can still verify their validity.

Syntax

ISURL(value)

• value: The value (supposed URL) to be verified.

ISURL Function: Example and Explanation

The ISURL function doesn’t require a URL to include “http” or “https” protocols, or the “www” subdomain, to return TRUE. A URL without these elements can still be considered valid.

Refer to the screenshot below for examples.

According to Google’s documentation, ISURL supports the following protocols:

• ftp
• http
• https
• gopher
• mailto
• news
• telnet
• aim

Additionally, note that the localhost domain (as shown in cell A9, with output in cell B9) is considered a valid URL in Google Sheets.

This means a top-level domain (TLD) like .com, .org, or .net is not necessary for a URL to be validated.

Using ISURL in Conditional Formatting

To highlight valid URLs in Google Sheets, you can use the ISURL function as a custom formula in Conditional Formatting.

Example:

Let’s say you want to highlight valid URLs in column A (range A2:A21). You can use this custom formula:

=ISURL(A2)

To apply this formula, first select the range you want to highlight and go to Format > Conditional formatting. Under the conditional formatting options (Format rules), select Custom formula is and enter the formula provided. Choose a formatting style and click Done.

Validating URLs with Data Validation

You can use Google Sheets’ built-in Data Validation rule to restrict data entry to valid URLs only.

Steps:

1. Select the range where you want to allow valid URLs.
2. Go to Data > Data validation.
3. Click the +Add rule button.
4. Under the Criteria dropdown, select Text is a valid URL.
5. Click Done.

You can now enter only valid URLs in the selected range. For example, the settings below validate URL entries in the range A2:A10 in ‘Sheet2887’.

Checking URLs in Multiple Rows

To check URLs across multiple rows or columns, use the ArrayFormula function with ISURL.

Example:

To check URLs in the range A2:A13, use the following formula in B2, assuming that B2:B13 is blank.

=ArrayFormula(ISURL(A2:A13))

Hyperlinking Valid URLs

You can create hyperlinks for valid URLs using a combination of the IF, ISURL, HYPERLINK, and ArrayFormula functions. Here’s an example formula that hyperlinks valid URLs in the range A2:A13:

=ArrayFormula(IF(ISURL(A2:A13), HYPERLINK(A2:A13), ""))

Related Reading

• Extract URLs from Hyperlinks in Google Sheets (No Scripting)
• UNIQUE Duplicate Hyperlinks in Google Sheets – Same Labels Different URLs
• How to Use ENCODEURL in Google Sheets to Create Clean URLs
• Extract Usernames from Email Addresses in Google Sheets
• How to Create a Hyperlink to an Email Address in Google Sheets
• ISEMAIL Function: Verify Email Addresses in Google Sheets