Applies ToExcel for Microsoft 365 Excel 2024 Excel 2021 Excel 2019 Excel 2016

The WEBSERVICE function returns data from a web service on the Internet or Intranet.

Note: The WEBSERVICE function may appear in the Excel for Mac function gallery, but it relies on Windows operating system features, so it will not return results on Mac.

Syntax

WEBSERVICE(url)

The WEBSERVICE function syntax has the following argument.

Argument

Description

url   

Required

The URL of the web service to be called

Notes: 

  • If arguments are unable to return the data, WEBSERVICE returns a #VALUE! error.

  • If arguments result in a string that is not valid or that contains more than the allowable cell limit of 32767 characters, WEBSERVICE returns a #VALUE! error.

  • If url is a string that contains more than the 2048 characters that are allowed for a GET request, WEBSERVICE returns a #VALUE! error.

  • For protocols that aren’t supported, such as ftp:// or file://, WEBSERVICE returns a #VALUE! error.

Example

Here's an example using a fictitious webservice:

=WEBSERVICE(“http://mywebservice.com/serviceEndpoint?searchString=Excel”)

Tips: 

  • For the best results, the URL for WEBSERVICE should be encoded before prior to inclusion in the formula.

  • To encode a URL, use the ENCODEURL function. Then reference the cell with the encoded URL in the WEBSERVICE formula.

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See Also

ENCODEURL function

FILTERXML function

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