The Excel BINOMDIST function returns the individual-term binomial probability — the chance of a given number of successes in a fixed number of independent trials. It is the legacy name of BINOM.DIST, introduced in Excel 2010.
Syntax
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
number_s | Required | The number of successes in the trials. |
trials | Required | The number of independent trials. |
probability_s | Required | The probability of success on each individual trial. |
cumulative | Required | TRUE for the cumulative probability (at most number_s successes); FALSE for the probability of exactly number_s successes. |
How to use it
BINOMDIST models repeated yes/no trials with a fixed success probability. With cumulative set to FALSE you get the chance of exactly that many successes; with TRUE you get the chance of that many or fewer.
A classic use is fair-coin questions (10 flips, probability 0.5) or pass/fail quality checks. The companion CRITBINOM goes the other way — finding the smallest count whose cumulative probability clears a threshold.
Use BINOM.DIST instead: Excel 2010+ uses =BINOM.DIST(6,10,0.5,FALSE) with identical arguments. BINOMDIST remains only for backward compatibility.
Try it: interactive demo
Pick a BINOMDIST example to see the formula and its result.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
What is the modern replacement for BINOMDIST?
BINOM.DIST, added in Excel 2010, with exactly the same four arguments. =BINOM.DIST(6,10,0.5,FALSE) equals =BINOMDIST(6,10,0.5,FALSE).What does the cumulative argument do?
FALSE returns the probability of exactly number_s successes; TRUE returns the probability of number_s or fewer successes (the running total).When should I use BINOMDIST?
How is it related to CRITBINOM?
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