Notion Formulas Tutorial in 2026 (50+ Examples + Cheat Sheet)



Notion Formula Basics

To create a formula:

1. In a database, click + to add a property.
2. Choose Formula.
3. Name it (e.g., "Days Left").
4. Click the formula editor.
5. Write your formula.
6. Click Done.

Common Formula Examples

1. Days Until a Deadline

dateBetween(prop("Deadline"), now(), "days")

Returns: positive number if future, negative if past, 0 if today.

2. Total Price (Quantity × Price)

prop("Quantity") * prop("Unit Price")

3. Mark "Overdue" If Past Due Date

if(prop("Deadline") < now() and prop("Status") != "Done", "🔴 Overdue", "✅ On Time")

4. Progress Bar from 0-100

let(
  pct, prop("Completed") / prop("Total") * 100,
  format(pct) + "% " + repeat("█", floor(pct / 10)) + repeat("░", 10 - floor(pct / 10))
)

Renders: 60% ██████░░░░

5. Format Currency

"$" + format(prop("Amount"))

6. Extract Year from Date

year(prop("Created"))

7. Time Elapsed Since Created

dateBetween(now(), prop("Created"), "days")

8. Concatenate First + Last Name

prop("First Name") + " " + prop("Last Name")

9. Word Count

length(split(prop("Text"), " "))

10. Conditional Status Emoji

if(prop("Status") == "Done", "✅",
   if(prop("Status") == "In Progress", "🚧",
      if(prop("Status") == "Blocked", "🚫", "⏳")
   )
)

Notion Formula 2.0 Syntax (2023+)

Notion released a new formula syntax in 2023. Key features:

• let() function — store variables for reuse.
• Method chaining — prop("Name").upper() instead of upper(prop("Name")).
• Lists / Maps — work with arrays of values.
• filter() and map() — list operations.

Notion Formula Cheat Sheet

Function	Example	Result
now()	now()	Current date + time
today()	today()	Today's date (no time)
year()	year(prop("Date"))	2026
month()	month(prop("Date"))	5 (May)
day()	day(prop("Date"))	2
dateBetween()	dateBetween(end, start, "days")	Number of days
dateAdd()	dateAdd(now(), 7, "days")	7 days from now
format()	format(123.45)	"123.45"
length()	length("hello")	5
upper()	upper("hello")	"HELLO"
lower()	lower("HELLO")	"hello"
contains()	contains("hello world", "world")	true
replace()	replace("abc", "b", "x")	"axc"
slice()	slice("hello", 0, 3)	"hel"
concat()	concat("a", "b", "c")	"abc"
round()	round(3.7)	4
floor()	floor(3.7)	3
ceil()	ceil(3.2)	4
abs()	abs(-5)	5
min() / max()	min(3, 5)	3

Common Notion Formula Patterns

Time Tracking — Total Hours

dateBetween(prop("End"), prop("Start"), "hours")

Goal Progress as Percentage

format(round(prop("Done") / prop("Goal") * 100)) + "%"

Star Rating Display

repeat("⭐", prop("Rating")) + repeat("☆", 5 - prop("Rating"))

Days Since Last Contact (CRM)

dateBetween(now(), prop("Last Contact"), "days")

Auto-Tag by Date

if(dateBetween(prop("Date"), now(), "days") < 7, "Recent", "Old")

Limitations of Notion Formulas

• Can't reference other databases — only properties in same database (use Relations + Rollups for cross-DB).
• No regex — limited to simple string operations.
• Limited iteration — no traditional loops (use map/filter on lists).
• Performance — complex formulas in large databases (1000+ rows) can lag.

Frequently Asked Questions