# Errors and cell messages

Hunch writes a short message starting with ⚠ into the cell when it cannot answer, and never charges for those rows. This page lists every message in Google Sheets and Excel, what caused it and what to do.

Updated 28 September 2026. Source: https://hunchsheet.app/docs/errors

## Messages in the cell

| Message | What it means | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ⚠ No Hunch key | The sheet or Excel profile has no key saved. | Sheets: paste it in Settings!B2 or use Extensions › Hunch › Set API key. Excel: `=HUNCH.SETKEY("hunch_…")` once. Free 100 rows from the form on the [home page](https://hunchsheet.app/#trial). |
| ⚠ 0 credits left | The key has no credits. | Buy 5,000 rows for $29, or top up an existing key with 25,000 rows for $19, at [hunchsheet.app/buy](https://hunchsheet.app/buy). The same key keeps working. |
| ⚠ Trial rows used up | The 100 free rows are spent. | Buy credits. Your answers so far stay in the sheet. |
| ⚠ Range too large for one formula | One Sheets formula points at more than 1,500 unique texts, which risks Google's 30-second limit. | Use Extensions › Hunch › Ask about selection, which writes values in chunks, or split the range into blocks of 1,500. |
| ⚠ Daily limit reached for this key | A per-key daily cap that protects you if a key leaks. | It resets the next day. Write to us through the [contact form](https://hunchsheet.app/contact) if you need a higher limit. |
| ⚠ followed by a sentence about your question | The model could not use the question or options, for example fewer than 2 options, or more than 10 levels. | Fix the argument the message names. The [reference](https://hunchsheet.app/docs) lists the rules for each function. |
| ⚠ Hunch unavailable | The service did not answer in time. | Edit the cell or recalculate to retry. Nothing was charged. |
| ⚠ That does not look like a key (Excel) | `=HUNCH.SETKEY` got something other than a key. | Keys start with `hunch_` followed by 40 letters and digits. Copy it again from your email or the key page. |
| ⚠ HUNCH.MULTI needs at least one yes/no question | The questions argument is empty. | Pass questions separated by `\|` or a row of header cells. |
| ⚠ HUNCH.MULTI takes up to 10 questions | More than 10 questions in one formula. | Split them across two formulas. |

## Spreadsheet errors

| What you see | Cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `#NAME?` in Google Sheets | The sheet has no Hunch script. Formulas only exist in copies of the template. | Copy the [template](https://hunchsheet.app/template) and work in the copy, or import your data into it. |
| `#NAME?` in Excel | The add-in is not loaded in this workbook or profile. | Install or reload it from [hunchsheet.app/excel](https://hunchsheet.app/excel) (Home › Add-ins › My Add-ins). |
| Loading… for a long time | Many formula cells started at once. | Point one formula at the whole range instead of one formula per row. A range request carries 40 rows at a time. |
| Exceeded maximum execution time | One Sheets formula tried to do more than fits in 30 seconds. | Use Extensions › Hunch › Ask about selection for large columns. |
| Numbers change after reopening | The six-hour cache expired and the formula recalculated. | Freeze finished columns: Extensions › Hunch › Freeze selection to values, or paste values in Excel. |

Rows that show a message are never charged. Only rows that come back with an answer spend a credit.

## Questions

### Do errors cost credits?

No. A row costs a credit only when it comes back with an answer.

### Where do I see my balance?

`=HUNCHBALANCE()` in Sheets or `=HUNCH.BALANCE()` in Excel, or Extensions › Hunch › Check balance.

### I lost my key. What now?

Write through the [contact form](https://hunchsheet.app/contact) from the email you paid with. We can replace the key and move the balance to the new one.