Counting is an integral part of data analysis, whether you are tallying the head count of a department in your organization or the number of units that were sold quarter-by-quarter. Excel provides multiple techniques that you can use to count cells, rows, or columns of data. To help you make the best choice, this article provides a comprehensive summary of methods, a downloadable workbook with interactive examples, and links to related topics for further understanding.
Download our examples
You can download an example workbook that gives examples to supplement the information in this article. Most sections in this article will refer to the appropriate worksheet within the example workbook that provides examples and more information.
Download examples to count values in a spreadsheet
In this article
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Simple counting
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Use AutoSum
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Add a Subtotal row
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Count cells in a list or Excel table column by using the SUBTOTAL function
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Counting based on one or more conditions
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Video: Use the COUNT, COUNTIF, and COUNTA functions
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Count cells in a range by using the COUNT function
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Count cells in a range based on a single condition by using the COUNTIF function
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Count cells in a column based on single or multiple conditions by using the DCOUNT function
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Count cells in a range based on multiple conditions by using the COUNTIFS function
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Count based on criteria by using the COUNT and IF functions together
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Count how often multiple text or number values occur by using the SUM and IF functions together
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Count cells in a column or row in a PivotTable
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Counting when your data contains blank values
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Count nonblank cells in a range by using the COUNTA function
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Count nonblank cells in a list with specific conditions by using the DCOUNTA function
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Count blank cells in a contiguous range by using the COUNTBLANK function
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Count blank cells in a non-contiguous range by using a combination of SUM and IF functions
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Counting unique occurrences of values
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Count the number of unique values in a list column by using Advanced Filter
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Count the number of unique values in a range that meet one or more conditions by using IF, SUM, FREQUENCY, MATCH, and LEN functions
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Special cases (count all cells, count words)
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Count the total number of cells in a range by using ROWS and COLUMNS functions
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Count words in a range by using a combination of SUM, IF, LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE functions
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Displaying calculations and counts on the status bar
Simple counting
You can count the number of values in a range or table by using a simple formula, clicking a button, or by using a worksheet function.
Excel can also display the count of the number of selected cells on the Excel status bar. See the video demo that follows for a quick look at using the status bar. Also, see the section Displaying calculations and counts on the status bar for more information. You can refer to the values shown on the status bar when you want a quick glance at your data and don’t have time to enter formulas.
Video: Count cells by using the Excel status bar
Watch the following video to learn how to view count on the status bar.
Use AutoSum
Use AutoSum by selecting a range of cells that contains at least one numeric value. Then on the Formulas tab, click AutoSum > Count Numbers.
Excel returns the count of the numeric values in the range in a cell adjacent to the range you selected. Generally, this result is displayed in a cell to the right for a horizontal range or in a cell below for a vertical range.
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Add a Subtotal row
You can add a subtotal row to your Excel data. Click anywhere inside your data, and then click Data > Subtotal.
Note: The Subtotal option will only work on normal Excel data, and not Excel tables, PivotTables, or PivotCharts.
Also, refer to the following articles:
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Outline (group) data in a worksheet
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Insert subtotals in a list of data in a worksheet
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Count cells in a list or Excel table column by using the SUBTOTAL function
Use the SUBTOTAL function to count the number of values in an Excel table or range of cells. If the table or range contains hidden cells, you can use SUBTOTAL to include or exclude those hidden cells, and this is the biggest difference between SUM and SUBTOTAL functions.
The SUBTOTAL syntax goes like this:
SUBTOTAL(function_num,ref1,[ref2],…)
To include hidden values in your range, you should set the function_num argument to 2.
To exclude hidden values in your range, set the function_num argument to 102.
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Counting based on one or more conditions
You can count the number of cells in a range that meet conditions (also known as criteria) that you specify by using a number of worksheet functions.
Video: Use the COUNT, COUNTIF, and COUNTA functions
Watch the following video to see how to use the COUNT function and how to use the COUNTIF and COUNTA functions to count only the cells that meet conditions you specify.
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Count cells in a range by using the COUNT function
Use the COUNT function in a formula to count the number of numeric values in a range.
In the above example, A2, A3, and A6 are the only cells that contains numeric values in the range, hence the output is 3.
Note: A7 is a time value, but it contains text (a.m.), hence COUNT does not consider it a numerical value. If you were to remove a.m. from the cell, COUNT will consider A7 as a numerical value, and change the output to 4.
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Count cells in a range based on a single condition by using the COUNTIF function
Use the COUNTIF function function to count how many times a particular value appears in a range of cells.
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Count cells in a column based on single or multiple conditions by using the DCOUNT function
DCOUNT function counts the cells that contain numbers in a field (column) of records in a list or database that match conditions that you specify.
In the following example, you want to find the count of the months including or later than March 2016 that had more than 400 units sold. The first table in the worksheet, from A1 to B7, contains the sales data.
DCOUNT uses conditions to determine where the values should be returned from. Conditions are typically entered in cells in the worksheet itself, and you then refer to these cells in the criteria argument. In this example, cells A10 and B10 contain two conditions—one that specifies that the return value must be greater than 400, and the other that specifies that the ending month should be equal to or greater than March 31st, 2016.
You should use the following syntax:
=DCOUNT(A1:B7,»Month ending»,A9:B10)
DCOUNT checks the data in the range A1 through B7, applies the conditions specified in A10 and B10, and returns 2, the total number of rows that satisfy both conditions (rows 5 and 7).
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Count cells in a range based on multiple conditions by using the COUNTIFS function
The COUNTIFS function is similar to the COUNTIF function with one important exception: COUNTIFS lets you apply criteria to cells across multiple ranges and counts the number of times all criteria are met. You can use up to 127 range/criteria pairs with COUNTIFS.
The syntax for COUNTIFS is:
COUNTIFS(criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2],…)
See the following example:
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Count based on criteria by using the COUNT and IF functions together
Let’s say you need to determine how many salespeople sold a particular item in a certain region or you want to know how many sales over a certain value were made by a particular salesperson. You can use the IF and COUNT functions together; that is, you first use the IF function to test a condition and then, only if the result of the IF function is True, you use the COUNT function to count cells.
Notes:
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The formulas in this example must be entered as array formulas. If you have opened this workbook in Excel for Windows or Excel 2016 for Mac and want to change the formula or create a similar formula, press F2, and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to make the formula return the results you expect. In earlier versions of Excel for Mac, use
+Shift+Enter. -
For the example formulas to work, the second argument for the IF function must be a number.
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Count how often multiple text or number values occur by using the SUM and IF functions together
In the examples that follow, we use the IF and SUM functions together. The IF function first tests the values in some cells and then, if the result of the test is True, SUM totals those values that pass the test.
Example 1
The above function says if C2:C7 contains the values Buchanan and Dodsworth, then the SUM function should display the sum of records where the condition is met. The formula finds three records for Buchanan and one for Dodsworth in the given range, and displays 4.
Example 2
The above function says if D2:D7 contains values lesser than $9000 or greater than $19,000, then SUM should display the sum of all those records where the condition is met. The formula finds two records D3 and D5 with values lesser than $9000, and then D4 and D6 with values greater than $19,000, and displays 4.
Example 3
The above function says if D2:D7 has invoices for Buchanan for less than $9000, then SUM should display the sum of records where the condition is met. The formula finds that C6 meets the condition, and displays 1.
Important: The formulas in this example must be entered as array formulas. That means you press F2 and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. In earlier versions of Excel for Mac use 
+Shift+Enter.
See the following Knowledge Base articles for additional tips:
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XL: Using SUM(IF()) As an Array Function Instead of COUNTIF() with AND
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XL: How to Count the Occurrences of a Number or Text in a Range
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Count cells in a column or row in a PivotTable
A PivotTable summarizes your data and helps you analyze and drill down into your data by letting you choose the categories on which you want to view your data.
You can quickly create a PivotTable by selecting a cell in a range of data or Excel table and then, on the Insert tab, in the Tables group, clicking PivotTable.
Let’s look at a sample scenario of a Sales spreadsheet, where you can count how many sales values are there for Golf and Tennis for specific quarters.
Note: For an interactive experience, you can run these steps on the sample data provided in the PivotTable sheet in the downloadable workbook.
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Enter the following data in an Excel spreadsheet.
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Select A2:C8
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Click Insert > PivotTable.
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In the Create PivotTable dialog box, click Select a table or range, then click New Worksheet, and then click OK.
An empty PivotTable is created in a new sheet.
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In the PivotTable Fields pane, do the following:
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Drag Sport to the Rows area.
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Drag Quarter to the Columns area.
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Drag Sales to the Values area.
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Repeat step c.
The field name displays as SumofSales2 in both the PivotTable and the Values area.
At this point, the PivotTable Fields pane looks like this:
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In the Values area, click the dropdown next to SumofSales2 and select Value Field Settings.
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In the Value Field Settings dialog box, do the following:
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In the Summarize value field by section, select Count.
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In the Custom Name field, modify the name to Count.
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Click OK.
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The PivotTable displays the count of records for Golf and Tennis in Quarter 3 and Quarter 4, along with the sales figures.
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Counting when your data contains blank values
You can count cells that either contain data or are blank by using worksheet functions.
Count nonblank cells in a range by using the COUNTA function
Use the COUNTA function function to count only cells in a range that contain values.
When you count cells, sometimes you want to ignore any blank cells because only cells with values are meaningful to you. For example, you want to count the total number of salespeople who made a sale (column D).
COUNTA ignores the blank values in D3, D4, D8, and D11, and counts only the cells containing values in column D. The function finds six cells in column D containing values and displays 6 as the output.
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Count nonblank cells in a list with specific conditions by using the DCOUNTA function
Use the DCOUNTA function to count nonblank cells in a column of records in a list or database that match conditions that you specify.
The following example uses the DCOUNTA function to count the number of records in the database that is contained in the range A1:B7 that meet the conditions specified in the criteria range A9:B10. Those conditions are that the Product ID value must be greater than or equal to 2000 and the Ratings value must be greater than or equal to 50.
DCOUNTA finds two rows that meet the conditions- rows 2 and 4, and displays the value 2 as the output.
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Count blank cells in a contiguous range by using the COUNTBLANK function
Use the COUNTBLANK function function to return the number of blank cells in a contiguous range (cells are contiguous if they are all connected in an unbroken sequence). If a cell contains a formula that returns empty text («»), that cell is counted.
When you count cells, there may be times when you want to include blank cells because they are meaningful to you. In the following example of a grocery sales spreadsheet. suppose you want to find out how many cells don’t have the sales figures mentioned.
Note: The COUNTBLANK worksheet function provides the most convenient method for determining the number of blank cells in a range, but it doesn’t work very well when the cells of interest are in a closed workbook or when they do not form a contiguous range. The Knowledge Base article XL: When to Use SUM(IF()) instead of CountBlank() shows you how to use a SUM(IF()) array formula in those cases.
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Count blank cells in a non-contiguous range by using a combination of SUM and IF functions
Use a combination of the SUM function and the IF function. In general, you do this by using the IF function in an array formula to determine whether each referenced cell contains a value, and then summing the number of FALSE values returned by the formula.
See a few examples of SUM and IF function combinations in an earlier section Count how often multiple text or number values occur by using the SUM and IF functions together in this topic.
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Counting unique occurrences of values
You can count unique values in a range by using a PivotTable, COUNTIF function, SUM and IF functions together, or the Advanced Filter dialog box.
Count the number of unique values in a list column by using Advanced Filter
Use the Advanced Filter dialog box to find the unique values in a column of data. You can either filter the values in place or you can extract and paste them to a new location. Then you can use the ROWS function to count the number of items in the new range.
To use Advanced Filter, click the Data tab, and in the Sort & Filter group, click Advanced.
The following figure shows how you use the Advanced Filter to copy only the unique records to a new location on the worksheet.
In the following figure, column E contains the values that were copied from the range in column D.
Notes:
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If you filter your data in place, values are not deleted from your worksheet — one or more rows might be hidden. Click Clear in the Sort & Filter group on the Data tab to display those values again.
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If you only want to see the number of unique values at a quick glance, select the data after you have used the Advanced Filter (either the filtered or the copied data) and then look at the status bar. The Count value on the status bar should equal the number of unique values.
For more information, see Filter by using advanced criteria
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Count the number of unique values in a range that meet one or more conditions by using IF, SUM, FREQUENCY, MATCH, and LEN functions
Use various combinations of the IF, SUM, FREQUENCY, MATCH, and LEN functions.
For more information and examples, see the section «Count the number of unique values by using functions» in the article Count unique values among duplicates.
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Special cases (count all cells, count words)
You can count the number of cells or the number of words in a range by using various combinations of worksheet functions.
Count the total number of cells in a range by using ROWS and COLUMNS functions
Suppose you want to determine the size of a large worksheet to decide whether to use manual or automatic calculation in your workbook. To count all the cells in a range, use a formula that multiplies the return values using the ROWS and COLUMNS functions. See the following image for an example:
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Count words in a range by using a combination of SUM, IF, LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE functions
You can use a combination of the SUM, IF, LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE functions in an array formula. The following example shows the result of using a nested formula to find the number of words in a range of 7 cells (3 of which are empty). Some of the cells contain leading or trailing spaces — the TRIM and SUBSTITUTE functions remove these extra spaces before any counting occurs. See the following example:
Now, for the above formula to work correctly, you have to make this an array formula, otherwise the formula returns the #VALUE! error. To do that, click on the cell that has the formula, and then in the Formula bar, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. Excel adds a curly bracket at the beginning and the end of the formula, thus making it an array formula.
For more information on array formulas, see Overview of formulas in Excel and Create an array formula.
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Displaying calculations and counts on the status bar
When one or more cells are selected, information about the data in those cells is displayed on the Excel status bar. For example, if four cells on your worksheet are selected, and they contain the values 2, 3, a text string (such as «cloud»), and 4, all of the following values can be displayed on the status bar at the same time: Average, Count, Numerical Count, Min, Max, and Sum. Right-click the status bar to show or hide any or all of these values. These values are shown in the illustration that follows.
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Need more help?
You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.
In this example, the goal is to count cells in a range that contain text values. This could be hardcoded text like «apple» or «red», numbers entered as text, or formulas that return text values. Empty cells, and cells that contain numeric values or errors should not be included in the count. This problem can be solved with the COUNTIF function or the SUMPRODUCT function. Both approaches are explained below. For convenience, data is the named range B5:B15.
COUNTIF function
The simplest way to solve this problem is with the COUNTIF function and the asterisk (*) wildcard. The asterisk (*) matches zero or more characters of any kind. For example, to count cells in a range that begin with «a», you can use COUNTIF like this:
=COUNTIF(range,"a*") // begins with "a"
In this example however we don’t want to match any specific text value. We want to match all text values. To do this, we provide the asterisk (*) by itself for criteria. The formula in H5 is:
=COUNTIF(data,"*") // any text value
The result is 4, because there are four cells in data (B5:B15) that contain text values.
To reverse the operation of the formula and count all cells that do not contain text, add the not equal to (<>) logical operator like this:
=COUNTIF(data,"<>*") // non-text values
This is the formula used in cell H6. The result is 7, since there are seven cells in data (B5:B15) that do not contain text values.
COUNTIFS function
To apply more specific criteria, you can switch to the COUNTIFs function, which supports multiple conditions. For example, to count cells with text, but exclude cells that contain only a space character, you can use a formula like this:
=COUNTIFS(range,"*",range,"<> ")
This formula will count cells that contain any text value except a single space (» «).
SUMPRODUCT function
Another way to solve this problem is to use the SUMPRODUCT function with the ISTEXT function. SUMPRODUCT makes it easy to perform a logical test on a range, then count the results. The test is performed with the ISTEXT function. True to its name, the ISTEXT function only returns TRUE when given a text value:
=ISTEXT("apple")// returns TRUE
=ISTEXT(70) // returns FALSE
To count cells with text values in the example shown, you can use a formula like this:
=SUMPRODUCT(--ISTEXT(data))
Working from the inside out, the logical test is based on the ISTEXT function:
ISTEXT(data)
Because data (B5:B15) contains 11 values, ISTEXT returns 11 results in an array like this:
{TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;FALSE;FALSE;TRUE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE}
In this array, the TRUE values correspond to cells that contain text values, and the FALSE values represent cells that do not contain text. To convert the TRUE and FALSE values to 1s and 0s, we use a double negative (—):
--{TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;FALSE;FALSE;TRUE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE;FALSE}
The resulting array inside the SUMPRODUCT function looks like this:
=SUMPRODUCT({1;1;1;0;0;1;0;0;0;0;0}) // returns 4
With a single array to process, SUMPRODUCT sums the array and returns 4 as the result.
To reverse the formula and count all cells that do not contain text, you can nest the ISTEXT function inside the NOT function like this:
=SUMPRODUCT(--NOT(ISTEXT(data)))
The NOT function reverses the results from ISTEXT. The double negative (—) converts the array to numbers, and the array inside SUMPRODUCT looks like this:
=SUMPRODUCT({0;0;0;1;1;0;1;1;1;1;1}) // returns 7
The result is 7, since there are seven cells in data (B5:B15) that do not contain text values.
Note: the SUMPRODUCT formulas above may seem complex, but using Boolean operations in array formulas is powerful and flexible. It is also an important skill in modern functions like FILTER and XLOOKUP, which often use this technique to select the right data. The syntax used by COUNTIF on the other hand is unique to a group of eight functions and is therefore not as useful or portable.
EXPLANATION
This tutorial shows and explains how to count cells that contain a specific value by using Excel formulas or VBA.
This tutorial provides two Excel methods that can be applied to count cells that contain a specific value in a selected range by using an Excel COUNTIF function. The first method reference to a cell that capture the value that we want to count for, whilst the second method has the value (Exceldome) directly entered into the formula.
This tutorial provides two VBA methods that can be applied to count cells that contain a specific value in a selected range. The first method reference to a cell that capture the value that we want to count for, whilst the second method has the value (Exceldome) directly entered into the VBA code.
By including asterisk (*) in front and behind the value that we are searching for it will ensure that the formula will still count a cell if there is other content, in addition to the specified value, in the cell.
FORMULA (value manually entered)
=COUNTIF(range, «*value*»)
FORMULA (value sourced from cell reference)
=COUNTIF(range, «*»&value&»*»)
ARGUMENTS
range: The range of cells you want to count from.
value: The value that is used to determine which of the cells should be counted, from a specified range, if the cells contain this value.
Home > Microsoft Excel > How to Count Cells with Text in Excel? 3 Different Use Cases
(Note: This guide on how to count cells with text in Excel is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)
Excel deals with a variety of data of diverse data types. Excel can accept data in the form of numbers, text, characters, and operators. When storing large amounts of data, sorting and retrieving one particular type of data can be quite difficult.
In a spreadsheet consisting of different data types, you might sometimes have to pinpoint the cells with text and count them to perform any function or operation.
In this article, I will tell you how to count cells with text in Excel along with their use cases.
You’ll Learn:
- What Is Count in Excel?
- How to Count Cells with Text in Excel?
- Count All the Text Values
- Count Cells with Text Value Without Blank Spaces
- Count Cells with a Particular Text Value
- Reminders
Watch our video on how to count cells with text in Excel
Related Reads:
How to Count Unique Values in Excel? 3 Easy Ways to Count Unique and Distinct Values
How to Apply the Accounting Number Format in Excel? (3 Best methods)
How to Use Excel COUNTIFS: The Best Guide
What Is Count in Excel?
Before we learn how to count cells with text in Excel, let us refresh the concept of COUNT in Excel. Let us see what COUNT is and how Excel counts the values.
Counting is one of the most commonly used functions in Excel which provides a numerical summary of the total values which might be useful in a variety of places. In simpler terms, Excel counts how many times a value appears in a column or row.
In Excel, you can count the number of cells or the values it houses by using functions. Excel has a variety of functions that help in counting. Functions like COUNT and COUNTA are used to count all the cells in a particular range or select cells which house a particular value. On the other hand, COUNTIF and COUNTIFS functions count cells only if they satisfy a particular value.
In the case where we want to count the number of cells with text in Excel, the function COUNTIF/COUNTIFS is the best choice. Using these functions, you can set criteria to the function so it counts only the cells which house the text values in the cell.
How to Count Cells with Text in Excel?
Texts are also called strings in Excel. When it comes to technological terms, strings are a block of text which might contain any identifying values. They can be individual values like name or address, or they can be a variable that points to another constant.
In Excel, they are usually written with alphanumeric characters which are enclosed by double quotation marks or can be written with an apostrophe. Additionally, they can be a result of logical functions like TRUE or FALSE, or may even be special characters like !, @, #, and $.
Count All the Text Values
To count all the text values in the given Excel sheet, you can use the COUNTIF function along with a wildcard character. This function with a wildcard counts all the text values in a given range.
To count the cells with text in Excel, choose a destination cell and enter the formula =COUNTIF(range,criteria). Here, the range denotes the array of cells within which you want the function to act. The criteria variable denotes the condition to satisfy when counting the values.
Consider the below given example. To find the cells with text values in a given range, enter the formula =COUNTIF(A3:A10,”*”). The function COUNTIF acts on the cell range A3 to A10 and finds the text values. The * represents the wildcard element. The * symbol specifies anything other than numbers to be counted, including blank spaces and special characters. However, this method does not count logical values.
The cells with text within a given range are found to be 7. If you count the values manually, you will notice that the cells with text values are 5. But, the cells A11 and A12 also contain characters like space ( ) and apostrophe (‘) which do not show up in the cell.
Also Read:
How to Hide Formulas in Excel? 2 Different Approaches
How to Select Non Adjacent Cells in Excel? 5 Simple Ways
How to Rotate Text in Excel? 3 Effective Ways
Count Cells with Text Value Without Blank Spaces
You can use the same COUNTIF function and wildcards to count the number of cells with text in them. This method only counts cells that hold any text value and does not count any blank cell in the given range.
To count the cells which have text value in them, enter the formula =COUNTIF(range,criteria) in the destination cell. This is the same as the previous case, but adding wildcard “?” together with “*” only counts the cells which have text values.
Consider the below given example. To find the cells with text values in a given range, enter the formula =COUNTIF(A3:A12,”?*”). Here, the function COUNTIF counts the number of cells in the range of cells A3 to A12. Whereas for the criteria parameter, instead of just passing “*” which counts all the cells with text values, adding the “?” wildcard to the criteria counts the cells which have at least one character.
As result, the cells which have text values are found to be 6. You can see the text values aligned to the left of the cell whereas the numerical values are aligned to the right of the cell. This function also counts the apostrophe as a text character, but it does not count the blank spaces.
Count Cells with a Particular Text Value
With the help of wildcards and the COUNTIF function, you can also count the cells with any specific text values in Excel.
Using this method, you’ll learn how to count specific words in Excel. To count the cells with the specific value, you can just enter the text to count within quotations when you pass the criteria parameter.
Let me show you an example. Suppose you want to count the occurrences of the word “two” in a range of cells. You can just enter the formula in the =COUNTIF(A3:A12,”two”) to count the occurrences of the word “two” in the given range of cells A3 to A12.
Wildcards can be used to count cells with a specific text value.
Imagine you want to count the number of cells that contain the text starting with any particular letter or character. Say, you want to count the number of cells that starts with the letter “t”, then you can use the “*” wildcard.
Consider the example, in the cell range A3 to A12 you want to count the number of cells which start with the letter “t”. Then, enter the function =COUNTIF(A3:A12,“t*”) in the destination cell.
The resultant value is 2. This denotes that when you want to find the cells which start with the letter “t”, you can enter the value “t*” in the criteria parameter. As a result, the COUNTIF function counts the cells which start with the letter “t” irrespective of the number of characters that follow them.
Another case to use the wildcard is to count any one particular value. For example, if you want to find the occurrences of a three-letter word that have the starting letter “t” and ends with “o”, you can use the “?” wildcard. As the “*” wildcard replaces any number of characters, the “?” wildcard only replaces one character.
In this case, the count function only counts the cells with three characters which start with “t” and end with “o” and counts them.
Suggested Reads:
How to Use SUMPRODUCT Function in Excel? 5 Easy Examples
How to Use the PROPER Function in Excel? 3 Easy Examples
Excel DATEVALUE – A Step-by-Step Guide
Reminders
- Wildcards can take the place of characters and are of three types: *, ?, and ~. Use the * wildcard when you want to replace more than one character, use the ? wildcard to replace exactly one character, and ~ to replace and search for the exact character. Wildcards are not case-sensitive. Additionally, wildcards only work on text and not on numbers.
- Sometimes when a cell appears blank, it does not necessarily mean that the cell is empty. Characters like space ( ), apostrophe (‘), and double quotation marks(””) also make the cell look empty. But technically, they are considered text.
- When looking for cells with text manually, you can easily distinguish the text from the number in Excel. Numbers are aligned to the right of the cell, whereas text is aligned to the left of the cell.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I count all the cells in Excel?
To count all the cells within a particular range in Excel, you can use the COUNT function followed by the range of cells that you want to count i.e =COUNT(range).
How to count the number of blank cells in Excel?
You can use the COUNTIF or COUNTIFS function with an empty string (““) as the criteria parameter i.e =COUNTIF(range,””) to count the number of blank/empty cells. Or, you can use the =COUNTBLANK(range) function to count them.
How to count in a PivotTable?
In a PivotTable, you can automatically set a category and add fields in the Value Field Setting to count the values.
Closing Thoughts
In this article, we saw how to count cells with text in Excel. Additionally, we saw all the ways you can use the COUNTIF function to count the text values without including the blank spaces and counting cells with particular words.
If you need more high-quality Excel guides, please check out our free Excel resources center. Simon Sez IT has been teaching Excel for over ten years. For a low, monthly fee you can get access to 130+ IT training courses. Click here for advanced Excel courses with in-depth training modules.
Simon Calder
Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course — the rest, as they say, is history!