Display count in excel

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

  • Simple counting

    • Use AutoSum

    • Add a Subtotal row

    • Count cells in a list or Excel table column by using the SUBTOTAL function

  • Counting based on one or more conditions

    • Video: Use the COUNT, COUNTIF, and COUNTA functions

    • Count cells in a range by using the COUNT function

    • Count cells in a range based on a single condition by using the COUNTIF function

    • Count cells in a column based on single or multiple conditions by using the DCOUNT function

    • Count cells in a range based on multiple conditions by using the COUNTIFS function

    • Count based on criteria by using the COUNT and IF functions together

    • Count how often multiple text or number values occur by using the SUM and IF functions together

    • Count cells in a column or row in a PivotTable

  • Counting when your data contains blank values

    • Count nonblank cells in a range by using the COUNTA function

    • Count nonblank cells in a list with specific conditions by using the DCOUNTA function

    • Count blank cells in a contiguous range by using the COUNTBLANK function

    • Count blank cells in a non-contiguous range by using a combination of SUM and IF functions

  • Counting unique occurrences of values

    • Count the number of unique values in a list column by using Advanced Filter

    • Count the number of unique values in a range that meet one or more conditions by using IF, SUM, FREQUENCY, MATCH, and LEN functions

  • Special cases (count all cells, count words)

    • Count the total number of cells in a range by using ROWS and COLUMNS functions

    • Count words in a range by using a combination of SUM, IF, LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE functions

  • 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.

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

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.

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.

Click Subtotal in the Data tab to add a subtotal row in your Excel Data

Also, refer to the following articles:

  • Outline (group) data in a worksheet

  • 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],…)

SUBTOTAL example

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.

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

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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.

An example of COUNT function

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.

COUNTIF examples

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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.

Sample data for DCOUNT

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:

COUNTIFS 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: 

  • 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 The Command button. +Shift+Enter.

  • For the example formulas to work, the second argument for the IF function must be a number.

Examples of nested COUNT and IF functions

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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

Example 1: SUM and IF nested in a formula

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

Example 2: SUM and IF nested in a formula

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

Example 3: SUM and IF nested in a formula

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 The Command button.+Shift+Enter.

See the following Knowledge Base articles for additional tips:

  • XL: Using SUM(IF()) As an Array Function Instead of COUNTIF() with AND

  • 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.

Example of a PivotTable and how the Fields correlate to the Fields list.

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.

  1. Enter the following data in an Excel spreadsheet.

    Sample data for PivotTable

  2. Select A2:C8

  3. Click Insert > PivotTable.

  4. 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.

  5. In the PivotTable Fields pane, do the following:

    1. Drag Sport to the Rows area.

    2. Drag Quarter to the Columns area.

    3. Drag Sales to the Values area.

    4. 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:

      PivotTable Fields

    5. In the Values area, click the dropdown next to SumofSales2 and select Value Field Settings.

    6. In the Value Field Settings dialog box, do the following:

      1. In the Summarize value field by section, select Count.

      2. In the Custom Name field, modify the name to Count.

        Value Field Settings dialog box

      3. Click OK.

    The PivotTable displays the count of records for Golf and Tennis in Quarter 3 and Quarter 4, along with the sales figures.

    PivotTable

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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).

An example of COUNTA

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.

An example of DCOUNTA function

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.

An example of COUNTBLANK

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.

Advanced Filter

In the following figure, column E contains the values that were copied from the range in column D.

A column copied from another location

Notes: 

  • 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.

  • 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:

Example of ROWS and COLUMNS function to count the number of cells in a range

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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:

Example of a nested formula to count words

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.

Status bar

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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.

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

  • Simple counting

    • Use AutoSum

    • Add a Subtotal row

    • Count cells in a list or Excel table column by using the SUBTOTAL function

  • Counting based on one or more conditions

    • Video: Use the COUNT, COUNTIF, and COUNTA functions

    • Count cells in a range by using the COUNT function

    • Count cells in a range based on a single condition by using the COUNTIF function

    • Count cells in a column based on single or multiple conditions by using the DCOUNT function

    • Count cells in a range based on multiple conditions by using the COUNTIFS function

    • Count based on criteria by using the COUNT and IF functions together

    • Count how often multiple text or number values occur by using the SUM and IF functions together

    • Count cells in a column or row in a PivotTable

  • Counting when your data contains blank values

    • Count nonblank cells in a range by using the COUNTA function

    • Count nonblank cells in a list with specific conditions by using the DCOUNTA function

    • Count blank cells in a contiguous range by using the COUNTBLANK function

    • Count blank cells in a non-contiguous range by using a combination of SUM and IF functions

  • Counting unique occurrences of values

    • Count the number of unique values in a list column by using Advanced Filter

    • Count the number of unique values in a range that meet one or more conditions by using IF, SUM, FREQUENCY, MATCH, and LEN functions

  • Special cases (count all cells, count words)

    • Count the total number of cells in a range by using ROWS and COLUMNS functions

    • Count words in a range by using a combination of SUM, IF, LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE functions

  • 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.

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

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.

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.

Click Subtotal in the Data tab to add a subtotal row in your Excel Data

Also, refer to the following articles:

  • Outline (group) data in a worksheet

  • 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],…)

SUBTOTAL example

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.

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

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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.

An example of COUNT function

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.

COUNTIF examples

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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.

Sample data for DCOUNT

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:

COUNTIFS 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: 

  • 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 The Command button. +Shift+Enter.

  • For the example formulas to work, the second argument for the IF function must be a number.

Examples of nested COUNT and IF functions

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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

Example 1: SUM and IF nested in a formula

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

Example 2: SUM and IF nested in a formula

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

Example 3: SUM and IF nested in a formula

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 The Command button.+Shift+Enter.

See the following Knowledge Base articles for additional tips:

  • XL: Using SUM(IF()) As an Array Function Instead of COUNTIF() with AND

  • 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.

Example of a PivotTable and how the Fields correlate to the Fields list.

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.

  1. Enter the following data in an Excel spreadsheet.

    Sample data for PivotTable

  2. Select A2:C8

  3. Click Insert > PivotTable.

  4. 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.

  5. In the PivotTable Fields pane, do the following:

    1. Drag Sport to the Rows area.

    2. Drag Quarter to the Columns area.

    3. Drag Sales to the Values area.

    4. 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:

      PivotTable Fields

    5. In the Values area, click the dropdown next to SumofSales2 and select Value Field Settings.

    6. In the Value Field Settings dialog box, do the following:

      1. In the Summarize value field by section, select Count.

      2. In the Custom Name field, modify the name to Count.

        Value Field Settings dialog box

      3. Click OK.

    The PivotTable displays the count of records for Golf and Tennis in Quarter 3 and Quarter 4, along with the sales figures.

    PivotTable

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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).

An example of COUNTA

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.

An example of DCOUNTA function

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.

An example of COUNTBLANK

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.

Advanced Filter

In the following figure, column E contains the values that were copied from the range in column D.

A column copied from another location

Notes: 

  • 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.

  • 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:

Example of ROWS and COLUMNS function to count the number of cells in a range

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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:

Example of a nested formula to count words

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.

Status bar

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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.

Содержание

  1. COUNT function
  2. Syntax
  3. Remarks
  4. Example
  5. Count Function in Excel
  6. COUNT in Excel
  7. Count Excel Formula Syntax
  8. How to Use COUNT Function in Excel?
  9. Example #1 – Count Numbers in the Given Range
  10. Example #2 – Count Non-empty Cells
  11. Example #3 – Count the Number of Valid Dates
  12. Example #4 – Multiple Parameters
  13. Example #5 – Invalid Numbers
  14. Example #6 – Empty Range
  15. The Characteristics of the COUNT Function
  16. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  17. COUNT Function in Excel Video
  18. Recommended Articles
  19. How to Display a Count of Cells on the Bottom of the Window in Excel
  20. Related
  21. Ways to count values in a worksheet
  22. Download our examples
  23. In this article
  24. Simple counting
  25. Video: Count cells by using the Excel status bar
  26. Use AutoSum
  27. Add a Subtotal row
  28. Count cells in a list or Excel table column by using the SUBTOTAL function
  29. Counting based on one or more conditions
  30. Video: Use the COUNT, COUNTIF, and COUNTA functions
  31. Count cells in a range by using the COUNT function
  32. Count cells in a range based on a single condition by using the COUNTIF function
  33. Count cells in a column based on single or multiple conditions by using the DCOUNT function
  34. Count cells in a range based on multiple conditions by using the COUNTIFS function
  35. Count based on criteria by using the COUNT and IF functions together
  36. Count how often multiple text or number values occur by using the SUM and IF functions together
  37. Count cells in a column or row in a PivotTable
  38. Counting when your data contains blank values
  39. Count nonblank cells in a range by using the COUNTA function
  40. Count nonblank cells in a list with specific conditions by using the DCOUNTA function
  41. Count blank cells in a contiguous range by using the COUNTBLANK function
  42. Count blank cells in a non-contiguous range by using a combination of SUM and IF functions
  43. Counting unique occurrences of values
  44. Count the number of unique values in a list column by using Advanced Filter
  45. Count the number of unique values in a range that meet one or more conditions by using IF, SUM, FREQUENCY, MATCH, and LEN functions
  46. Special cases (count all cells, count words)
  47. Count the total number of cells in a range by using ROWS and COLUMNS functions
  48. Count words in a range by using a combination of SUM, IF, LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE functions
  49. Displaying calculations and counts on the status bar
  50. Need more help?

COUNT function

The COUNT function counts the number of cells that contain numbers, and counts numbers within the list of arguments. Use the COUNT function to get the number of entries in a number field that is in a range or array of numbers. For example, you can enter the following formula to count the numbers in the range A1:A20: =COUNT(A1:A20). In this example, if five of the cells in the range contain numbers, the result is 5.

Syntax

The COUNT function syntax has the following arguments:

value1 Required. The first item, cell reference, or range within which you want to count numbers.

value2, . Optional. Up to 255 additional items, cell references, or ranges within which you want to count numbers.

Note: The arguments can contain or refer to a variety of different types of data, but only numbers are counted.

Arguments that are numbers, dates, or a text representation of numbers (for example, a number enclosed in quotation marks, such as «1») are counted.

Logical values and text representations of numbers that you type directly into the list of arguments are counted.

Arguments that are error values or text that cannot be translated into numbers are not counted.

If an argument is an array or reference, only numbers in that array or reference are counted. Empty cells, logical values, text, or error values in the array or reference are not counted.

If you want to count logical values, text, or error values, use the COUNTA function.

If you want to count only numbers that meet certain criteria, use the COUNTIF function or the COUNTIFS function.

Example

Copy the example data in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. For formulas to show results, select them, press F2, and then press Enter. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.

Источник

Count Function in Excel

COUNT in Excel

The COUNT function in excel counts the number of cells containing numerical values within the given range. It is a statistical function and returns an integer value. The syntax of the COUNT formula is “=COUNT(value 1, [value 2],…)

Count Excel Formula Syntax

  • Value1: It is a required parameter. For example, to count a range of cells that contain a date before April 1, 2021, the formula used: “=COUNT(“Cell Range”, “ DATE functionDATE FunctionThe date function in excel is a date and time function representing the number provided as arguments in a date and time code. The result displayed is in date format, but the arguments are supplied as integers.read more .
  • Value n: It is an optional parameter. It can range up to 255 values. The value can be a cell referenceCell ReferenceCell reference in excel is referring the other cells to a cell to use its values or properties. For instance, if we have data in cell A2 and want to use that in cell A1, use =A2 in cell A1, and this will copy the A2 value in A1.read more or a range of values. It is a collection of worksheet cells containing a variety of data, out of which only the cells containing numbers are counted.
Table of contents

How to Use COUNT Function in Excel?

Let us look at the examples of the COUNT function. Each example covers a different case, implemented using the COUNT function..

Example #1 – Count Numbers in the Given Range

Let us apply the COUNT function to the range of cells B3:B8 to count the numbers in the given range (shown in the table below).

The COUNT formula in excel is stated as follows.

The range B3:B8 contains only three numbers. Hence the COUNT function returns 3. The result is displayed in cell B10. The succeeding image shows the result of the COUNT formula applied in this example.

Example #2 – Count Non-empty Cells

The COUNTA formula in excel is stated as follows:

The COUNTA function counts the number of cells in A1 through A5 that contain some data. It returns a value of 4, as cells A1, A2, A3, A4 are not empty and only cell A5 is empty. The result is displayed in cell B1.

The output of the COUNTA function is indicated in the image given below.

Example #3Count the Number of Valid Dates

Let us apply the COUNT function to count the number of valid dates to the range of cells C3:C8 (shown in the table below).

The COUNT formula is stated as follows:

The range contains dates in different formats. Out of this, only two dates are valid. Hence, the formula returns 2, as shown in cell C10 of the following image.

Example #4 – Multiple Parameters

Let us apply the COUNT formula to the range of excel cells C3:C7 (provided in the table below) along with another parameter that is hard-coded with a value of 5.

The COUNT formula is stated as follows:

The number of cells (C3 through C7) with valid numeric values or dates is 2, plus 1 for the number 5. Hence the COUNT formula returns the result as 3 (cells C5, C6, and the number 5).

Note that the date in cell C7 is invalid and so is not taken into account in the given results. The result is displayed in cell C11 (indicated in the below image).

Example #5 – Invalid Numbers

Let us apply the COUNT formula to the range of values C6:C8 (shown in the table below) containing invalid numbers.

The COUNT formula is stated as follows:

The range does not have any valid number.

Hence, the result returned by the formula is 0, indicated in cell B12 (shown in the below image).

Example #6 – Empty Range

Let us apply the COUNT function to the range of values in cells D3:D5, which is an empty range.

The COUNT formula is stated as follows:

The given range does not have any numbers, and it is empty. Hence, the result returned by the formula is 0, indicated in cell D10 (shown in the below image).

The Characteristics of the COUNT Function

The features of the COUNT excel function are listed as follows:

  1. It counts the data values containing numbers, dates, or a text represented as numbers (e.g., a number enclosed in quotation marks, such as “3”).
  2. It counts the list of parameters containing the logical values and text representations.
  3. It does not count the error values or text which cannot be converted into numbers.
  4. It counts only the numbers and not the logical values, empty cells, text, or error values when the argument seems to be an array or reference.
  5. A further extension to the COUNT function is the COUNTA function. It counts logical values, text, or error values.
  6. Another extension of the COUNT function is the COUNTIF function, which counts the numbers that meet a specified criterion.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The COUNT function provided the count of cells containing numbers within the given range of cells. It also counts numeric values within the list of arguments.
The formula of the COUNT in excel is,
=COUNT(value 1, [value 2])
Here the value 1 is the required argument, which can be an item, cell reference, or range, value 2 is an optional argument.
Example: To count the numbers in the range A1:A10, the formula =COUNT(A1:A10) is used. Here, if seven of the cells in the given range contain numbers, then the result is 7.

COUNTIF function counts cells in a range that meets a single criterion. It counts cells that contain dates, numbers, and text.
The COUNTIF formula in excel is stated as follows:
=COUNTIF(range, condition)
Here range is series of cells to count.

The COUNT function is generally used to count a range of cells containing the numbers or dates. It excludes blank cells. Whereas, COUNTA function will count the numbers, dates, text, or a range containing a mixture of all these items. It does not count blank cells.
Note: COUNTA stands for count all.

COUNT Function in Excel Video

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to the COUNT function in Excel. In this article, we have discussed how to use this formula along with step-by-step examples and a downloadable template. You may also look at the below useful functions in Excel –

Источник

How to Display a Count of Cells on the Bottom of the Window in Excel

Numbers affect your business’s success, and Excel helps you manage your numbers. Whether your spreadsheets contain sales figures or employee names, you may need to need to count values in a spreadsheet column. You can do that without using formulas by viewing cell counts in the status bar at the bottom of the main window. If you do not see cell counts at the bottom of that window, you can make them appear with a couple of mouse clicks.

Launch Excel and open one of your documents.

Locate the status bar at the bottom of the window. Right-click that status bar to display a list of options.

Click the “Count” option to place a checkmark next to it.

Click one of the column headers in the document that has values. The word “Count” appears in the status bar’s bottom right corner. The number of cells that contain values appears next to that word.

  • Highlight a group of cells and the count changes to show the number of cells you highlighted.
  • Use the status bar to save time by viewing other values instantly. For instance, by putting checkmarks next to “Average,” “Sum,” “Minimum” and “Maximum,” you can view those values on the status bar as well when you click a column header.

After majoring in physics, Kevin Lee began writing professionally in 1989 when, as a software developer, he also created technical articles for the Johnson Space Center. Today this urban Texas cowboy continues to crank out high-quality software as well as non-technical articles covering a multitude of diverse topics ranging from gaming to current affairs.

Источник

Ways to count values in a worksheet

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.

Note: Counting should not be confused with summing. For more information about summing values in cells, columns, or rows, see Summing up ways to add and count Excel data.

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.

In this article

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.

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:

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

Enter the following data in an Excel spreadsheet.

Click Insert > PivotTable.

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.

In the PivotTable Fields pane, do the following:

Drag Sport to the Rows area.

Drag Quarter to the Columns area.

Drag Sales to the Values area.

The field name displays as SumofSales2 in both the PivotTable and the Values area.

At this point, the PivotTable Fields pane looks like this:

In the Values area, click the dropdown next to SumofSales2 and select Value Field Settings.

In the Value Field Settings dialog box, do the following:

In the Summarize value field by section, select Count.

In the Custom Name field, modify the name to Count.

The PivotTable displays the count of records for Golf and Tennis in Quarter 3 and Quarter 4, along with the sales figures.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

Источник

This wikiHow teaches you how to use the COUNT function in Excel to display the number of cells in a range.

Steps

  1. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 1

    1

    Double-click your spreadsheet to open it in Excel. The contents of your spreadsheet will appear.

  2. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 2

    2

    Click an empty cell. This cell is where the results of the COUNT function will appear.

  3. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 3

    3

    Click the function (fx) button. It’s in the box right above your spreadsheet (toward the left side of the screen). This opens the “Insert Function” panel.

  4. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 4

    4

    Select Recommended from the drop-down menu. This refines the list of functions.

  5. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 5

    5

    Click COUNT in the list of functions. COUNT is now highlighted in a different color.

    • The COUNT function counts the number of cells. It doesn’t add the numbers within the cells. If you want to add the numbers in the cells, use the SUM function.
  6. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 6

    6

    Click OK. The Function Arguments panel will appear.

  7. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 7

    7

    Click the button in the “Value1” blank. The panel will collapse.

  8. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 8

    8

    Select the cells and press Enter. To do this, click the first cell in the range and then drag the mouse to include the rest of the cells. The cell range will appear next to “Value1” in the Function Arguments panel.

    • If you want to add a second set of data to the count, click the button next to “Value2,” select additional cells, then press Enter.
  9. Image titled Count Cells in Excel Step 9

    9

    Click OK. The count of selected cells now appears in the cell.

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Article SummaryX

1. Open your spreadsheet in Excel.
2. Click an empty cell.
3. Click the function button.
4. Select Recommended from the drop-down menu.
5. Click COUNT.
6. Click OK.
7. Click button next to «Value1.»
8. Select cells and press ENTER.
9. Click OK.

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What Is COUNT In Excel?

The COUNT function in Excel counts the number of cells containing numerical values within the given range. It always returns an integer value.

The COUNT in Excel is an inbuilt statistical function, so we can insert the formula from the “Function Library” or enter it directly in the worksheet.

For example, to count a range of cells that contain a date before April 1, 2021, the formula used is “=COUNT(“Cell Range”, “<”&DATE (2021,4,1))”. The date is entered by using the DATE functionThe date function in excel is a date and time function representing the number provided as arguments in a date and time code. The result displayed is in date format, but the arguments are supplied as integers.read more.

Table of contents
  • What Is COUNT In Excel?
    • Syntax Of COUNT Excel Formula
    • How To Use COUNT Function In Excel?
    • Examples
    • The Characteristics Of The COUNT Function
    • Important Things To Note
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
    • COUNT Function In Excel Video
    • Download Template
    • Recommended Articles
  • In a given dataset, the COUNT function in Excel returns the count of the numeric values.
  • It counts only the numbers and not the logical values, empty cells, text, or error values when the argument seems to be an array or reference.
  • The usage of the COUNT and VBA (VBA Excel COUNT) functions are the same in Excel.
  • The COUNTA function is a further extension of the COUNT function. It counts logical values, text, or error values. The  COUNTIF function (another extension of the COUNT function) counts the numbers that meet a specified criterion.

Syntax Of COUNT Excel Formula

The syntax of the COUNT Excel formula is,

COUNT Formula

The arguments of the COUNT Excel formula are,

  • value1, [value2], …, [value n]: It is a mandatory argument. It can range up to 255 values. The value can be a cell referenceCell reference in excel is referring the other cells to a cell to use its values or properties. For instance, if we have data in cell A2 and want to use that in cell A1, use =A2 in cell A1, and this will copy the A2 value in A1.read more or a range of values. It is a collection of worksheet cells containing a variety of data, out of which only the cells containing numbers are counted.

How To Use COUNT Function In Excel?

We can use the COUNT Excel function in 2 ways, namely:

  1. Access from the Excel ribbon.
  2. Enter in the worksheet manually.

Method #1 – Access from the Excel ribbon

Choose an empty cell for the result → select the “Formulas” tab → go to the “Function Library” group → click the “More Functions” option drop-down → click the “Statistical” option right arrow → select the “COUNT” function, as shown below.

COUNT Function in Excel - Access from the excel ribbon

The “Function Arguments” windowappears. Enter the arguments in the “Value1”, “Value2”, etc. fields, and click “OK”, as shown below.

COUNT Function in Excel - Function arguments window

Method #2 – Enter in the worksheet manually

  1. Select an empty cell for the output.
  2. Type =COUNT( in the selected cell. [Alternatively, type =C or =COU and double-click the COUNT function from the list of suggestions shown by Excel.
  3. Enter the argument as cell value or cell reference and close the brackets.
  4. Press the “Enter” key.

Basic Example – Count Numbers in the Given Range

Let us look at an example to apply the COUNT function to Count Numbers in the Given Range. (shown in the table below).

Select cell B10, enter the formula =COUNT(B3:B8), and press “Enter”.

COUNT Example 1

The output is shown above. The range B3:B8 contains only three numeric values. Hence, the COUNT function returns 3.

Examples

We will consider some scenarios using COUNT Function in Excel examples. Each example covers a different case, implemented using the COUNT function.

Example #1 – Count Non-empty Cells

Let us apply the COUNTA functionThe COUNTA function is an inbuilt statistical excel function that counts the number of non-blank cells (not empty) in a cell range or the cell reference. For example, cells A1 and A3 contain values but, cell A2 is empty. The formula “=COUNTA(A1,A2,A3)” returns 2.
read more
to the range of cells A1:A5 provided in the below table to find the count of the number of cells that are not empty.

Select cell B1, enter the formula =COUNTA(A1:A5), and press “Enter”.

The output is shown above. The COUNTA function counts the number of cells from A1 through A5 that contain some data. It returns the value as 4, as cells A1, A2, A3, and A4 are not empty, and only cell A5 is empty. 

Example #2 – Count the Number of Valid Dates

Let us apply the COUNT function to count the number of valid dates to the range of cells C3:C8 (shown in the table below).

Select cell C10, enter the formula =COUNT(C3:C8), and press “Enter”.

COUNT Example 3

The output is shown above. The range contains dates in different formats. Out of this, only two dates are valid. Hence, the formula returns 2.

Example #3 – Multiple Parameters

Let us apply the COUNT formula to the range of excel cells C3:C7 (provided in the table below) along with another parameter that is hard-coded with a value of 5.

Select cell C11, enter the formula =COUNTA(C3:C7,5), and press “Enter”.

COUNT Example 4

The output is shown above. The number of cells (C3 through C7) with valid numeric values or dates is 2, plus 1 for the number 5. Hence the COUNT formula returns the result as 3 (cells C5, C6, and the number 5). Note that the date in cell C7 is invalid, and so is not taken into account in the given results.

Example #4 – Invalid Numbers

Let us apply the COUNT formula to the range of values B6:B8 (shown in the table below) containing invalid numbers. 

Select cell B12, enter the formula =COUNTA(B6:B8), and press “Enter”.

COUNT Function Example 5

The output is shown above. The range does not have any valid number. Hence, the result returned by the formula is 0, indicated in cell B12.

Example #5 – Empty Range

Let us apply the COUNT function to the range of values in cells D3:D5, which is an empty range.

Select cell D10, enter the formula =COUNTA(D3:D5), and press “Enter”.

COUNT Function Example 6

The output is shown above. The given range does not have any numbers, and it is empty. Hence, the result returned by the formula is 0, indicated in cell D10.

The Characteristics Of The COUNT Function

The features of the COUNT Excel function are listed as follows:

  1. It counts the list of parameters containing the logical values and text representations.
  2. It does not count the error values or text which cannot be converted into numbers.
  3. It counts only the numbers and not the logical values, empty cells, text, or error values when the argument seems to be an array or reference.
  4. A further extension to the COUNT function is the COUNTA function. It counts logical values, text, or error values.
  5. Another extension of the COUNT function is the COUNTIF function, which counts the numbers that meet a specified criterion.

Important Things To Note

  • Since the COUNT function has other related functions such as COUNTA, COUNTIF, COUNTBLANK, etc., we must ensure we enter the right function name to avoid getting a “#NAME?” error.
  • In a selected cell range, the function ignores the blank cells, non-numeric cells, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How to use the Excel COUNT function?

The COUNT function provides the count of cells containing numbers within the given range of cells. It also counts numeric values within the list of arguments.
The formula of the COUNT in excel is =COUNT(value 1, [value 2],……, and so on).

2. What is the COUNTIF formula?

The COUNTIF function counts cells in a range that meets a single criterion. It counts cells that contain dates, numbers, and text.
The COUNTIF formula in excel is =COUNTIF(range, condition)
Here, the range is a series of cells to count.

3. What is the difference between the COUNT and COUNTA functions in Excel?

The COUNT function is generally used to count a range of cells containing numbers or dates. It excludes blank cells. And the COUNTA function, whichstands for count all, will count the numbers, dates, text, or a range containing a mixture of all these items. It does not count blank cells.

COUNT Function In Excel Video

Download Template

This article must help understand the COUNT function in Excel with its formulas and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.

You can download this COUNT Formula Excel Template here – COUNT Formula Excel Template

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to the COUNT Function in Excel. Here, we count number of cells with numeric values, COUNTA, COUNTIF, examples & a downloadable template. You may also look at the below useful functions in Excel –

  • Example of COUNTIF with Multiple Criteria
  • INT Function in Excel (Integer)INT or integer function in excel returns the nearest integer of a given number and is used when we have many data sets and each data in a different format.read more
  • AVERAGE Function in Excel

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