Count Blank Cells with Excel COUNTIF Function: 2 Examples

Method 1 – Use the COUNTIF Function to Find Cells Not Containing Text

Use the COUNTIF function to find blank cells containing no text (not numbers). This formula only counts cells that have no text in them. Even if your cell has a blank space, it is not. It has a “space.” This formula will not count as a blank cell.

Use  Wildcard Characters.

The Basic Formula We Using:

=COUNTIF(range,”<>”&”*”)

“<>” This sign means “not equal to,” and the asterisk (*) means the sequence of text in that range. This formula will count cells that have no text in them.

To count cells that do not have any text, use this dataset :

Sample Data set

You have a dataset with a single column. In this column, there are names, blanks, and numbers. Count the cells that do not contain any text.

Step 1:

Type the following formula in Cell E4:

=COUNTIF(B5:B9,"<>"&"*")

COUNTIF function for non-text cells

Step 2:

Press Enter to see the results.

result of COUNTIF for non-text cells

It gives you 2, even if there is only one blank cell. This formula will also count non-text cells as blank cells.


Method 2 – Use the COUNTIF Function to Find Blank Cells (All Types of Values)

Unlike the previous method, this formula will return the count of empty cells of all value types. It will count the cells that have no data in them. If you aim to count all empty cells in a given range, then you can use this formula.

The Basic Syntax:

=COUNTIF(range,””)

Use the following data set, which has three columns of different value types for ease of demonstration:

Sample dataset

Count all the empty cells in the entire dataset.

Step 1:

Type the following formula in Cell F5:

=COUNTIF(B5:D10,"")

COUNTIF function in excel

Step 2:

Press Enter.

result after using COUNTIF for blank cells

You have successfully counted all the empty cells in our given dataset.


Download Practice Workbook

You can download the following practice workbook and practice yourself.


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A.N.M. Mohaimen Shanto
A.N.M. Mohaimen Shanto

A.N.M. Mohaimen Shanto, a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from Daffodil International University, boasts two years of experience as a Project Manager at Exceldemy. He authored 90+ articles and led teams as a Team Leader, meticulously reviewing over a thousand articles. Currently, he focuses on enhancing article quality. His passion lies in Excel VBA, Data Science, and SEO, where he enjoys simplifying complex ideas to facilitate learning and growth. His journey mirrors Exceldemy's dedication to excellence and... Read Full Bio

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