See 7 ways to count in Excel. Examples and video tutorials show how to count Excel cells with numbers, text, blanks, or cells that contain specific words or other criteria Show
Overview: 7 Ways to Count in ExcelTo see a quick overview of 7 ways to count in Excel, watch this short video. Or, watch the Slide Show: 7 Ways to Count, further down on this page. Get the 7 Ways to Count sample workbook, so you can follow along with the video. Count Numbers, All Data, or Blank CellsThis video shows the COUNT function, the COUNTA function, and the COUNTBLANK function, and warns of the quirks in counting some types of cells. Written instructions are below the video. Count Cells with Numbers, Count Cells with Data and Count Blank Cells. Also, get the sample workbook, to see all the formulas. Count Cells with Numbers -- COUNTThe COUNT function will count cells that contain numbers. Its syntax is: The following COUNT function example uses one argument -- a reference to cells A1:A5.
Note: Since dates are stored as numbers, the COUNT function will include any cells that contain dates. Count Cells with Data -- COUNTAThe COUNTA function will count cells that are not empty. (See note on blank cells below) Its syntax is:
Count Blank Cells -- COUNTBLANKThe COUNTBLANK function will count cells that are empty. (See note on blank cells below) Its syntax is:
Cells That Look BlankBoth COUNTA and COUNTBLANK will count cells with formulas that look empty, if the formula result is an empty string {""). The empty string is treated as text, and counted. For example, =IF(B2="","",B2). Both COUNTA and COUNTBLANK will also count cells which had formulas that returned an empty string, but then were converted to values, by copying and pasting as values.
To fix cells that look blank, but are being counted, see my Contextures blog: Fix Blank Excel Cells Copied From Database ▲TOP Count cells that match one criterionThis video shows how to use the Excel COUNTIF function to count cells that contain a specific string of text, such as "Pen". You can also find text that is part of a cell -- how many orders were placed for any kind of pen, such as "Gel Pen", "Pen" or even a "Pencil"? The written instructions are below the video: Match criterion exactly and Match criterion in a string Match one criterion exactly -- COUNTIFIn Excel, count cells that meet a specific criterion. In this example only the Pen orders will be counted.
Match criterion in a stringIn Excel, count cells that contain a criterion as part of the cell's contents. In this example all Pen, Gel Pen, and Pencil orders will be counted, because they contain the string "pen".
Note: Instead of typing the criterion in a formula, you can refer to a cell. For example, the formula in step 7 above could be changed to: COUNTIF and COUNTIFS WarningsThere are a few things to be careful with, when using the COUNTIF and COUNTIFS functions. False Duplicates With COUNTIFBe careful when using COUNTIF, because it matches numbers, with text that looks like numbers, and that could result in false counts. For example, if you have a text entry -- "00123" -- it would be counted as a duplicate for the number -- 123. =COUNTIF($B$2:$B$10,B2))>1 If your data could contain entries like that, use SUMPRODUCT, instead of COUNTIF. =SUMPRODUCT(--($B$2:$B$10=B2))>1 Character Limit of 255COUNTIF and COUNTIFS can only check strings up to 255 characters. Here's a simple example to show the problem. This formula counts how many times an item appears in the Item column: In row 5, there is a #VALUE! error, because the text in cell C1 is longer than 255 characters. Use a Different FunctionTo avoid the problem with the 255 character limit, use the SUMPRODUCT function, instead of COUNTIF or COUNTIFS. Here is the revised formula:
Here's how that SUMPRODUCT formula works:
Microsoft Workaround Does Not WorkOn Microsoft's COUNTIF page, it says you can work around the 255 character limit, by joining two long strings with the concatenate operator (&). Here's an example:
That suggestion does NOT work for me ! Count Numbers in NumbersThe COUNTIF function can find specific letters or numbers in a text string. However, COUNTIF cannot find a specific number within a real number. In the screen shot below, there are 4 items in the list that contain a "1". The COUNTIF formula in cell A9 gives an incorrect result of 3. It does not count the "1" in cell A2, because that cell contains a real number, not a text string. Use FIND or SEARCHAlthough the COUNTIF function can't count specific numbers within real numbers, the FIND or SEARCH function will locate them. In the screen shot below, the following formulas are used in columns C, D and E, to look for a "1". The ISNUMBER function returns True or False, and the two minus signs (double unary) convert True to 1 and False to 0 (zero).
The FIND and SEARCH formulas found all 4 items that contain a "1". The COUNTIF formula only found 3 items. Use SUMPRODUCT with FIND or SEARCHInstead of checking each row individually, use the SUMPRODUCT function with FIND or SEARCH, to get the total count for the list.
Example 1: NumbersIn this example, the formulas give a count of cells that contain a 1. The result is 4 in both cases.
Example 2: LettersIn the next example, the formulas give a count of cells that contain "a". FIND only counts the lower-case "a" (1), and SEARCH counts both the upper-case "A", and lower-case "a" (2).
Count Cells "Less Than" or "Greater Than"In this video, see how to use COUNTIF function to count the number of items in a list that are over or under a specific amount. Written instructions are below the video: Count Cells Greater Than or Equal toYou can use an operator with a criterion. In this example only the rows where the quantity is greater than or equal to ten will be counted.
Note: Instead of typing the criterion in a formula, you can refer to a cell. For example, the formula in step 8 above could be changed to: Or, you could use a function as part of the criterion. For example: Count Cells Between 5 and 10You can combine COUNTIF formulas, to count rows that are within a range of values. In this example, the formula will count rows where the quantity is between 5 and 10 (inclusive).
Note: Instead of typing the criterion in a formula, you can refer to a cell. For example, the formula in step 8 above could be changed to: Change Operator for COUNTIF FunctionInstead of typing the operator into the COUNTIF formula, as shown above, you can create a list of all possible operators, and select one from a drop down list. Then, refer to that operator in the formula. This video shows the steps for setting up the formula, and the written instructions are below the video. Create a Drop Down List of OperatorsTo create a drop down list operators:
Use the Drop Down ListChange your COUNTIF formula, to replace the typed operator with a reference to the cell with the drop down list. =COUNTIF(B2:B11,E6&F6) Then, select one of the operators from the drop down list in cell E6, and the formula result will change. Count cells that match multiple criteriaThis video shows how to use the COUNTIFS function to count cells based on multiple criteria. Written instructions are below the video: --Count multiple criteria with COUNTIFS --Count multiple criteria with SUMPRODUCT --Count all dates in a specific month and year Count Cells that Match multiple criteriaIn Excel 2007 and later versions, you can use the COUNTIFS function to count rows that meet two or more criteria. In this example only the rows where the item is "Pen" and the quantity is greater than or equal to ten will be counted.
Note: Instead of typing the criterion in a formula, you can refer to a cell, as shown in the second formula below. If using operators, enclose them in double quote marks. Use typed criteria:
=COUNTIFS(A2:A10,"Pen",B2:B10,">=10")
=COUNTIFS(A2:A10,D3,B2:B10,">=" & E3) Count cells that match multiple criteria -- SUMPRODUCTIn this example, the SUMPRODUCT function is used to count the rows where the item is "Pen" and the quantity is greater than or equal to ten. This solution will work in older versions of Excel, where there COUNTIFS function is not available.
Note: Instead of typing the criterion in a formula, you can refer to a cell, as shown in the second formula below ▲TOP Use typed criteria: =SUMPRODUCT(--(A2:A10="Pen"),--(B2:B10>=10)) or cell references: =SUMPRODUCT(--(A2:A10=D2),--(B2:B10>=E2)) Count All Dates in Specific Month and YearIn this example, there is a date in cell A2, and the order list has dates in cell A5:A26. The following SUMPRODUCT function is in cell D2, and it counts all the dates that have the same month and year as the date in cell A2. =SUMPRODUCT((MONTH(A5:A26)=MONTH(A2))*(YEAR(A5:A26)=YEAR(A2)))
Count Duplicated Items in ListIn this example, there is a formula to check a column that should contain unique values only. It will alert you if any of the values have been duplicated. In cells A6:C12, there is a named table (tblIDs). In the ID column, each number should be unique, but 2 is entered twice, and 3 is entered twice. The formula shown below will count how many unique values have been duplicated.
Formula to Count Duplicated ItemsDuplicate ID numbers could cause problems, so we'll create a formula to check for them. To count the duplicated values, enter this formula in cell A4. The details are below: =SUMPRODUCT((tblIDs[ID]<>"") / NOTE: To simply highlight duplicate values in a column, use Conditional Formatting. How It WorksThe SUMPRODUCT formula contains 3 formulas:
Next, A is divided by B, and C is subtracted Finally, those results are summed, to give the count of duplicated values. Calculate in the Formula BarIn the formula bar, you can select each formula (A, B, and C), and press F9 to calculate that formula. This screen shot shows the results. Then, calculate the A/B portion of the formula, to see these results. TRUE is equal to 1, so 1/1 equals 1, and 1/2 equals 0.5. Next, calculate A/B - C, to see these results. TRUE is 1 and FALSE is zero, so 1-1 equals zero, and 0.5 - 0 equals 0.5: Finally, the SUMPRODUCT function gives the sum of those numbers, with the result of 2. Worksheet FormulasYou can see the same results if you put each part of the formula on the worksheet, and calculate each row separately. In this screen shot, you can see the A and B results, then A/B. Next, see the C calculations, and A/B-C. At the bottom of the final column, the sum is shown. Use the Formula ResultIn other parts of your workbook, you can refer to cell A4 (DupIds), to create warning messages, or show a zero, instead of the expected results. For example, show a message with a formula like this:
Or, multiply by 1 (TRUE) or zero (FALSE) in other formulas, based on the number in the DupIDs cell.
Count Rows in a Filtered ListAfter you filter the rows in a list, you can use functions to count only the visible rows. Count Rows in a Filtered List With SUBTOTALAfter you filter the rows in a list, you can use the SUBTOTAL function to count the visible rows.
Note: To subtotal rows which have been either manually hidden or filtered, use 103 as the function number, instead of 3: Count Rows in Filtered List With AGGREGATEAfter you filter the rows in a list, you can use the AGGREGATE function to count the visible rows. This function was introduced in Excel 2010, and is similar to SUBTOTAL, but it has 19 functions, compared to SUBTOTAL's 11 functions. Another advantage is that it can ignore errors, as well as hidden rows.
The two visible numbers are counted, and the error in cell D9 is ignored. Count Specific Items in a Filtered ListLaurent Longre created a formula that lets you work with visible rows after a filter. For information see, Power Formula Technique in this article at John Walkenbach's web site (via the WayBack Machine site): Incorporating that technique, SUMPRODUCT can be used to count visible items in a filtered table. In the following example, column D has been filtered for amounts greater than 100. The following formula will count the number of visible rows that contain "Pen" in column A.
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET(A1:A10,ROW(A1:A10)
Count Unique Items in a Filtered ListIn the Excel Expert Newsletter (issue 20, July 8, 2001 - no longer available), there is a formula to count unique items in a filtered list. In this example, the list is filtered for the Central region, and unique items in column D are counted.
=SUM(N(IF(ISNA(MATCH("""",unRge,0)),MATCH(Rge,Rge,0), IF(MATCH(unRge,unRge,0)=MATCH("""",unRge,0),0, MATCH(unRge,unRge,0)))=ROW(Rge)-MIN(ROW(Rge))+1))
Get the COUNT Sample FilesMore Function TutorialsDate Range, Sum or Count Calculation Options Count Criteria in Other Column Count Specific Items Count Specific Items in Cell Count Cells With Specific Text AVERAGE SUM / SUMIF Subtotal Feature |