Excel COUNTBLANK Function

Excel COUNTBLANK Function?

The COUNTBLANK Function is one of the functions in Excel categorized as a Statistical function. It is used as a worksheet function (WS) which means the COUNTBLANK function can be inserted as part of a formula into a cell of a worksheet.

What is Excel COUNTBLANK Function?

The Excel COUNTBLANK function returns a count of empty or blank cells in a range of cells. This function does not count cells that contain numbers, or text, or errors, etc.

Formula or Syntax

=COUNTBLANK (range)

Parameters or arguments of COUNTBLANK function

The COUNTBLANK function has the following arguments:

Range(required): The range where the blank cells are counted.

How to use the Excel COUNTBLANK Function?

The COUNTBLANK function is used to count the number of blank cells in a range.

Let us try to apply the COUNTBLANK function in the example below.

The following table contains some different types of values present in cells of the worksheet.

Figure 1. Table as an example of COUNTBLANK function.

2. Apply the COUNTBLANK function to calculate the total blank cells in the range. The “range” here is from row B3 to E3.

Figure 2. The COUNTBLANK function showing the “range” parameter

3. Drag the formula from cell F3 to F7. When the COUNTBLANK function is applied, it calculates the total blank cells within the range.

Figure 3. The COUNTBLANK function showing the total number of blank cells in the range.

4. In the range B3 to E3, the total blank cell(s) present is 1. The blank cell was with a formula which returns an empty text (“”). The COUNTBLANK function considered the cell blank and was counted.

Figure 4. The COUNTBLANK function considers the empty text blank.

Notes

Cells that contain errors, numbers, text, etc. are not counted.
Cells that contain zero “0” value are not blank and will not be counted.
Cells with a formula that return an empty text (“”), are regarded as blank and will be counted.