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Excel Formulas

COUNTBLANK Function in Excel: Explained

In this article, you will learn how to use the COUNTBLANK formula in Excel.

What does the COUNTBLANK function do in Excel?

The COUNTBLANK function in Excel counts the number of blank cells within a specified range.

When is the COUNTBLANK function beneficial in Excel?

The COUNTBLANK function can be beneficial in Excel when you need to quickly determine the number of empty cells within a specific range. For example, if the COUNTBLANK function returns a value equal to or greater than 1, there is at least one blank cell in the selected range. It helps find missing data and monitor data quality in your spreadsheets.

How to use the COUNTBLANK formula in Excel?

The general syntax of the COUNTBLANK formula is as follows:

=COUNTBLANK(range)

range: This is the range in which you want to count the number of empty cells

Note: The COUNTBLANK function considers cells embedding ”” (empty string) as empty cells.

Assume you have the following dataset in the picture below and want to know the number of “No response” by counting the number of empty cells with the following formula.

=COUNTBLANK(C3:C7)

The formula should return 2, as there is one cell containing nothing (cell C4) and another cell incorporating ”” (empty string) (cell C7), both of which are highlighted in blue. Note that a space is considered a value; thus, the formula recognizes cells containing only space as non-empty cells.

How to use the COUNTBLANK formula in Excel with an example

What is the difference between the COUNTA and COUNTBLANK functions?

The difference between the COUNTA and COUNTBLANK functions in Excel is that the COUNTA function counts the number of non-empty cells in a range. On the other hand, the COUNTBLANK function calculates the number of empty cells (cells with no data) in the selected field.

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