Cellwise

Counting function

Excel COUNTBLANK function

COUNTBLANK counts how many cells in a range are empty. Use it to spot missing entries, like timesheet days nobody filled in or survey questions left unanswered.

fx=COUNTBLANK(range)

Arguments

range
The range to check for empty cells.

COUNTBLANK examples

Every result below was calculated live from this sample sheet.

ABCDEF
1EmployeeMonTueWedThuFri
2Rachel87.5886
3Dmitri888
4Ama0888
5Felix77777
  1. fx=COUNTBLANK(B3:F3)

    Result: 2

    Dmitri has two days with no hours entered.

  2. fx=COUNTBLANK(B4:F4)

    Result: 1

    Ama logged 0 on Monday. A zero is a value, so only Friday counts as blank.

  3. fx=COUNTBLANK(B2:F5)

    Result: 3

    Total missing entries across the whole timesheet.

  4. fx=IF(COUNTBLANK(B5:F5)=0,"Complete","Missing days")

    Result: Complete

    Mark a row as complete when nothing is left blank.

How to use COUNTBLANK

  1. Click an empty cell.
  2. Type =COUNTBLANK(
  3. Select the range to check.
  4. Close the bracket and press Enter.

Common COUNTBLANK mistakes

Expecting zeros to count

A 0 is not blank. Use COUNTIF(range,0) to count zeros separately.

Formulas that return ""

COUNTBLANK treats a formula showing "" as blank, but COUNTA counts it as filled. Know which one your report needs.

Passing more than one range

COUNTBLANK takes just one range. Add two COUNTBLANK results together for separate areas.

COUNTBLANK FAQ

How do I count empty cells in Excel?

Use =COUNTBLANK(A2:A100). You can also use =COUNTIF(A2:A100,"").

Does COUNTBLANK count cells with spaces?

No. A cell with a space is not empty, so it is not counted. Use TRIM to clean data that has stray spaces.

Why is COUNTBLANK counting cells with formulas?

A formula that returns an empty string "" looks blank, and COUNTBLANK counts it. The cell is not truly empty, though.

Practice COUNTBLANK in these lessons

Guides that use COUNTBLANK

Related functions

Updated 2026-10-31