Excel guide · 3 min read

COUNT vs COUNTA vs COUNTBLANK

Q: How do I count cells that are not blank?

Use COUNTA, or =COUNTIF(range,"<>"). If formulas return "" and you want those excluded, use =COUNTIF(range,"?*") for text or COUNT for numbers.

Quick answerCOUNT counts only cells that contain numbers (dates count, because they are numbers). COUNTA counts every cell that is not empty: numbers, text, errors, and formulas that return "". COUNTBLANK counts empty cells, and it also counts formulas that return "". So a formula showing nothing is counted by both COUNTA and COUNTBLANK.

Sample data

Every result on this page was calculated from this sheet by the same spreadsheet engine the Cellwise app uses.

	A	B	C
1	Student	Quiz score	Retake?
2	Ava	88
3	Ben	absent
4	Cara
5	Dev	92
6	Elif	0	Retake
7	Finn	79
8	Gus	65	Retake

The data: one column with everything in it

Seven students. Ava, Dev, Elif and Gus have numeric scores (Elif scored 0). Ben is marked "absent", Cara's cell is empty, and Finn's 79 was pasted in as text. Column C holds a formula that shows "Retake" for scores under 70 and "" otherwise.

This mix is exactly what real sheets look like, and each function sees it differently.

COUNT: numbers only

COUNT is what you want when you need "how many scores were entered", because it ignores the "absent" label and the empty cell. It also ignores Finn's 79, because it is text, which is how COUNT doubles as a test for numbers stored as text.

The 0 is counted. Zero is a number, so if you want only scores above zero, use =COUNTIF(B2:B8,">0").

=COUNT(B2:B8)

Result: 4

4: 88, 92, 0 and 65. "absent", the empty cell and the text "79" are skipped.

COUNTA: anything that is not empty

COUNTA counts the text cells too, so it answers "how many students have any entry". Use it to count names in a list, filled-in responses, or rows of data.

Comparing the two is a quick audit: COUNTA minus COUNT is the number of non-numbers in a column that should be all numbers. Here that is 2, Ben's "absent" and Finn's text 79.

=COUNTA(B2:B8)

Result: 6

6: every cell except Cara's empty one.

COUNTBLANK: empty cells

COUNTBLANK answers "who has not been graded yet". In column B only Cara's cell is empty, so it returns 1. A cell with 0 is not blank, and neither is a cell with a space in it.

Use COUNTBLANK on a range only. It does not take multiple ranges like COUNT and COUNTA do.

=COUNTBLANK(B2:B8)

Result: 1

1: only Cara has no entry.

The trap: formulas that return ""

Column C looks like it has two entries, but every cell holds a formula. COUNTA counts all seven, because a formula is not empty. COUNTBLANK counts the five that show "", because their result is empty text. The two numbers add up to more than the rows you have.

To count only cells that visibly show something, use =COUNTIF(C2:C8,"?*") for text results, or count the value you care about directly: =COUNTIF(C2:C8,"Retake").

=COUNTA(C2:C8)

Result: 7

7, even though only two cells show Retake. Each formula counts as filled. COUNTBLANK(C2:C8) gives 5 on the same range.

Common mistakes

Using COUNT to count names or text

COUNT ignores text, so a list of names returns 0. Use COUNTA for anything that is not purely numbers.

COUNTA counting cells that look empty

A space, an apostrophe or a formula returning "" all count. Find them with Go To Special > Constants, or use COUNTIF(range,"?*") for visible text.

Treating 0 as blank

COUNT counts 0 and COUNTBLANK does not. If zeros mean "no data", count them separately with COUNTIF(range,0).

FAQ

Does COUNT count dates?

Yes. Excel stores dates as numbers, so COUNT includes real dates. A date typed as text, such as one imported from a CSV, is not counted, which is a good way to spot them.

Does COUNTA count errors like #N/A?

Yes. COUNTA counts errors because the cell is not empty. COUNT ignores them.

How do I count cells that are not blank?

Use COUNTA, or =COUNTIF(range,"<>"). If formulas return "" and you want those excluded, use =COUNTIF(range,"?*") for text or COUNT for numbers.

What is the difference between COUNTBLANK and ISBLANK?

COUNTBLANK counts cells in a range and includes "" from formulas. ISBLANK checks one cell and is TRUE only for a truly empty cell, so ISBLANK on a "" formula returns FALSE.

Functions used

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Updated November 2, 2026