COUNT Function in Excel: Explained

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

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What does the COUNT formula in Excel?

The COUNT formula in Excel counts the number of cells in a range that contain numbers.

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When do you use the COUNT function in Excel?

You can use the COUNT function to count the number of cells containing numeric values in your dataset, especially when its data amount is significant. Examples include:

1. To find the number of entries in a database: If you have an extensive database with many entries, you can use the COUNT function to find out how many entries there are.
2. To calculate the number of successful transactions: If you have a list of transactions with deal values, you can use the COUNT function to find the number of successful transactions by counting the number of values.

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How to use the COUNT function in Excel

The general syntax for using the COUNT function in Excel is as follows:

=COUNT(value1, [value2], ...)

In this formula, the "value" argument(s) is the range of cells you want to count. You can input up to 255 arguments.

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Note 1: Although you can refer to a range containing different types of values in the “value” argument, the formula only counts numeric values (incl. dates) but ignores empty cells, logical values, text, or error values in the referenced field.

Note 2: If you want to count the number of cells containing value types that the COUNT can’t count up, you can use the COUNTA formula instead.

Note 3: If you need to count the number of cells that meets one or more conditions, insert the COUNTIF or COUNTIFS functions.

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Assume you have the following transaction list in the picture, which contains five transactions, and want to know the number of completed transactions by counting the number of final deal values input in the list. Three of the five transactions show their final deal values, whereas the other two projects have an “N/A” value.

You can use the following formula to check the number of numeric values in the range:

=COUNT(C3:C7)

This function will count the number of cells in the range C3:C7 that contain numbers and returns 3 as there are three numeric values in the range (100, 300, and 500).

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