COUNTBLANK Function in Google Sheets: Explained

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

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What is Google Sheets’ COUNTBLANK formula?

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This function counts the number of blank cells in the selected range. 

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How to use the COUNTBLANK function in Google Sheets

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• Type “=COUNTBLANK” or go to “Insert” → “Function” (or directly navigate to the “Functions” icon)  → “Math” → “COUNTBLANK”.

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• Select a range or an array including blank cells whose numbers you need to calculate

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• Press the “Enter” key.

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The general syntax is as follows:

=COUNTBLANK(value1, [value2, …])

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Value1: This argument should be a cell, range, or array.

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Value2: If you need to select other ranges, you can add as value2, value3, ….

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Note

1. The COUNTBLANK function counts the total number of blank cells. So, even when empty cells appear several times in a data set, they are calculated individually.
2. The function doesn’t count the number of cells incorporating any values, including ones containing only whitespace(s).
3. Ensure all cells you want to count don’t have hidden text such as “‘“, an apostrophe.

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The following screenshot presents how the function works in Google Sheets. As there are two entirely blank cells in the selected range, the formula returns two.

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How do I count filled cells in Google Sheets?

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You can use COUNT, COUNTA, or COUNTUNIQUE depending on your purpose.

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COUNT: This formula is effective when you want to calculate the number of numeric values including date and time.

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COUNTA: This function is helpful when you want to count the number of all values except for blank cells.

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COUNTUNIQUE: This formula is useful when you need to compute the number of unique values (excluding duplicates) in a range.

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