Excel function · Counting
COUNTBLANK
Counts the empty cells in a range.
What it does
COUNTBLANK counts the cells in a range that have nothing in them. A formula that returns empty text ("") counts as blank too, which makes it handy for checking what's still missing.
Syntax
=COUNTBLANK(range)Arguments in square brackets are optional, and … means you can add more of the same. In this Excel language, arguments are separated by ,
Arguments
- range
- The range to check. Unlike
COUNTA, it takes one range only.
Example
Five seats, some with a guest's name. How many are still free?
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seat | Guest |
| 2 | 1 | Lia |
| 3 | 2 | |
| 4 | 3 | Tom |
| 5 | 4 | |
| 6 | 5 | |
| 7 | Free seats | 3 |
The formula in B7:
=COUNTBLANK(B2:B6)Result: 3
Only B2 and B4 have names. B3, B5 and B6 are empty, so 3 seats are free.
Common mistakes
- A cell with a space in it isn't blank, even though it looks empty.
- Zero isn't blank. A seat marked 0 counts as filled.
In other Excel languages
Excel translates function names, and in some languages the argument separator too. Type the name your Excel shows.
| Excel language | Function name | Separator |
|---|---|---|
| English | COUNTBLANK | , |
| Deutsch | ANZAHLLEEREZELLEN | ; |
| Français | NB.VIDE | ; |
| Español (España) | CONTAR.BLANCO | ; |
| Español (México) | CONTAR.BLANCO | , |
| 日本語 | COUNTBLANK | , |
| 한국어 | COUNTBLANK | , |
| 繁體中文 | COUNTBLANK | , |
| ไทย | COUNTBLANK | , |
| ខ្មែរ | COUNTBLANK | , |
| Tiếng Việt | COUNTBLANK | ; |