The COUNT and COUNTA Functions
Count how many cells actually have something in them — numbers, or anything at all.
Compatibility: All Excel versions
What You'll Learn
- The difference between COUNT and COUNTA
- When to use COUNT vs. COUNTA for a given task
- What COUNTBLANK is used for
COUNT counts how many cells in a range contain a number, ignoring text and blank cells entirely:
=COUNT(A1:A20)
COUNTA: Counting Everything
COUNTA counts how many cells in a range contain anything at all — numbers, text, or dates — and only skips truly empty cells:
=COUNTA(A1:A20)
Use COUNT when you specifically care about numeric entries (like counting how many students actually received a numeric grade), and COUNTA when you just want to know how many rows have been filled in at all (like counting how many rows of a form have been submitted so far).
A Related Function: COUNTBLANK
If you need the opposite — how many cells are empty — COUNTBLANK(range) does exactly that, which can be a fast way to spot incomplete data entry.
Common Mistakes
- Using COUNT when COUNTA was actually needed, and getting a lower number than expected because text entries got skipped
- Assuming a blank-looking cell is truly empty when it actually contains an empty text string
Practice Exercise
In a column of 10 cells, mix in some numbers, some text, and leave a few blank. Use COUNT, COUNTA, and COUNTBLANK next to it and confirm each gives a different, sensible result.
Key Takeaways
- COUNT only counts numbers
- COUNTA counts anything non-blank, including text
- COUNTBLANK counts truly empty cells