The Excel COUNT function counts how many cells in a range contain numbers. Text, blanks, and logical values are skipped, making it the quick way to tally numeric entries.
Syntax
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
value1 | Required | The first item, cell, or range to count numbers in. |
value2, ... | Optional | Up to 255 additional items or ranges. |
How to use it
COUNT tallies numeric values only. Numbers, dates, and times count; text, blank cells, and logical values inside a range are ignored.
To count non-empty cells of any type (including text), use COUNTA. To count empty cells, use COUNTBLANK. To count by condition, use COUNTIF or COUNTIFS.
Dates count as numbers. Because Excel stores dates and times as serial numbers, COUNT includes them — handy for counting how many rows actually have a date filled in.
Try it: interactive demo
Pick a COUNT example to see the formula and its result.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
What does COUNT actually count?
How is COUNT different from COUNTA?
COUNT counts numbers only; COUNTA counts every non-empty cell, including text and logical values. Use COUNTA when you want a tally of all filled cells.Does COUNT include TRUE/FALSE?
=COUNT(TRUE), is counted — but that's an unusual case.)How do I count cells that meet a condition?
COUNTIF for a single condition or COUNTIFS for multiple conditions across several ranges.Master functions like this in one day
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