Excel's COUNT function is one of a group of Count Functions that can be used when you need to total the number of cells in a selected range.
The COUNT function's job is to only add up the cells in a selected range that contain numbers. It ignores empty cells or those contain text. If a number is later added to an empty cell the function will be automatically updated to include this new data.
Be aware that dates, times, functions, and formulas are stored as numbers in Excel. The COUNT function will, therefore, include any cells containing these types of data in the total.
The syntax for the COUNT function is:
=COUNT( Range )
Range - the group of cells the function is to count.
Example: Using Excel's COUNT Function
For help with this example, see the image above.
- Enter the following data into cells D1 to D4: 11, twelve, 13, 14.
- Enter the following data into cell D6: 16.
- Note that we have intentionally left cell D5 blank.
- Click on cell E1 - the location where the results will be displayed.
- Click on the Formulas tab.
- Choose More Functions > Statistical from the ribbon to open the function drop down list.
- Click on COUNT in the list to bring up that function's dialog box.
- Drag select cells D1 to D6 on the spreadsheet to enter the range into the dialog box.
- Click OK.
- The answer 4 should appear in cell E1 since only four of the six cells in the range contain numbers.
- Cell D2, which contains text, and cell D5, which is blank, are ignored by the COUNT function.
- When you click on cell E1 the complete function =COUNT( D1 : D6 ) appears in the formula bar above the worksheet.
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