COUNTA

Count non-empty cells in Excel, regardless of whether they contain numbers, text, or errors.

Statistical
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Excel All versions
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Google Sheets Supported

Spreadsheet editor

Syntax

=COUNTA(value1, [value2, ...]) Returns: Number

Arguments

Argument Required Description
value1 Yes The first argument representing the range, cell references, or individual values to be counted. This can be a reference to cells, ranges, or actual values.
... No Additional arguments representing the range, cell references, or individual values to be counted. These can be references to cells, ranges, or actual values separated by commas.

About

COUNTA counts any cell that contains something. Unlike COUNT, which only counts numbers, COUNTA counts cells with text, numbers, dates, errors, and even formulas that return empty text. Use it when you need to know how many cells in a range have any content at all.

This function is helpful for tracking response rates in surveys, checking how many team members submitted data, or verifying that required fields are filled in. If a cell looks empty but contains a formula like ="", COUNTA counts it because technically there's content there.

For counting only numbers, use COUNT. For counting cells that meet specific conditions, check out COUNTIF and COUNTIFS.

Examples

Error values inflate your counts

Watch how COUNTA treats #DIV/0! errors as non-empty cells. This commission tracker shows the difference between counting all entries versus filtering out errors.

Spreadsheet editor

Count multiple ranges at once

Use COUNTA with separate ranges to track attendance across different days in one formula. Try adding or removing attendance marks to see the total update across all three days.

Spreadsheet editor

Watch out for

⚠

Formulas returning empty text still count

Cells with formulas like =IF(A1="","",A1) appear empty but COUNTA counts them because they contain a formula.

→ If you want truly blank cells to not count, use COUNTBLANK or modify your formulas to return nothing when conditions aren't met.

⚠

Counts errors as valid data

COUNTA treats #N/A, #VALUE!, and other errors as content, which might inflate your counts.

→ Use COUNTIF with criteria that exclude errors, or combine with IFERROR to handle error cases first.

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Different from COUNT for mixed data

In a column with both numbers and text, COUNTA counts everything while COUNT only tallies numbers, leading to confusion.

→ Remember: COUNTA is for any content, COUNT is for numbers only. Choose based on what you're actually measuring.

Tips & notes

COUNTA accepts up to 255 separate arguments, mixing ranges and individual cells as needed. A space character counts as content, so cells that look blank but have a space will be counted.

Common questions

What's the difference between COUNTA and COUNT?

COUNT only tallies cells with numbers, while COUNTA counts any cell with content (numbers, text, dates, errors, or formulas). Use COUNT for numeric data and COUNTA when any response matters.

Does COUNTA count cells with zeros?

Yes, a cell containing 0 is counted because zero is a number. COUNTA treats it as valid content, not as empty.

Will COUNTA count a cell with just a space?

Yes, even a single space character makes a cell count as non-empty. This can cause unexpected results if you have hidden spaces in your data.

Practice this function

Count items in a list

Beginner

Count how many products are in the inventory list.

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