Spreadsheet software, such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, is ideal for data manipulation. These applications seem to have an infinite number of options for modifying, organizing, and filtering through data. You may ultimately need to run a data query to count the number of cells that contain text. It is feasible to determine how many cells in a data collection include text if the cells contain a combination of numbers and letters.
In the tutorial below, we’ll teach you how to count cells with text in Excel and Google Sheets. Both programs go through the same procedure since they use many of the same functions and equations.
Regardless of the tool you choose, you may complete the work by following the instructions shown below.
How to Count Cells with Text in Excel?
Here is how to count cells with text in Excel:
- Select a cell where you want to display the count
- Use the equation =COUNTIF
- Select the range of data you want to include in your query
- Enter “*” as the criteria to look for any text in the range
- Press enter to count the cells with text
Open Microsoft Excel and go to the cell where you want to do the count. Begin by hitting the = symbol and solving the following equation:
=countif(range,criteria)
In the above example, the range is cells A1 through A8 (A1:A8), and the criteria are “*,” which implies any cell with text. The asterisk is a wildcard symbol that represents “any letters or words.”
The equation properly-recognized five cells containing text, as shown above. The outcome is shown in cell A10.
How to Count Cells with Text in Google Sheets?
Here is how to count cells with text in Google Sheets:
- Select a cell where you want to display the count
- Use the equation =COUNTIF
- Select the range of data you want to include in your query
- Enter “*” as the criteria to look for any text in the range
- Press enter to count the cells with text
Open your data in Google Sheets first. Locate an empty cell where you want to execute the count. Start inputting the equation, which should look like this:
=countif(range,criteria)
In the figure above, we’re looking at column A, which has six items. Cell A7 has the countif equation, which properly finds that there are three cells with text. Because the remaining three cells contain numbers, they are omitted from the count.
