The COUNTA function
Counts the cells that contain something: a number, text, an error, or a formula returning an empty text.
Syntax
=COUNTA(value1, [value2], …)
In a French Excel: =NBVAL(valeur1; [valeur2]; …).
Arguments
- value1, value2…: cells or ranges.
An example
=COUNTA(A2:A500)
The number of filled rows in column A.
Pitfalls
- A formula returning "" counts as non-empty.
- A space makes a cell non-empty, and invisible.
Going further
- COUNT, COUNTBLANK for the opposite.
- Clean text: removes the spaces that make cells falsely filled.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I count distinct values?
=COUNTA(UNIQUE(A2:A500))in Excel 365; see UNIQUE.