Totals and counts function

COUNT

Count the cells holding numbers.

Purpose

Count how many cells in a range hold numbers

Returns

A number: how many of the cells are numeric

Syntax

=COUNT(range1, [range2], ...)

Argument	Required	What goes here
`range1`	Required	The cells to look at, like C2:C13.
`range2`	Optional	The cells to look at, like C2:C13.

How to use COUNT

COUNT counts numbers, and nothing else. Text, blanks and headings are all skipped.

On its own that sounds like a limitation. It is the whole point: COUNT against COUNTA on the same block is the fastest check there is for a column that should be numeric and is not.

Eight invoices and six amounts means two rows will not add up, and knowing that takes two formulas and no scrolling.

Examples

Every result below is worked out by the same evaluator that marks your answers, on the sheet shown here.

Payables ageing — October.xlsxSheet1

Harbour Foods payables at 31 October 2026, with supplier terms alongside
	A	B	C	D	E	G	H
1	Invoice	Supplier	Status	Days overdue	Amount	Supplier	Terms (days)
2	INV-8801	Brightwell Paper	Overdue	12	940	Ashgrove Catering	30
3	INV-8802	Calder Utilities	Queried	47	1180	Brightwell Paper	30
4	INV-8803	Meridian Freight	Overdue	63	2450	Calder Utilities	14
5	INV-8804	Ashgrove Catering	On terms	0	405	Meridian Freight	45
6	INV-8805	Brightwell Paper	Overdue	38	760	Thornbury Print	60
7	INV-8806	Thornbury Print	Overdue	91	1320
8	INV-8807	Meridian Freight	On terms	0	580
9	INV-8808	Calder Utilities	Overdue	24	215

Formula	Result
`=COUNT(E2:E9)`Eight amounts, all of them numeric.	8
`=COUNT(A2:A9)`The invoice column is text, so COUNT finds nothing at all.	0
`=COUNTA(A2:A9)-COUNT(E2:E9)`Rows against amounts. Anything but nought means a row has no figure against it.	0

Notes

COUNT is about how many, never about how much. SUM is the one that adds.
Dates here are held as text, so COUNT does not count them.

Syntax

How to use COUNT

Examples

Notes

Related