--- title: "COUNTIF function in Excel: syntax and examples | PracticeExcel" description: "How to use COUNTIF in Excel and Google Sheets: count cells with text, numbers or wildcards. Examples and a live drill." canonical_url: "https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif" locale: en meta: "og:description": "How to use COUNTIF in Excel and Google Sheets: count cells with text, numbers or wildcards. Examples and a live drill." "og:image": "https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~Q09VTlRJRiBmdW5jdGlvbiBpbiBFeGNlbDogc3ludGF4IGFuZCBleGFtcGxlcw%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBDT1VOVElGIGluIEV4Y2VsIGFuZCBHb29nbGUgU2hlZXRzOiBjb3VudCBjZWxscyB3aXRoIHRleHQsIG51bWJlcnMgb3Igd2lsZGNhcmRzLiBFeGFtcGxlcyBhbmQgYSBsaXZlIGRyaWxsLg%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~Q09VTlRJRihyYW5nZSwgY3JpdGVyaWEp%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvY291bnRpZiI%2Cs_feXOBSbBrDz85ftW.png" "og:image:height": "600" "og:image:type": image/png "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "COUNTIF function in Excel: syntax and examples | PracticeExcel" "twitter:image": "https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~Q09VTlRJRiBmdW5jdGlvbiBpbiBFeGNlbDogc3ludGF4IGFuZCBleGFtcGxlcw%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBDT1VOVElGIGluIEV4Y2VsIGFuZCBHb29nbGUgU2hlZXRzOiBjb3VudCBjZWxscyB3aXRoIHRleHQsIG51bWJlcnMgb3Igd2lsZGNhcmRzLiBFeGFtcGxlcyBhbmQgYSBsaXZlIGRyaWxsLg%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~Q09VTlRJRihyYW5nZSwgY3JpdGVyaWEp%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvY291bnRpZiI%2Cs_feXOBSbBrDz85ftW.png" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://practiceexcelonline.com/llms.txt) # **The COUNTIF function** Counts the cells in a range that meet one condition. Text conditions ignore upper and lower case. = COUNTIF( ## **Syntax** ``` COUNTIF(range, criteria) ```
**range **
The cells to count.
**criteria **
The condition, such as "North", ">=300", "*shoe*" or a cell.
## **Examples** E1`=COUNTIF(1A2:A6,2"North")` | | A | B | C | D | E | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Region | Product | Sales | | **3** | | 2 | North | Shoes | 500 | | | | 3 | South | Shoes | 300 | | | | 4 | North | Bags | 250 | | | | 5 | North | Shoes | 420 | | | | 6 | South | Bags | 180 | | | **In plain words:** Count the cells 1in A2:A6 that say 2North. E1=COUNTIF(C2:C6,">=300") | | A | B | C | D | E | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Region | Product | Sales | | **3** | | 2 | North | Shoes | 500 | | | | 3 | South | Shoes | 300 | | | | 4 | North | Bags | 250 | | | | 5 | North | Shoes | 420 | | | | 6 | South | Bags | 180 | | | ## **Practice COUNTIF** - [**1****COUNTIF with a text condition**→](https://practiceexcelonline.com/practice/countif/countif-text) - [**2****COUNTIF with a number condition**→](https://practiceexcelonline.com/practice/countif/countif-greater-than) - [**3****COUNTIF with the limit in a cell**→](https://practiceexcelonline.com/practice/countif/countif-criteria-from-a-cell) - [**4****Count everything except one value**→](https://practiceexcelonline.com/practice/countif/countif-not-equal) - [**5****Count with a wildcard**→](https://practiceexcelonline.com/practice/countif/countif-wildcard-contains) - [**6****Find duplicates**→](https://practiceexcelonline.com/practice/conditional-formatting/find-duplicates) ## **Read the guide** - [**Free Excel course online: learn Excel from your first formula to job-ready**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/learn/how-to-learn-excel) - [**Pivot tables explained, and the formulas that do the same job**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/learn/pivot-tables) - [**Conditional formatting in Excel: highlight cells and rows with rules and formulas**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/learn/conditional-formatting-excel) - [**How to create a drop-down list in Excel, and make it update itself**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/learn/drop-down-list-excel) ## **Questions**
### How do I count cells that contain a word? Use wildcards: =COUNTIF(A2:A6,"\*north\*") counts cells with "north" anywhere in them.
## **Related functions** - [**COUNTIFS**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countifs) - [**SUMIF**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sumif) - [**COUNTA**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/counta) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity","@type":"Organization","name":"PracticeExcel","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/","logo":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#website","@type":"WebSite","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"PracticeExcel","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/","alternateName":["Practice Excel Online","PracticeExcelOnline.com"],"publisher":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity"},"workTranslation":{"@id":"https://excelopgaver.dk/#website"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#webpage","description":"How to use COUNTIF in Excel and Google Sheets: count cells with text, numbers or wildcards. Examples and a live drill.","name":"COUNTIF function in Excel: syntax and examples","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif","@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#breadcrumb"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#website"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#/schema/question/1"}],"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#breadcrumb","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Home","item":"https://practiceexcelonline.com","position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Excel functions","item":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions","position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"COUNTIF function in Excel: syntax and examples","position":3}]},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#article","description":"How to use COUNTIF in Excel and Google Sheets: count cells with text, numbers or wildcards. Examples and a live drill.","headline":"COUNTIF function in Excel: syntax and examples","inLanguage":"en-US","thumbnailUrl":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~Q09VTlRJRiBmdW5jdGlvbiBpbiBFeGNlbDogc3ludGF4IGFuZCBleGFtcGxlcw%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBDT1VOVElGIGluIEV4Y2VsIGFuZCBHb29nbGUgU2hlZXRzOiBjb3VudCBjZWxscyB3aXRoIHRleHQsIG51bWJlcnMgb3Igd2lsZGNhcmRzLiBFeGFtcGxlcyBhbmQgYSBsaXZlIGRyaWxsLg%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~Q09VTlRJRihyYW5nZSwgY3JpdGVyaWEp%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvY291bnRpZiI%2Cs_feXOBSbBrDz85ftW.png","@type":["Article","TechArticle"],"author":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity"},"image":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#/schema/image/1"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#webpage"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#webpage"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/countif#/schema/question/1","@type":"Question","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"How do I count cells that contain a word?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Use wildcards: =COUNTIF(A2:A6,\"*north*\") counts cells with \"north\" anywhere in them."}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"PracticeExcel","contentUrl":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/brand/practiceexcel/icon-512.png","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/brand/practiceexcel/icon-512.png"},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#/schema/image/1","@type":"ImageObject","contentUrl":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~Q09VTlRJRiBmdW5jdGlvbiBpbiBFeGNlbDogc3ludGF4IGFuZCBleGFtcGxlcw%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBDT1VOVElGIGluIEV4Y2VsIGFuZCBHb29nbGUgU2hlZXRzOiBjb3VudCBjZWxscyB3aXRoIHRleHQsIG51bWJlcnMgb3Igd2lsZGNhcmRzLiBFeGFtcGxlcyBhbmQgYSBsaXZlIGRyaWxsLg%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~Q09VTlRJRihyYW5nZSwgY3JpdGVyaWEp%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvY291bnRpZiI%2Cs_feXOBSbBrDz85ftW.png","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~Q09VTlRJRiBmdW5jdGlvbiBpbiBFeGNlbDogc3ludGF4IGFuZCBleGFtcGxlcw%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBDT1VOVElGIGluIEV4Y2VsIGFuZCBHb29nbGUgU2hlZXRzOiBjb3VudCBjZWxscyB3aXRoIHRleHQsIG51bWJlcnMgb3Igd2lsZGNhcmRzLiBFeGFtcGxlcyBhbmQgYSBsaXZlIGRyaWxsLg%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~Q09VTlRJRihyYW5nZSwgY3JpdGVyaWEp%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvY291bnRpZiI%2Cs_feXOBSbBrDz85ftW.png"}]} ``` ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://practiceexcelonline.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.