How to Count Cells with Text Values in Microsoft Excel

Quick summary

The COUNTIF function in Microsoft Excel lets you count cells containing text values by using an asterisk wildcard as the criteria. This step-by-step formula approach works in any Excel worksheet and returns an instant count of all text-filled cells in a selected range.

Steps

1. In your Microsoft Excel worksheet, select the cell where you want the result and type an equals sign (=).
2. Type COUNTIF and then select it from the autocomplete suggested results.
3. Enter the cell range containing the text values you wish to count.
4. Input a comma (,) to separate the range argument and add the criteria condition.
5. Enter an asterisk (*) enclosed in quotation marks ("*") to specify that you are counting cells with text values.
6. Add a closing parenthesis and press Enter or Return to run the formula.
7. The count of cells containing text values from the selected range will be displayed in your chosen cell.