MS Excel: Working with COUNTIF Explained
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
The COUNTIF function in Excel is a powerful tool for counting cells that meet specific criteria. It helps you quickly summarise data, track occurrences, and spot trends without manually scanning your spreadsheet.
COUNTIF is widely used in finance, administration, HR, and reporting roles.
What Does COUNTIF Do?
COUNTIF counts the number of cells in a range that meet a single condition.
For example, if you have a list of orders and want to know how many exceed £1,000, COUNTIF does it automatically.
The Structure of COUNTIF
=COUNTIF(range, criteria)
range – The group of cells to check
criteria – The condition that determines which cells to count
Examples
1️⃣ Counting Numbers Greater Than a Value
=COUNTIF(B2:B20, ">1000")
Counts all values in the range B2:B20 that are greater than 1000.
2️⃣ Counting Text Matches
=COUNTIF(C2:C20, "Completed")
Counts all cells in C2:C20 that exactly match “Completed”.
3️⃣ Using Wildcards
* (asterisk) = any number of characters
? (question mark) = any single character
Example:
=COUNTIF(D2:D20, "*Manager*")
Counts all cells containing the word “Manager” anywhere in the text.
Why COUNTIF Matters
COUNTIF is essential for:
✔ Summarising large datasets quickly
✔ Tracking specific conditions (e.g., overdue invoices, completed tasks)
✔ Generating reports without manual counting
✔ Identifying trends and exceptions
It’s a simple but highly effective function for everyday Excel tasks.
Final Thoughts
Learning COUNTIF allows you to analyse data efficiently, reduce errors, and produce professional insights quickly. It’s one of the first steps toward mastering Excel formulas for reporting and analysis.
Comments