Google Sheets COUNTIF

Google Sheets COUNTIF counts cells that meet one condition. Use it when a sheet needs a quick count by status, category, owner, date, text value, or numeric threshold.

It is simple, but it shows up constantly in operating spreadsheets because counts are often the first summary people need before building pivots or dashboards.

The syntax

• range - the cells to evaluate
• criterion - the condition each cell must meet

The criterion can be text, a number, a comparison, or a reference to another cell.

Count exact text matches

Say a project tracker uses column D for status. To count rows marked Blocked, use:

This returns the number of blocked tasks in the range. The same pattern works for expense categories, campaign channels, lead stages, or approval states.

For example, a project tracker can count blocked work, while an expense tracker can count transactions in a specific category.

Count values above or below a threshold

Use comparison operators inside quotes:

That counts cells in E2:E200 greater than 1000.

For a budget review, you might count expenses above a review threshold:

If the threshold lives in another cell, join the operator to the reference:

That makes the formula easier to reuse because the threshold can change without editing the formula.

Count blanks and non-blanks

COUNTIF can also check whether fields are filled in:

That counts blank cells. To count non-blank cells, use:

This is useful when a shared tracker needs to count missing owners, blank due dates, or tasks without next steps.

Count partial text matches

Use wildcards when the cell may contain extra text:

That counts cells containing the word invoice anywhere in the text. Wildcards are helpful for notes, descriptions, or imported labels, but they are not a replacement for clean categories.

Common COUNTIF problems

Check criteria and ranges before changing the formula

COUNTIF compares each cell with one criterion. Text criteria should be quoted, and comparison criteria such as greater-than thresholds belong inside the string: =COUNTIF(E2:E200,">1000"). When the threshold is in H2, join the operator and cell reference: =COUNTIF(E2:E200,">"&H2).

Date counts are easiest when the source column contains real dates. Use a date expression such as =COUNTIF(A2:A200,">="&DATE(2026,1,1)) instead of depending on a locale-specific text date. COUNTIF is not case-sensitive, but spaces and inconsistent labels still matter. Clean the source or use dropdowns for controlled categories.

For two or more conditions, use COUNTIFS and keep every criteria range the same size. Also check that the selected range includes newly added rows; a correct formula pointed at an old boundary will still return an incomplete count.

Sources

• Google Docs Editors Help: COUNTIF
• Google Docs Editors Help: COUNTIFS

The Griddy way

COUNTIF is easy to write once, but annoying to repeat across every status, category, owner, and threshold summary in a live sheet.

"Add a summary block that counts tasks by status and flags missing owners in this Google Sheets tracker"

Griddy can inspect the actual columns, write the COUNTIF formulas, and place the summary where the team can review it.