How to Use the IF Function with Different Logical Tests to Calculate a Cell Only if It is Not Blank in Excel

Sometimes, you may want to perform a calculation in Excel only if a certain cell or range of cells is not blank. For example, you may want to calculate the average of a range of values only if all the values are entered, or you may want to display a message only if a cell contains some text. In this article, we will show you how to use the IF function with different logical tests to achieve this goal.

The IF function is one of the most commonly used functions in Excel. It allows you to run a logical test and return one value if the test is TRUE, and another value if the test is FALSE. The syntax of the IF function is:

=IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false)

The logical_test argument can be any expression that evaluates to TRUE or FALSE, such as a comparison operator, a logical operator, or a reference to a cell. The value_if_true and value_if_false arguments can be any value, formula, or function that you want to return based on the result of the logical_test.

To use the IF function to calculate a cell only if it is not blank, we need to construct a logical_test that checks whether the cell is empty or not. There are several ways to do this, depending on the situation and preference. We will discuss some of the most common methods in the next section.

Procedures

Method 1: Use the <> operator

One of the simplest ways to check if a cell is not blank is to use the <> operator, which means “not equal to”. For example, if we want to calculate the sum of the values in the range B2:B5 only if cell A2 is not blank, we can use the following formula:

=IF(A2<>“”,SUM(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it checks if A2 is not equal to an empty string (“”), which is how Excel represents a blank cell. If A2 is not blank, this condition returns TRUE. If A2 is blank, this condition returns FALSE.
• Next, it uses the IF function to return the sum of B2:B5 if the condition is TRUE, or an empty string if the condition is FALSE.

This method is easy to use and understand, but it has one limitation: it will not work if the cell contains a formula that returns an empty string. For example, if A2 has the formula =“” (which is a valid formula in Excel), the condition A2<>“” will return FALSE, even though A2 looks blank. To overcome this problem, we can use other methods that are more robust.

Method 2: Use the ISBLANK function

Another way to check if a cell is not blank is to use the ISBLANK function, which returns TRUE if a cell reference is empty, and FALSE if not. For example, if we want to calculate the average of the values in the range B2:B5 only if cell A2 is not blank, we can use the following formula:

=IF(NOT(ISBLANK(A2)),AVERAGE(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the ISBLANK function to check if A2 is empty. If A2 is blank, this function returns TRUE. If A2 is not blank, this function returns FALSE.
• Next, it uses the NOT function to reverse the output of ISBLANK. If ISBLANK returns TRUE, NOT returns FALSE. If ISBLANK returns FALSE, NOT returns TRUE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the average of B2:B5 if NOT(ISBLANK(A2)) is TRUE, or an empty string if NOT(ISBLANK(A2)) is FALSE.

This method is more reliable than the previous one, because it can handle cells that contain formulas that return an empty string. For example, if A2 has the formula =“” (which is a valid formula in Excel), the ISBLANK function will return TRUE, and the NOT function will return FALSE, preventing the calculation from happening.

However, this method is slightly more complex and verbose, and it requires the use of two nested functions. If you want to simplify the formula, you can use another method that is more compact.

Method 3: Use the COUNTBLANK function

A third way to check if a cell or a range of cells is not blank is to use the COUNTBLANK function, which counts the number of empty cells in a range. For example, if we want to calculate the average of the values in the range B2:B5 only if none of the cells in the range A2:A5 are blank, we can use the following formula:

=IF(COUNTBLANK(A2:A5)=0,AVERAGE(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the COUNTBLANK function to count the number of blank cells in the range A2:A5. If all the cells are blank, this function returns 4. If none of the cells are blank, this function returns 0. If some of the cells are blank, this function returns a number between 1 and 3.
• Next, it uses the IF function to compare the result of COUNTBLANK with 0. If COUNTBLANK returns 0, it means that none of the cells are blank, and the condition is TRUE. If COUNTBLANK returns any other number, it means that some or all of the cells are blank, and the condition is FALSE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the average of B2:B5 if the condition is TRUE, or an empty string if the condition is FALSE.

This method is more concise and flexible than the previous ones, because it can handle multiple cells at once, and it can also handle cells that contain formulas that return an empty string. For example, if A2 has the formula =“” (which is a valid formula in Excel), the COUNTBLANK function will count it as a blank cell, and the IF function will return an empty string.

However, this method may not be suitable for some situations, where you want to perform the calculation even if some of the cells are blank. For example, if you want to calculate the average of the values in the range B2:B5 even if some of the cells in the range A2:A5 are blank, you can use another method that is more adaptable.

Method 4: Use the COUNT or COUNTA function

A fourth way to check if a cell or a range of cells is not blank is to use the COUNT or COUNTA function, which count the number of cells that contain numbers or any value, respectively. For example, if we want to calculate the average of the values in the range B2:B5 only if at least one of the cells in the range A2:A5 is not blank, we can use the following formula:

=IF(COUNTA(A2:A5)>0,AVERAGE(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the COUNTA function to count the number of cells in the range A2:A5 that contain any value, including text, numbers, dates, logical values, or formulas. If all the cells are blank, this function returns 0. If none of the cells are blank, this function returns 4. If some of the cells are blank, this function returns a number between 1 and 3.
• Next, it uses the IF function to compare the result of COUNTA with 0. If COUNTA returns a number greater than 0, it means that at least one of the cells is not blank, and the condition is TRUE. If COUNTA returns 0, it means that all of the cells are blank, and the condition is FALSE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the average of B2:B5 if the condition is TRUE, or an empty string if the condition is FALSE.

This method is more adaptable and versatile than the previous ones, because it can handle multiple cells at once, and it can also handle cells that contain any value, not just numbers. For example, if A2 has the formula =“” (which is a valid formula in Excel), the COUNTA function will ignore it, and the IF function will return the average of B2:B5 as long as there is at least one other cell in the range A2:A5 that is not blank.

However, this method may not be suitable for some situations, where you want to perform the calculation only if all of the cells contain numbers, and not any other value. For example, if you want to calculate the sum of the values in the range B2:B5 only if all of the cells in the range A2:A5 contain numbers, you can use another method that is more specific.

Method 5: Use the COUNT function

A fifth way to check if a cell or a range of cells is not blank is to use the COUNT function, which counts the number of cells that contain numbers. For example, if we want to calculate the sum of the values in the range B2:B5 only if all of the cells in the range A2:A5 contain numbers, we can use the following formula:

=IF(COUNT(A2:A5)=4,SUM(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the COUNT function to count the number of cells in the range A2:A5 that contain numbers. If all the cells contain numbers, this function returns 4. If none of the cells contain numbers, this function returns 0. If some of the cells contain numbers, this function returns a number between 1 and 3.
• Next, it uses the IF function to compare the result of COUNT with 4. If COUNT returns 4, it means that all of the cells contain numbers, and the condition is TRUE. If COUNT returns any other number, it means that some or all of the cells do not contain numbers, and the condition is FALSE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the sum of B2:B5 if the condition is TRUE, or an empty string if the condition is FALSE.

This method is more specific and accurate than the previous ones, because it can handle only cells that contain numbers, and not any other value. For example, if A2 has the formula =“” (which is a valid formula in Excel), the COUNT function will ignore it, and the IF function will return an empty string, as expected.

However, this method may not be suitable for some situations, where you want to perform the calculation only if a certain number of cells are not blank, and not all or none. For example, if you want to calculate the product of the values in the range B2:B5 only if at least two of the cells in the range A2:A5 are not blank, you can use another method that is more flexible.

Method 6: Use the COUNTIF or COUNTIFS function

A sixth way to check if a cell or a range of cells is not blank is to use the COUNTIF or COUNTIFS function, which count the number of cells that meet one or more criteria. For example, if we want to calculate the product of the values in the range B2:B5 only if at least two of the cells in the range A2:A5 are not blank, we can use the following formula:

=IF(COUNTIF(A2:A5,“<>”)>=2,PRODUCT(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the COUNTIF function to count the number of cells in the range A2:A5 that are not equal to an empty string (“”), which is how Excel represents a blank cell. If all the cells are not blank, this function returns 4. If none of the cells are not blank, this function returns 0. If some of the cells are not blank, this function returns a number between 1 and 3.
• Next, it uses the IF function to compare the result of COUNTIF with 2. If COUNTIF returns a number greater than or equal to 2, it means that at least two of the cells are not blank, and the condition is TRUE. If COUNTIF returns a number less than 2, it means that less than two of the cells are not blank, and the condition is FALSE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the product of B2:B5 if the condition is TRUE, or an empty string if the condition is FALSE.

This method is more flexible and customizable than the previous ones, because it can handle any number of cells and any criteria that you want to apply. For example, if you want to calculate the maximum of the values in the range B2:B5 only if at least three of the cells in the range A2:A5 contain numbers greater than 10, you can use the following formula:

=IF(COUNTIF(A2:A5,“>10”)>=3,MAX(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the COUNTIF function to count the number of cells in the range A2:A5 that are greater than 10. If all the cells are greater than 10, this function returns 4. If none of the cells are greater than 10, this function returns 0. If some of the cells are greater than 10, this function returns a number between 1 and 3.
• Next, it uses the IF function to compare the result of COUNTIF with 3. If COUNTIF returns a number greater than or equal to 3, it means that at least three of the cells are greater than 10, and the condition is TRUE. If COUNTIF returns a number less than 3, it means that less than three of the cells are greater than 10, and the condition is FALSE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the maximum of B2:B5 if the condition is TRUE, or an empty string if the condition is FALSE.

If you want to use more than one criterion, you can use the COUNTIFS function, which works similarly to the COUNTIF function, but allows you to specify multiple ranges and criteria. For example, if you want to calculate the minimum of the values in the range B2:B5 only if at least two of the cells in the range A2:A5 contain numbers greater than 10, and at least one of the cells in the range C2:C5 contains text that starts with “A”, you can use the following formula:

=IF(AND(COUNTIF(A2:A5,“>10”)>=2,COUNTIF(C2:C5,“A*”)>=1),MIN(B2:B5),“”)

This formula works as follows:

• First, it uses the COUNTIF function to count the number of cells in the range A2:A5 that are greater than 10, and the number of cells in the range C2:C5 that contain text that starts with “A”. The asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that matches any sequence of characters.
• Next, it uses the AND function to combine the results of the two COUNTIF functions. If both of them return a number greater than or equal to the specified threshold, the AND function returns TRUE. If either or both of them return a number less than the specified threshold, the AND function returns FALSE.
• Finally, it uses the IF function to return the minimum of B2:B5 if the AND function returns TRUE, or an empty string if the AND function returns FALSE.