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How Do I Count Cells With Specific Text in Excel?
Last Updated: June 2026
Quick Answer
To count cells that contain specific text, use COUNTIF.
=COUNTIF(A:A,"Apple")
This counts how many cells in column A contain exactly "Apple".
Count Cells That Equal Specific Text
Use this when the cell must match the text exactly:
=COUNTIF(A2:A100,"Complete")
Count Cells That Contain Specific Text Anywhere
Use wildcards when the text can appear anywhere inside the cell:
=COUNTIF(A2:A100,"*apple*")
The asterisks tell Excel to count cells that contain "apple" anywhere in the text.
Count Cells Using a Cell Reference
If your search text is in cell E2, use:
=COUNTIF(A2:A100,E2)
To count cells that contain the text in E2 anywhere inside the cell:
=COUNTIF(A2:A100,"*"&E2&"*")
Count With Multiple Conditions
Use COUNTIFS when you need more than one condition.
=COUNTIFS(A2:A100,"Complete",B2:B100,"East")
This counts rows where column A equals Complete and column B equals East.
Case-Sensitive Count
COUNTIF is not case-sensitive. To count exact case matches, use:
=SUM(--EXACT(A2:A100,E2))
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting wildcards when searching inside longer text
- Using COUNT instead of COUNTIF
- Counting numbers stored as text incorrectly
- Using inconsistent spacing or spelling in the data
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