How to Ignore Formula / Not Calculate If Cell is Blank in Excel

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In this video I demonstrate how to ignore a formula or stop calculating if a specified cell is blank or if two or more cells are blank.
In our scenario we are calculating the percentage of calls (at a call centre) that are dropped. If either the total number of calls is blank or if the number of dropped calls is blank, we don't want to perform the calculation.
There are two methods that you can use to evaluate whether a cell is blank. The first uses the ISBLANK function. This will return TRUE if the cell is empty but FALSE if it contains an empty text string.
The second method tests for an empty text string, eg =A1="". This method will return TRUE if the cell is empty or if it contains an empty text string.
You will need to decide which method works best for your scenario, but the difference between the two tests is the focus of this tutorial.
I also explain how to test more than one cell for their "emptiness" or "blankness".
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[@unlearnbusiness]

That explanation of the difference has saved me a ton of problems. Thanks for explaining things beyond just giving the formula.

[@ryancole4908]

Found the solution to my problem in the first couple minutes, thank you for explaining things simply.

[@kayorca]

This is the best video! I have watched so many trying to learn to do just this. Thank you for making this so easy to understand!

[@adityapuro5654]

Hi, Chester. I spent half of the day and was not able to get rid of the #VALUE! error. Your video gave me the solution. Thanks to you, man!

[@johnboffin476]

Hello Sir Chester, you are a great teacher, I like your teaching. thanks for your help.

[@julieballantyne]

Great video! Helped me grasp the problem I had with more than one option and a great explanation!

[@maxyusupov9508]

THANK YOU CHESTER!!!!! you always teach very usefull stuffs keep it up🤩👍👍👍👍

[@casb5492]

Thank you very much for posting this - the IF formula is what I was looking to use in my spreadsheet

[@tomlambi314]

Thank You!! Been looking everywhere for this!

[@cartermarsch1384]

This was super helpful. My questions were answered 1:50 into the tutorial.

[@heclas]

Exactly the video I needed. Worked out perfectly! Thanks!

[@Jantea]

Thank you!!! You save me sooo much time (and hair pulling) :-)

[@IvanCortinas_ES]

Thanks Chester for this great explanation of the ISBLANK function!

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Excellent - So easy to follow - Thanks

[@insanity999]

Thank you Chester, you explained this so well. I actually understand it now and don't need to just copy a formula. Do you know why, or if there is a workaround to using the colon shortcut for adding a series of cell values together? Let's say, my input data is not in two cells as in your example but is in 5 adjacent cells. If I just want to add them I can use =SUM(A1:E1), but when I apply the empty text string formula, this part no longer works. To keep it simple, I only want a formula to show when the last of the five data input boxes (E1) is populated: =IF(E1="","",(A1:E1)) will return an error, so you have to use a long form of this: =IF(E1="","",(A1+B1+C1+D1+E1))

[@faizalmukthesar7274]

Can you please make a video on how to roundup the values along with IF functions when there are empty cells?

[@del256ragusa4]

WOW! this really helped me! Awesome job, keep up the good work!!!!

[@greaty93]

LEGEND!!! so easy to understand

[@sierahbarnhart2894]

Thank you!

[@88JmJones]

Thank you for this walkthrough! Liked and subscribed!

[@nazifanawyal5102]

you saved my life. Thanks 😭😭😭😭

[@meataidstheft]

🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 you just saved me so much work, thank you for this!!

[@drewbraswell2837]

A great help! I appreciate your wisdom and your sharing of that wisdom!

[@MrHadrian71]

Thank you Chester! Really helpful!

[@drewb5738]

This was very helpful. Thanks for the info.

[@Daz5002]

Thanks really simple and clear and just what I needed many thanks.

[@Guitars-n-Stuff-75]

Will these work over 2 cells? Sat the first cell has todays date. The next cell has a function to add a date 6 months in the future. As we get closer to the 6 month date the cell changes colour. How can I stop the conditional formatting if there is no initial date entered? Hopefully this isn't too confusing...

[@matthewdeal3402]

Exactly what I was looking for, ty

[@xin8318]

Thank you Chester, solved my problem

[@Abdullah_Alhathloul]

Excellent

[@pauln3229]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you!

[@Pattythomas5]

Than you! It worked perfectly!

[@shankar2091]

Best thing on the internet

[@amaliage1]

A million thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@watcher4887]

Sir, I have an assignment from an institute and it's really a long one, the empty cells in the sheet are filled with a hyphen because of that the formula is not ignoring the cells can you advise how to make a formula to ignore cells with a hyphen please ?

[@EulogioEspinozaGutie]

Thank you, Professor. You have help me in times of need.

[@mikealike5000]

Exactly what i needed thank you!!!

[@ChesterTugwell]

Glad it helped!

[@Prasad-q5x]

Thank Your sir.... It is working fine for my sale order formate

[@AngelaRodriguez-lr4jj]

thank you so much for this! huge help

[@TheWeteyezz]

thank you so much!!! I was trying to figure out that [cell=""] part... Isnull wasnt working because the cell being referenced was formulated

[@enricoeats]

Hello Professor, great video! I have a problem, when I type the formula in, the cell that is supposed to ignore the formula, actually give me either True or False, but not an empty cell. I don't know if it's because I'm on a Mac version, but it's not working! :(

[@olohitareoyakhire6755]

Thank you very much for this.

[@miguelate]

I have a sheet that imports data from 2 different sheets through import range formula. The data appears in A1:A10 from one sheet and B1:B:10 from the other. We want to be able to type in any field without affecting the formula on the first row, which is import range. Is there a way of doing that. We want to be able to write over cells that are left blank, but with a formula on top we can't. Is that even possible? We are using Google Sheets

[@manavvlogs7337]

Thanks 🙏🙏🙏

[@user-ni3iw5rb3s]

thank you sir

[@stopdrinkingleftskoolaid6510]

Thanks for that. My issue is using ISBLANK() using a range of cells. =IF(ISBLANK(B3:B6),””,A2) I have 2 tables on a sheet with data. If just one of the cells in the first table in the range (B3:B6) has data, the formula places the information from a separate cell (A2) which is in first DATA table into the cell in the second table where I need the data transferred to. For some reason, the formula doesn’t work using the range in the ISBLANK() function but will work with just 1 cell in the ISBLANK part of the formula. I can’t find an answer anywhere in any video. Thanks very much.

[@nakedsphynxcathampshire9469]

Hi Chester, hope you’re ok? if I have formula working out an age which is given back to me shown in years and months by using a date of birth in a column & cell and then a formula which is using the ‘today’ function, where the date of birth cell does not yet have a data can I use one of these scenarios - built into my formula somehow - to give me a return of a blank? I’m not massively experienced so please talk to me like I’m 3! Thank you.

[@benspeed5063]

Thanks for the vid! Really helpful.

[@StevenYoutsey]

Thanks so much!

[@ChesterTugwell]

You're welcome!

[@anthonybrigantic664]

how can you change the formula to show blank cells that have text? im trying to skip cells that have two blank cells in a row for example if H1 and G1 are blank then return a value thanks!

[@nurulhaffiza26]

Hi. I would like to ask how can i use isblank for multiple columns & combine it with max function ? Let say i have 3 columns for dates. I tried if(isblank(a2:c2),"",max(a2:c2)) but it doesnt work

[@chrisjados9822]

How can you use these formulas without it saying true or false? I would like it to equal another cell if the cell is blank. I am putting together a price survey spreadsheet and if I dont have any prices surveyed, I would like the cell to equal the current cell I have

[@nighthawkawandrewwilkinson37]

im making a time sheet for my self to calculate hrs and over time as personal record when i use formula but when i copy the formula to the rows it showing 24 in every row even when no data is entered this is formula im using ,is there a way to hide till data is inserted =IF(D24>C24,(D24-C24),(D24-C24+1))*24

[@alexanderstewart489]

The final IF(OR( is a life saver, although if cell A is empty, i want to subtract cell B from 0 to show negative movement from cell A. How can i work that in? Currently i have "=IF(OR(AF4="",R4=""),SUM(AF4,R4),AF4-R4)" But the sum instead only gives a positive number rather than showing where AF has decreased (this formula runs 10 wide and 1500 down).

[@smcrutchley68]

so my formula, =IFERROR(INDEX($B$32:$B$44, MATCH(0,INDEX(COUNTIF($I$31:I31,$B$32:$B$44),0,0),0)), "") if in the 'range' there are blank cells it returns a 0, is there a way of it omitting the blank cells in the range ? thanks

[@martymabry720]

I have a cell of numbers, the first is D10. I would like D11 to say "PASS" if that number is above the number on I6, and "Scrap" if it is below the number on I6. However if the cell is blank I want D11 to stay blank. I believe I have Excel 2016. Can you help me with this?

[@trevormcdonald2319]

thanks

[@carsonc1272]

Thanks!

[@murtazamohammadi9370]

I want to count two cells according two creteria but some rows are empty, I want to count the empty row according anothere two rows. How can I do that.

[@davida6146]

I kind of like the last formula you showed IF(OR( statement, but I want to return the value if the column isn't blank. For example columns A | B | C all may contain values, but only 1 of the 3 columns will contain a value per row. In column D, I'd like to return the value that isn't blank (so every row in column D has a value)... how would I do that?

[@alexanderstewart489]

I would SUM(A1,B1,C1) If you know only 1 of the 3 will have data

[@gjgeno]

Thanks professor! I've built an excel task generator for tasks in my sales-cycle (using a cadence I've built in column C and ignoring federal holidays I've added in column A) via the =WORKDAY function. The formula schedules due dates for upcoming tasks as soon as I enter a "first attempt date" in Column I [an example formula for one row of the sheet is =WORKDAY($I7, $C$3,$A$2:$A$14) and I'm struggling to have that formula ignored when there is no "first attempt date" filled out in column I. Any tips much appreciated!

[@chantelleyurechuk9764]

You're Amazing!

[@chantelleyurechuk9764]

I didn't even watch your whole video, had tried with ISBLANK as that seemed logical to me but was getting FALSE, as soon as I Used "" totally worked ! Great skills and explanation ! :D

[@MushtaqAhmad-of5fu]

dear sir in this table count blank cell in column D

[@khaledshamat792]

thank you sooooo much

[@alimohamedahmed2328]

Thank you so much

[@harish7041]

How to ignore blank cell and place lesser than and grater than formula