ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT in Excel
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ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT check what a cell holds and return TRUE or FALSE: empty, a number, or text. They shine inside IF: =IF(ISBLANK(B2),"",B2*C2) leaves the pay cell empty until hours are entered, instead of showing 0.
ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT syntax
=ISBLANK(value) =ISNUMBER(value) =ISTEXT(value)
- value
- The cell to test, usually a single reference such as
B2. It can also be a formula, e.g.ISNUMBER(SEARCH("x",A2)).
Practice ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT here
Type your formula straight into the sheet. It’s checked like real Excel, and you can write it with commas or semicolons.
Flag missing emails
Some contacts have no email yet. In C2, write an ISBLANK that returns TRUE when the email in B2 is empty, then copy it down to C6.
| Name | Email missing | |
| Olivia Reed | olivia.reed@northwind.com | |
| James Carter | ||
| Sofia Patel | sofia.patel@mapleproduce.com | |
| Liam Brooks | liam@brooksdesign.co | |
| Emma Hughes |
How to test what a cell holds, step by step
- Pick the question you are asking: is the cell empty (ISBLANK), a number (ISNUMBER) or text (ISTEXT)?
- Type the function with the cell to test, for example
=ISBLANK(B2), and press Enter to see TRUE or FALSE. - Copy it down the column to check every row at once.
- To show something more useful than TRUE or FALSE, use the test as the first argument of IF:
=IF(ISBLANK(B2),"",B2*C2).
ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT examples
Flag a missing entry
=ISBLANK(B2)
TRUE when B2 holds nothing, so a contact without an email stands out. As soon as something is typed in, it turns FALSE.
Find numbers typed as text
=ISTEXT(B2)
TRUE for a quantity typed as 8 pcs or ten. SUM skips those cells, so this is where a wrong total usually comes from.
Show nothing instead of 0
=IF(ISBLANK(B2),"",B2*C2)
Empty while the hours in B2 are missing, otherwise hours times rate: 38 hours at $24 gives 912.
Check an ID before a lookup
=IF(ISNUMBER(A2),VLOOKUP(A2,$D$2:$E$6,2,FALSE),"Check ID")
Runs the lookup only on numeric IDs. An ID typed as #1044 or TBD shows Check ID instead of #N/A.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
| Result | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ISBLANK is FALSE on an empty-looking cell | The cell holds a space, or a formula that returns "". For ISBLANK that is content, not an empty cell. | Clear stray spaces with Delete. To treat "" as empty too, test B2="" instead of ISBLANK. |
| ISNUMBER is FALSE on a number | The number is stored as text, often after an import or a copy from a web page. It is usually left-aligned with a green triangle. | Convert it with the warning menu (Convert to Number) or with VALUE(B2). |
| Always FALSE | A range was given instead of one cell, e.g. =ISBLANK(B2:B6): older versions return a single FALSE (Microsoft 365 spills one result per cell). Or the formula points at the wrong row. | Test one cell per row, ISBLANK(B2), and copy the formula down. |
| #NAME? | The function name is misspelled, e.g. ISEMPTY instead of ISBLANK. | Use ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT: there is no ISEMPTY function. |
IS functions, COUNTBLANK and =""
ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT check one cell for one thing; they don’t count. To count empty or filled cells in a range, COUNTBLANK and COUNTA do it in one step, and COUNT counts the numbers. B2="" is close to ISBLANK but also treats a formula returning "" as empty. ISTEXT and ISNUMBER are opposites for most cells, but not for empty ones: an empty cell is neither text nor a number, so both return FALSE. The family has more members, such as ISERROR, ISLOGICAL and ISFORMULA, which work the same way.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a cell is empty in Excel?
Use =ISBLANK(A2), which returns TRUE for an empty cell. Inside IF, =IF(ISBLANK(A2),"Missing","OK") turns it into a label.
Why does ISNUMBER return FALSE for a number?
The value is stored as text. Excel shows it like a number, but ISNUMBER, SUM and lookups treat it as text. Convert it to a number, or wrap it in VALUE.
Does ISNUMBER return TRUE for dates?
Yes. Excel stores dates as numbers, so a real date gives TRUE, while a date typed as text gives FALSE.
How do I avoid showing 0 when the source cell is empty?
Wrap the calculation in IF and ISBLANK: =IF(ISBLANK(B2),"",B2*C2) returns an empty text until B2 is filled.
Keep practising
All 5 ISBLANK, ISNUMBER and ISTEXT exercises, with explanations and progress tracking.
Open the ISBLANK practice set