Description
Use this function to see if a cell is empty. Supported in Chains.
This returns TRUE if the cell is empty or FALSE if the selection is not empty.
Syntax
ISBLANK(value)
Inputs
This function has the following arguments:
| Name | Required | Description | Valid Input |
|---|---|---|---|
value |
Yes | The cell that you want to evaluate. | A reference to a cell, or a formula which results in one. |
Examples
Sample data
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 56 | George | |
| 2 | green | 39 | Hani |
| 3 | orange | 15 | Isis |
| 4 | red | 92 | Juan |
| 5 | blue | 22 | Kimber |
Sample formulas
| Use case | Formula | Explanation and Result |
|---|---|---|
| Check to see if a specific cell is empty. | =ISBLANK(A1) |
This formula works in the following manner:
For this data set this formula returns TRUE. (Because |
| Check to see if a specific cell is empty. | =ISBLANK(A2) |
This formula works in the following manner:
For this data set this formula returns FALSE. (Because |
| Check if any of a set of cells is empty. | =IF(OR(ISBLANK(A1),ISBLANK(B1),ISBLANK(C1)),"Missing value") |
This formula works in the following manner:
For this data set this formula returns Missing value. (Because |
Notes
- Cell ranges are not supported.
- You can join multiple instances of ISBLANK to check if any of a set of cells is blank:
=IF(OR(ISBLANK(A1),ISBLANK(B1),ISBLANK(C1)),"Missing value",SUM(A1:C1))
Because OR will return TRUE if any supplied value is TRUE, the formula will display "Missing value" if any of the cells identified with an ISBLANK function return TRUE.
Tips
You can use ISBLANK in these ways:
- To test for an empty cell in a dataset.
- To trigger a conditional formatting rule that highlights all empty cells (see Filling only blank cells with color).
- You can combine ISBLANK with the IF function to display a custom message if a cell is empty. For example, you might display "Input Required" if a cell is blank.
- Instead of
=ISBLANK(A1), you can use the expression=A1="". - You can combine ISBLANK with the NOT function to reverse the logic to "is not blank". Example:
=NOT(ISBLANK(A1)) - Instead of
=NOT(ISBLANK(A1)), you can use the expression=A1<>"". - If you want to count blank cells, use COUNTBLANK.
Related functions
COUNT
COUNTA
COUNTBLANK
COUNTIF
COUNTIFS
ISBLANK
ISERROR
ISNA
ISNUMBER
VALUE