Summary

The Excel ISNUMBER function returns TRUE when a cell contains a number, and FALSE if not. You can use ISNUMBER to check that a cell contains a numeric value, or that the result of another function is a number.

Purpose 

Test for numeric value

Return value 

A logical value (TRUE or FALSE)

Syntax

=ISNUMBER(value)
  • value - The value to check.

How to use 

The ISNUMBER function returns TRUE when a cell contains a number, and FALSE if not. You can use ISNUMBER to check that a cell contains a numeric value, or that the result of another function is a number.

The ISNUMBER function takes one argument, value, which can be a cell reference, a formula, or a hardcoded value. Typically, value is entered as a cell reference like A1. When value is a number, the ISNUMBER function will return TRUE. Otherwise, ISNUMBER will return FALSE.

Examples

The ISNUMBER function returns TRUE if value is numeric:

=ISNUMBER("apple") // returns FALSE
=ISNUMBER(100) // returns TRUE

If cell A1 contains the number 100, ISNUMBER returns TRUE:

=ISNUMBER(A1) // returns TRUE

If a cell contains a formula, ISNUMBER checks the result of the formula:

=ISNUMBER(2+2) // returns TRUE
=ISNUMBER(2^3) // returns TRUE
=ISNUMBER(10 &" apples") // returns FALSE

Note: the ampersand (&) is the concatenation operator in Excel. When values are concatenated, the result is text.

Count numeric values

To count cells in a range that contain numbers, you can use the SUMPRODUCT function like this:

=SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(range))

The double negative coerces the TRUE and FALSE results from ISNUMBER into 1s and 0s and SUMPRODUCT sums the result.

Notes

  • ISNUMBER will return TRUE for Excel dates and times since they are numeric.
  • ISNUMBER will return FALSE for empty cells and errors.
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Dave Bruns

Hi - I'm Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.