How to use the Excel ISTEXT function

Summary

The Excel ISTEXT function returns TRUE when a cell contains a text value, and FALSE if the cell contains any other value. You can use the ISTEXT function to check if a cell contains a text value, or a numeric value entered as text.

Purpose

Test for a text value

Return value

A logical value (TRUE or FALSE)

Syntax

=ISTEXT (value)

Arguments

value - The value to check.

Version

Excel 2003

Usage notes

The ISTEXT function returns TRUE when a cell contains a text value, and FALSE if the cell contains any other value, or is empty. You can use the ISTEXT function to check if a cell contains a text value, or a numeric value entered as text.

The ISTEXT 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 text, the ISTEXT function will return TRUE. If value is any other value, ISTEXT will return FALSE.

Examples

The ISTEXT function returns TRUE if value is text:

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

If cell A1 contains the number 100, ISTEXT returns FALSE:

=ISTEXT(A1) // returns FALSE

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

=ISTEXT(10 &" apples") // returns TRUE
=ISTEXT(2+2) // returns FALSE
=ISTEXT(A1&B1) // returns TRUE

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

Count text values

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

=SUMPRODUCT(--ISTEXT(range))

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

Notes

Dates and times are numbers, not text.
The ISNONTEXT function tests for non-text values.

Related functions

Excel ISNONTEXT Function

The Excel ISNONTEXT function returns TRUE when a cell contains any value except text. This includes numbers, dates, times, errors, and formulas that do not return text. ISNONTEXT also returns TRUE when a cell is empty.

Excel ISNUMBER Function

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.

Excel ISBLANK Function

The Excel ISBLANK function returns TRUE when a cell is empty, and FALSE when a cell is not empty. For example, if A1 contains "apple", ISBLANK(A1) returns FALSE.

Excel ISERR Function

The Excel ISERR function returns TRUE for any error type except the #N/A error. You can use the ISERR function together with the IF function to test for an error and display a custom message, or perform a different calculation if found.

Excel ISERROR Function

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Excel ISEVEN Function

The Excel ISEVEN function returns TRUE when a value is an even number, and FALSE when a value is an odd number. ISEVEN will return the #VALUE error if a value is not numeric.

Excel ISLOGICAL Function

The Excel ISLOGICAL function returns TRUE when a cell contains the logical values TRUE or FALSE, and returns FALSE for cells that contain any other value, including empty cells.

Excel ISFORMULA Function

The Excel ISFORMULA function returns TRUE if a cell contains a formula, and FALSE if not. When a cell contains a formula ISFORMULA will return TRUE regardless of the formula's output or error conditions.

Excel ISNA Function

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Excel ISNONTEXT Function

The Excel ISNONTEXT function returns TRUE when a cell contains any value except text. This includes numbers, dates, times, errors, and formulas that do not return text. ISNONTEXT also returns TRUE when a cell is empty.

Excel ISODD Function

The Excel ISODD function returns TRUE when a value is an odd number, and FALSE when a value is an even number. ISODD will return the #VALUE error if a value is not numeric.