Exceljet

Quick, clean, and to the point

Count total characters in a range

Excel formula: Count total characters in a range
Generic formula 
=SUMPRODUCT(LEN(rng))
Explanation 

If you want to count the total characters in a range of cells, you can do with a formula that uses LEN, along with the SUMPRODUCT function. In the generic form of the formula above, rng represents a range of cells that contain text.

In the example, the active cell contains this formula:

=SUMPRODUCT(LEN(B3:B6))

Here's how the formula works:

SUMPRODUCT accepts the range B3:B6 as an array of four cells. For each cell in the array, LEN calculates the length of the text as a number. The result is an array that contains 4 numbers. SUMPRODUCT then sums the items in this array and returns the total.

Author 
Dave Bruns
Related functions 
Excel LEN function
Excel LEN Function

The Excel LEN function returns the length of a given text string as the number of characters. LEN will also count characters in numbers, but number formatting is not included.

Excel SUMPRODUCT function
Excel SUMPRODUCT Function

The SUMPRODUCT function multiplies ranges or arrays together and returns the sum of products. This sounds boring, but SUMPRODUCT is an incredibly versatile function that can be used to count and sum like COUNTIFS or SUMIFS, but with more...

Excel Formula Training

Formulas are the key to getting things done in Excel. In this accelerated training, you'll learn how to use formulas to manipulate text, work with dates and times, lookup values with VLOOKUP and INDEX & MATCH, count and sum with criteria, dynamically rank values, and create dynamic ranges. You'll also learn how to troubleshoot, trace errors, and fix problems. Instant access. See details here.

500 Formula Examples, thoughtfully explained.
101 Excel Functions you should know.