Excel formula: If cell is blank

Generic formula

=IF(A1="","blank","not blank")

Explanation

To test a cell and take some action if the cell is blank (empty), you can use the IF function. The formula in cell E5 is:

=IF(D5="","Open","Closed")

How this formula works

The logical expression ="" means "is empty". In the example shown, column D contains a date if a task has been completed. In column E, a formula checks for blank cells in column D. If a cell is blank, the result is a status of "Open". If the cell contains value (a date in this case, but it could be any value) the formula returns "Closed".

The effect of showing "Closed" in light gray is accomplished with a conditional formatting rule.

Display nothing if cell is blank

To display nothing if a cell is blank, you can replace the "value if false" argument in the IF function with an empty string ("") like this:

=IF(D5="","","Closed")

Alternative with ISBLANK

Excel contains a function made to test for blank cells called ISBLANK. To use the ISBLANK, you can revise the formula as follows:

=IF(ISBLANK(D5),"Open","Closed")

Author

Dave Bruns

Related formulas

If cell is not blank

To take an action only when the cell is not blank (not empty), you can use a formula based on the IF function. In the example shown, column D holds task complete dates. The formula in cell E5 is: = IF ( D5 <> "" , "Done...

If cell is greater than

If you want to take an action when a cell value is greater than a certain value, you can use the IF function to test a value and return one value if the test is true, and another if the test is false. In the example shown, we are using this formula...

Return blank if

To return a blank result using the IF function , you can use an empty string (""). In the example shown, the formula in D5 (copied down) is: = IF ( B5 = 1 , C5 , "" ) How this formula works This formula is based on the IF function,...

Related functions

Excel IF Function

The IF function runs a logical test and returns one value for a TRUE result, and another for a FALSE result. For example, to "pass" scores above 70: =IF(A1>70,"Pass","Fail"). More than one condition can be tested by nesting IF functions. The IF...

Excel ISBLANK Function

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

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.