Exceljet

Quick, clean, and to the point

If cell is blank

Excel formula: If cell is blank
Generic formula 
=IF(A1="","blank","not blank")
Summary 

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")
Explanation 

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 
Excel formula: If cell is not blank
If cell is not blank
In this example, column D records the date a task was completed. Therefore, if the column contains a date (i.e. is not blank), we can assume the task is complete. The formula in cell E5 uses the IF function to check if D5 is "not empty". If so, the...
Excel formula: If cell is greater than
If cell is greater than
If you want to do something specific when a cell value is greater than a certain value , you can use the IF function to test the value, and do one thing if the result is TRUE, and (optionally) do another thing if the result of the test is FALSE. In...
Excel formula: Return blank if
Return blank if
This formula is based on the IF function, configured with a simple logical test, a value to return when the test is TRUE, and a value to return when the test is FALSE. In plain English: if Value 1 equals 1, return Value 2. If Value 1 is not 1,...
Related functions 
Excel IF function
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
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.

Related videos 
The IF function
In this video we'll look at how to use the IF function, one of the most powerful and popular functions in Excel.
See also 
19 tips for nested IF formulas

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 Formulas | 101 Functions

Download 100+ Important Excel Functions

Get over 100 Excel Functions you should know in one handy PDF.