The Excel ISBLANK function is an Information formula that returns TRUE if the reference cell is completely empty, and FALSE otherwise. As the name suggests, the formula asks the "Is X blank?" question to its argument. Although a cell must be completely "blank" for the function to count it (i.e. " " will not be considered blank), this function can be especially useful in error handling, troubleshooting, and checking whether a cell contains any valid data. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to use the Excel ISBLANK function and also go over some tips and error handling methods.
Supported versions
- All Excel versions
Excel ISBLANK Function Syntax
Arguments
| value | The value you want to test. |
Example
The ISBLANK function, like the other IS… functions, requires a single argument for input. The argument can be a blank (empty) cell, a cell containing errors, logical values, strings, numbers, reference values, or a named range referring to any of these. However, any value other than a blank cell will return a FALSE outcome. This behavior makes the Excel ISBLANK function suitable for checking whether a cell contains any valid data.
Tips
- The Excel ISBLANK function, as the name suggests, follows an "is empty" logic. Note that a cell with a function that returns an empty string ("") is not considered a blank cell, and will not be counted by this function.
- You can use the ISBLANK function to test an IF =IF(ISBLANK(A1),"It is blank","It is filled")
- Below is a list of other IS… functions.
