ISBLANK
Checks whether a cell is empty: helps you find missing phone numbers, addresses or payment dates in a list.
ISBLANK(value)- value
- The cell to check, for example B2.
Return value
TRUE if the cell is empty, otherwise FALSE. A cell with a formula isn’t empty, even if the formula returned empty text.
Examples
Who is missing an email
fx
A
B
C
D
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Customer
Email
Check
Smith
smith@mail.com
Brown
Jones
jones@yahoo.com
Moore
Parker
parker@gmail.com
Sheet1
Details
ISBLANK returns TRUE if the cell has nothing in it, and FALSE if it holds a number, text or a formula. It’s usually placed inside IF to show a clear flag.
A cell with a space, or with a formula that returned empty quotes "", isn’t empty for ISBLANK. If that happens, the check C2="" is more reliable.
Common mistakes
- The “empty” cell holds a space: you can’t tell by eye, and ISBLANK returns FALSE.
- The cell holds a formula that returned "": it looks empty, but ISBLANK treats it as filled.
- The address is written in quotes: ISBLANK("B2") checks the text "B2", not the cell, and always gives FALSE.