Excel COUNTIFS Function

COUNTIFS counts rows or positions where multiple conditions are all true.

Use it for multi-condition counts, such as complete orders in one region, overdue tasks owned by one person, or scores within a specific band.

1
Choose aligned ranges Each range tests the same rows
2
Apply each criterion Excel checks every condition
3
Count complete matches Only rows passing all tests count

COUNTIFS syntax & arguments

Syntax

=COUNTIFS(criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], ...)
Required Optional
  1. 1

    criteria_range1

    Required

    The first range of cells to test.

  2. 2

    criteria1

    Required

    The condition that cells in criteria_range1 must meet. It can be a number, text, cell reference, expression such as ">=80", or wildcard pattern.

  3. 3

    criteria_range2, criteria2

    Optional Repeatable

    Additional range-and-criteria pairs. Each extra criteria range must line up with criteria_range1, and all criteria must pass for a row or position to be counted.

Example

=COUNTIFS(B2:B50, "East", C2:C50, "Complete")

Count rows where B2:B50 is East and the matching cell in C2:C50 is Complete.

COUNTIFS caveats

COUNTIFS extends COUNTIF to multiple conditions, but each criteria pair needs to line up with the same records.

  • Every range must be the same shape

    Each criteria range should have the same number of rows and columns so Excel can test matching positions together.

  • All conditions are AND logic

    COUNTIFS counts a row or position only when every criteria pair passes.

  • Operators usually need quotes

    Criteria such as ">=80" or "<2026-01-01" must be written as text.

  • Wildcards have special meaning

    * matches any text and ? matches one character. Use ~ before a wildcard when you need the literal character.

Need totals instead? Use SUMIFS when matching rows should drive values that are added.

Intro COUNTIFS practice problem

Solve the intro problem directly here, or open it on its own page.

Open full problem

Advanced COUNTIFS practice problems

Use COUNTIFS alongside other Excel functions in realistic, less-prescriptive challenges.