In Excel: use =COUNTIFS(criteria_range1, criteria1, criteria_range2, criteria2) — it counts the rows that satisfy every condition you list, combining the criteria with AND logic.
Syntax
Arguments
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
criteria_range1 | required | The first column tested against criteria1, such as a column of regions. |
criteria1 | required | The condition criteria_range1 must meet, like "West", ">=50" or "A*". |
criteria_range2, criteria2 | optional | Optional further range/criterion pairs; a row is counted only when ALL pairs match (AND logic). |
Related functions
Grand total: 1,250.50
| Region | Sum |
|---|---|
| West | 125.50 |
| East | 1050 |
| South | 75 |
The same thing in your own sheet
Sum · Excel & Sheets
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What this does
COUNTIFS counts rows that meet several conditions at once. You give it pairs of a column and the condition that column must meet, and it counts a row only when all of the pairs are true. Unlike SUMIFS there is no separate count range — COUNTIFS simply counts the matching rows themselves, so every argument is a criteria_range followed by its criterion. Each criterion can be exact text, a number, a comparison like ">=50", or a wildcard pattern. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. The difference between a quick fix and a sheet you can trust is the extra minute you spend validating “countifs function in excel with multiple criteria”. Start on a copy or a tiny sample, keep the affected formula visible, and compare the result with the tool above before you touch the real workbook. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. The point is a calculation you can defend to a CFO or an auditor, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.
A worked example
Regions are in A2:A100 and statuses in C2:C100. To count rows that are both West AND Open: =COUNTIFS(A2:A100, "West", C2:C100, "Open"). It checks each row and tallies it only when the region equals "West" and the status equals "Open", returning say 17. Add another pair to narrow further, for example a priority column: =COUNTIFS(A2:A100, "West", C2:C100, "Open", D2:D100, "High"). COUNTIFS is the go-to for "how many" across two or more conditions — open tickets in a region, high-priority tasks per owner, orders by status and month — without filtering or a pivot table. A practical tip before you scale it up: build it once on a small block of test data, confirm the number against the tool on this page, and only then point it at your real sheet. That one habit catches almost every mistake while it is still cheap to fix, long before a wrong figure reaches a report or a colleague.
In Google Sheets
Everything above works in Google Sheets too. Excel and Sheets share the formula syntax used here; only the surrounding menus are arranged differently. That portability is deliberate — learn it once and it follows you between the two tools and across Windows and Mac. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. If you take one thing from this page on “countifs function in excel with multiple criteria”, make it the habit rather than the keystrokes: set the problem up with labelled inputs, reference those cells, and let Excel do the recomputing. Bookmark the page for the syntax, but do the example once in a blank sheet and check it against the tool above — five minutes of hands-on practice fixes the method in memory far better than re-reading, and it surfaces the small snags while they are still harmless. After that the technique is genuinely yours: faster than searching for it again, and reliable enough to drop into work that other people depend on.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a separate count range like
SUMIFShas —COUNTIFScounts the matching rows themselves, so do not add a values column to total. - Giving the criteria ranges different heights, which throws a
#VALUE!error because the rows no longer line up. - Expecting
ORlogic —COUNTIFScounts a row only when every pair matches; for "either" counts, add twoCOUNTIFStogether and subtract the overlap.
Frequently asked questions
How is COUNTIFS different from COUNTIF?
COUNTIF tests one condition; COUNTIFS tests several at once and counts only rows that meet all of them. For a single criterion either works, but COUNTIFS lets you stack range-and-criterion pairs.
Does COUNTIFS use AND or OR logic?
AND — a row is counted only when it satisfies every criteria pair. To count rows meeting one OR another condition, add two COUNTIFS formulas and subtract any rows counted twice.
Why is there no count range in COUNTIFS?
COUNTIFS counts the rows that match rather than summing a separate column, so unlike SUMIFS it has no sum_range. Every argument is a criteria_range paired with its criterion.
Other ways people ask this
People reach this page typing “countif function in excel with multiple criteria” and “advanced countifs function in excel”, among other phrasings; whichever wording you used, the fix above is the one you want.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “countif function in excel with multiple criteria”, “advanced countifs function in excel” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.