Blank Cells
To delete every blank row in a range, select the range, press Ctrl+G (or F5) > Special > Blanks to select just the empty cells, then Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows to remove the rows those blanks sit in. To find or count blanks without deleting anything, use =COUNTBLANK(A1:A100) for a total, or =ISBLANK(A1) to test one cell inside another formula. Google Sheets has no Go To Special dialog: filter the column for empty values (Data > Create a filter > filter by condition > Is empty) and delete the visible rows instead — COUNTBLANK and ISBLANK themselves work identically to Excel.
The formula
=COUNTBLANK(A1:A100) counts every empty cell in the range
=ISBLANK(A1) TRUE if A1 is empty; use inside IF()
=IF(A1="","missing",A1) substitute a placeholder for a blank cell
=IF(ISBLANK(A1),"",A1) same idea, explicit about testing blank rather than ""A worked example
A1:A50 holds order dates, but 12 of those rows have no date entered yet, scattered among rows that do.
=COUNTBLANK(A1:A50)
12 — the count of empty cells in the range. Formula results count too, not just visually empty cells: a cell holding ="" from another formula looks empty and COUNTBLANK still counts it, while =ISBLANK(A1) would return FALSE for that same cell since it isn't truly empty.
Which one do I need?
| If you want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Deleting every blank row in a range | Ctrl+G (or F5) > Special > Blanks, then Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows — removes only the rows the blanks sit in, not the ones with data |
| Finding, highlighting or selecting blank cells without deleting anything | Ctrl+G > Special > Blanks selects them all at once; conditional formatting with =ISBLANK(A1) highlights them without changing the selection |
| Counting how many cells in a range are blank | =COUNTBLANK(A1:A100) |
| Testing one cell inside a formula (show something else if it's blank) | =ISBLANK(A1) inside IF(), or the shorter =IF(A1="","...",A1) — the two disagree on cells holding a formula that returns "" |
| Filling blank cells with a value, 0, or the value from the cell above | Ctrl+G > Special > Blanks, type the value or =A1 to reference the cell above, then Ctrl+Enter to fill every selected blank at once |
| Inserting new blank rows between existing data | Select the rows below where each gap should go, right-click > Insert |
Frequently asked questions
Why does COUNTBLANK count a cell that has a formula in it?
COUNTBLANK treats a formula that returns "" (an empty string) as blank, even though the cell technically contains a formula. ISBLANK does the opposite — it returns FALSE for that same cell, since it isn't truly empty. If a lookup or IF formula feeds the column, use =A1="" or =LEN(A1)=0 to match COUNTBLANK's definition of blank inside your own formula.
Does Go To Special > Blanks exist in Google Sheets?
No — Google Sheets has no Go To Special dialog. To select or remove blank cells there, filter the column instead: Data > Create a filter > filter by condition > Is empty, then work with the rows that stay visible. COUNTBLANK and ISBLANK themselves are identical in both.
Why did deleting blank rows also remove rows I needed?
Go To Special > Blanks selects every empty cell in the range you had selected, not whole rows — if a row is blank in the one column you checked but has data in another column, deleting "Sheet Rows" from that selection still removes the entire row. Select the full row range, not just one column, before confirming the delete.
How do I fill blank cells with the value from the cell above?
Select the range including both filled and blank cells, Ctrl+G > Special > Blanks, type =A1 pointing at the cell above the active blank, then press Ctrl+Enter to fill every selected blank with a formula matching the cell above it. Follow with Paste Special > Values if you want static numbers instead of formulas.
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