Excel: If cell contains then count, sum, highlight, copy or delete

Excel 'Count if cell contains' formula examples

In Microsoft Excel, there are two functions to count cells based on their values, COUNTIF and COUNTIFS. These functions cover most, though not all, scenarios. The below examples will teach you how to choose an appropriate Count if cell contains formula for your particular task.

For more examples, see Excel formulas to count cells with certain text.

Sum if cell contains text

If you are looking for an Excel formula to find cells containing specific text and sum the corresponding values in another column, use the SUMIF function.

For example, to find out how many dresses are in stock, use this formula:

=SUMIF(A2:A10,"*dress*",B2:B10)

Where A2:A10 are the text values to check and B2:B10 are the numbers to sum.

Or, put the substring of interest in some cell (E1), and reference that cell in your formula, as shown in the screenshot below:

To sum with multiple criteria, use the SUMIFS function.

For instance, to find out how many blue dresses are available, go with this formula:

=SUMIFS(B2:B10, A2:A10,"*dress*",A2:A10,"*blue*")

Or use this one:

=SUMIFS(B2:B10, A2:A10,"*"&E1&"*",A2:A10,"*"&E2&"*")

Where A2:A10 are the cells to check and B2:B10 are the cells to sum.

Perform different calculations based on cell value

In our last tutorial, we discussed three different formulas to test multiple conditions and return different values depending on the results of those tests. And now, let's see how you can perform different calculations depending on the value in a target cell.

Supposing you have sales numbers in column B and want to calculate bonuses based on those numbers: if a sale is over $300, the bonus is 10%; for sales between $201 and $300 the bonus is 7%; for sales between $101 and $200 the bonus is 5%, and no bonus for under $100 sales.

To have it done, simply multiply the sales (B2) by a corresponding percentage. How do you know which percentage to multiply by? By testing different conditions with nested IFs:

=B2*IF(B2>=300,10%, IF(B2>=200,7%, IF(B2>=100,5%,0)))

In real-life worksheets, it may be more convenient to input percentages in separate cells and reference those cells in your formula:

=B2*IF(B2>=300,$F$5,IF(B2>=200,$F$4,IF(B2>=100,$F$3,$F$2)))

The key thing is fixing the bonus cells' references with the $ sign to prevent them from changing when you copy the formula down the column.

Excel conditional formatting if cell contains specific text

If you want to highlight cells with certain text, set up an Excel conditional formatting rule based on one of the following formulas.

If cell contains certain text, remove entire row

In case you want to delete rows containing specific text, use Excel's Find and Replace feature in this way:

1. Select all cells you want to check.
2. Press Ctrl + F to open the Find and Replace dialog box.
3. In the Find what box, type the text or number you are looking for, and click the Find All
4. Click on any search result, and then press Ctrl + A to select all.
5. Click the Close button to close the Find and Replace
6. Press Ctrl and the minus button at the same time (Ctrl -), which is the Excel shortcut for Delete.
7. In the Delete dialog box, select Entire row, and click OK. Done!

In the screenshot below, we are deleting rows containing "dress":

If cell contains, select or copy entire rows

In situations when you want to select or copy rows with relevant data, use Excel's AutoFilter to filter such rows. After that, press Ctrl + A to select the filtered data, Ctrl+C to copy it, and Ctrl+V to paste the data to another location.

To filter cells with two or more criteria, use Advanced Filter to find such cells, and then copy the entire rows with the results or extract only specific columns.

Practice workbook

Excel If Cell Contains Then - examples (.xlsx file)