COUNTBLANK in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: Count Empty Cells

COUNTBLANK counts how many cells are empty inside one specified range. To audit a checklist, use =COUNTBLANK(A2:A9). If that eight-cell column has exactly two genuinely empty cells, the independently expected result is 2. SoftMaker’s own reference shows that one blank among four cells returns 1. PlanMaker 2026 COUNTBLANK.

COUNTBLANK answers how many entries are missing from a selected area? It does not tell you which particular row is missing or whether occupied cells contain valid data.

=COUNTBLANK(range)

• range (required): the one cell range to inspect for emptiness. The 2026/2024 manuals show lowercase range; PlanMaker 2021 writes Range. This is a documentation capitalization difference, not evidence of distinct semantics.
• There is no documented optional second-range argument for COUNTBLANK. To tally two separate blocks, add the outputs of two function calls rather than inserting a second range into COUNTBLANK itself.
• The formula with one argument has no comma or semicolon to separate arguments. Do not confuse the colon in the rectangular range (A2:A9) with a function separator.

this guide intentionally distinguishes truly unused cells from cells containing whitespace or formulas that visually produce an empty result; the exact formula-empty-string classification is not established by the linked SoftMaker COUNTBLANK page and must be tested natively if relevant.

Create the following contents in A2:A9, with A5 and A9 genuinely empty—do not type spaces or formulas into them:

Enter the formula in C2:

=COUNTBLANK(A2:A9)

Expected result: 2. Only cells A5 and A9 were deliberately left empty. The text N/A, the zero and the logical value TRUE are all occupied cells, even though some are not valid numerical measurements.

A complementary entry count for the same fully controlled data is =COUNTA(A2:A9) with expected result 6, accounting for all eight cells. The two figures are independent observations from the specified data, not outputs collected in PlanMaker.

Put 5 in B2, leave B3 empty, enter the text hold in B4, and put 17 in B5. There is one genuinely empty cell in B2:B5. Enter:

=COUNTBLANK(A2:A9)+COUNTBLANK(B2:B5)

Expected result: 3 (two blanks in A plus one in B). The formulas are deliberately combined by addition, because the official syntax takes a single range per COUNTBLANK call. For a second check, if B3 is filled with a value, the combined expected count drops to 2.

Practical scenario: in a data-entry workflow, first tally genuinely missing cells; then review populated but invalid values using separate validation/criteria checks. A blank count alone does not prove the submitted data is correct.

• Unexpected count despite a visually blank cell: inspect for whitespace, hidden content or a formula returning "". Do not assume every visually empty cell is physically empty; run a native PlanMaker test for formulas returning empty text if your workflow depends on it.
• A zero is not a blank: a cell containing 0 is occupied and not included in the two deliberately empty positions above.
• The user typed N/A: literal text is a value; it is not the same as an unused cell. Treat invalid statuses with a separate check.
• You entered two ranges in one COUNTBLANK: unlike COUNT and COUNTA, this function has a single-range documented signature. Use COUNTBLANK(range1)+COUNTBLANK(range2) to count separate blocks.
• Your result differs from the sample: check the exact first/last row, delete accidental whitespace and re-enter only the displayed values. Be careful not to place the result formula inside the range being counted.
• Formula returns an error: verify that the range exists and the function name is spelled exactly. No particular error code is asserted here because no native error testing was conducted.
• An entire column gives a huge number: restrict the range to expected records, rather than counting every unused cell in a large worksheet column.

• 2026 official manual: documents COUNTBLANK(range) under number of empty cells.
• 2024 official manual: documents the same signature and example.
• 2021 official manual: page heading calls it number of blank cells and writes the parameter Range, but the same four-cell sample returns 1.

The evidence establishes documentation for the 2021/2024/2026 families, not an earliest support date or confirmation for each desktop/mobile edition. No native runtime or file-format compatibility test was performed.

COUNTBLANK is also a recognized function in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc and Google Sheets. That shared name does not justify claiming identical treatment of formula-generated empty strings, imported whitespace or calculation errors. Verify those edge cases before moving critical audits among products. The ordinary truly-empty-cell sample is a portable conceptual use case.

• SoftMaker PlanMaker — function documentation
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2024: COUNTBLANK
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021: COUNTBLANK
• SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: COUNT

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in SoftMaker PlanMaker.

• No genuine SoftMaker PlanMaker screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.