How to count all cells except a specific value in Excel?

If you have a list of values where the word "Apple" appears multiple times, and you need to count only the cells that do not contain "Apple," Excel provides simple solutions to accomplish this. In this article, we will explore different methods to count all cells except a specific value.
Count all cells except a specific value with formula
Count all cells except a specific value with Kutools for Excel
Comparison of Methods for Counting Cells Except a Specific Value in Excel
To count cells that do not equal a specific value in Excel, you can use the COUNTIF function or Kutools for Excel's Select Specific Cells feature. Both methods can get the required count, but they handle the matching cells differently.
| Comparison | Excel COUNTIF | Kutools Select Specific Cells |
|---|---|---|
| Count cells except a specific value | ✔ Uses COUNTIF with the <> operator | ✔ Uses the Does not equal condition |
| Result | Returns the count in a worksheet cell | Displays the count and selects all matching cells |
| Formula required | ✔ Example: =COUNTIF(A2:A16,"<>Apple") | ✘ No formula required |
| Best for | Keeping a dynamic count in the worksheet | Quickly counting and selecting all cells except a specified value for further processing |
Count all cells except a specific value with formula
In fact, the Countif function can help you to count all cells but a specific word. Please do as follows:
Enter this formula: =COUNTIF(A1:A16,"<>Apple") into a blank cell where you want to output the result, and press Enter key to display the calculation, see screenshot:

Tips: In the above formula: A2:A16 is the cell range that you want to count, and Apple is the specific word you need to exclude. Please change them to your needs.
Count all cells except a specific value with Kutools for Excel
Kutools for Excel’s Select Specific cells utility can help you to select and count the cells ignoring a specific word as quickly as you can.
1. Select the cells that you want to count.
2. Then click Kutools > Select > Select Specific Cells, see screenshot:

3. In the Select Specific Cells dialog box, select Cell under the Selection type, then choose Does not equal from the Specific type drop down list, and enter the text to exclude when counting, see screenshot:

4. Then click Ok or Apply, all cells except the specific word you typed in the textbox are selected and counted as following screenshot shown:

Kutools for Excel - Supercharge Excel with over 300 essential tools, making your work faster and easier, and take advantage of AI features for smarter data processing and productivity. Get It Now
Demo: Count all cells except a specific value with Kutools for Excel
Conclusion
Excel's COUNTIF function is ideal when you need a dynamic count that remains in the worksheet. Using the <> operator, you can easily count cells that do not equal a specified value, and the result updates when the source data changes.
Kutools for Excel's Select Specific Cells is more convenient when you need to identify the matching cells as well as count them. By using the Does not equal condition, Kutools displays the number of matches and selects all qualifying cells at the same time, making it easy to immediately format, copy, delete, or further process them.
Best Office Productivity Tools
Supercharge Your Excel Skills with Kutools for Excel, and Experience Efficiency Like Never Before. Kutools for Excel Offers Over 300 Advanced Features to Boost Productivity and Save Time. Click Here to Get The Feature You Need The Most...
Office Tab Brings Tabbed interface to Office, and Make Your Work Much Easier
- Enable tabbed editing and reading in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, Visio and Project.
- Open and create multiple documents in new tabs of the same window, rather than in new windows.
- Increases your productivity by 50%, and reduces hundreds of mouse clicks for you every day!
All Kutools add-ins. One installer
Kutools for Office suite bundles add-ins for Excel, Word, Outlook & PowerPoint plus Office Tab Pro, which is ideal for teams working across Office apps.
- All-in-one suite — Excel, Word, Outlook & PowerPoint add-ins + Office Tab Pro
- One installer, one license — set up in minutes (MSI-ready)
- Works better together — streamlined productivity across Office apps
- 30-day full-featured trial — no registration, no credit card
- Best value — save vs buying individual add-in