How to quickly count if cells are equal to x or y in Excel?
Count number of cells are equal to criteria x or y with formula
Count number of cells are equal to criteria x or y with Defined Function
Count number of cells are equal to criteria x or y with Kutools for Excel
Comparison of Methods for Counting Cells Equal to X or Y in Excel
To count cells that match either of two criteria in Excel, you can use formulas, create a VBA user-defined function, or use Kutools for Excel's Select Specific Cells feature. Each method can handle OR-based counting, but they differ in setup, result type, and whether the matching cells can be directly identified.
| Comparison | Excel Formulas | VBA UDF | Kutools Select Specific Cells |
|---|---|---|---|
| OR criteria | Combines COUNTIF formulas or uses an array formula | Uses a custom function with two specified strings | Set two Equals criteria and select Or |
| Result | Returns a dynamic count in a worksheet cell | Returns the count through a custom worksheet function | Reports the count and selects all matching cells |
| Setup | Enter the appropriate formula | Add VBA code and use the custom function | Configure the criteria visually in a dialog box |
| Locate matching cells | ✘ Returns the count only | ✘ Returns the count only | ✔ Automatically selects the matching cells |
| Best for | Simple, dynamic OR-based counts | Reusable custom counting with VBA | Quickly counting and locating cells that match either criterion |
Count number of cells are equal to criteria x or y with formula
Here I introduce some formulas can help you to count number of cells which are equal to x or y.
Count cells are equal to x or y
Select a blank cell, for instance, E2, and enter this formula =COUNTIF(A2:B7,"Apple")+COUNTIF(A2:B7,"Mango") and press Enter key to get result.
In above formula A2:B7 is the range you want to count from, and Apple and Mango are the values you want to count. You can change them as you need.
Count rows which contain x or y in a range
Select a blank cell, E2 for instance, and enter this formula =SUM(IF((A2:A7="Apple")+(B2:B7="Mango"),1,0)), press Shift + Ctrl + Enter key to get the correct result.
Count number of cells are equal to criteria x or y with Defined Function
With Defined Function, you also can count the number of cells which equal to the criteria x or y.
1. Press Alt + F11 keys to open Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
2. Click Insert > Module, and paste the code into the script.
Code: Count either or
Function FindTwoStrings(Rng As Range, Str1 As String, Optional Str2 As String = "") As Long
'UpdatebyExtendoffice20160705
Application.Volatile
Dim xCell As Range
For Each xCell In Rng
If (InStr(1, UCase(xCell.Value), UCase(Str1), 1) > 0) Or _
(InStr(1, UCase(xCell.Value), UCase(Str2), 1) > 0) Then _
FindTwoStrings = FindTwoStrings + 1
Next
End Function
3. Save the code, and go back to select a blank cell you want to count the result, and enter this formula =FindTwoStrings(A2:A7,D3,D4) and press Enter key to get the count.
Tip: in the formula, A2:A7 is the range you want to count from, and D3 and D4 are the strings you want to count.
Count number of cells are equal to criteria x or y with Kutools for Excel
If you want to count the number of cells which are equal to x or y, and then locate them, you can apply Kutools for Excel’s Select Specific Cells utility.
After free installing Kutools for Excel, please do as below:
1. Select the data range you want to count the cells, and then click Kutools > Select > Select Specific Cells. See screenshot:
2. In the Select Specific Cells dialog, check one option as you need in the Selection type section, and both select Equals from the two drop down list, and enter the criteria separately into the two textboxes, and remember to check Or option. see screenshot:
3. Click Ok or Apply, and a dialog pops out to tell you how many cells meet your criteria, and at the meanwhile, the cells equal to either criteria 1 or criteria 2 are selected.
Conclusion
Excel formulas are the most straightforward built-in solution when you only need a dynamic count. For example, two COUNTIF functions can be added together to count cells equal to either X or Y. The article also provides an array formula when the goal is to count rows that meet either of two conditions.
VBA UDF provides a reusable custom function for OR-based counting. Once the code is added, the function can be used directly in worksheet cells, but this approach requires VBA setup and maintenance.
Kutools for Excel's Select Specific Cells provides a more visual approach. You can set two Equals criteria, choose Or, and immediately get the number of matches while selecting all matching cells at the same time. This makes it particularly useful when you need to locate or further process the matching cells after counting them.
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