Author: Oscar Cronquist Article last updated on April 07, 2018

The DCOUNT function counts cells containing numbers and that meet a condition or criteria.

Formula in cell D3:

=DCOUNT(B6:D12,3,B2:C3)

The formula counts cells in column 3 (D) that contains a number and is less than 700 and larger than 250.

Excel Function Syntax

DCOUNT(database, field, criteria)

Arguments

database Required.  The cell reference to a list or database.
field Required. The field argument lets you choose which column to use. You can use the column name enclosed with double quotation marks or the corresponding column number.
criteria Required.  A cell reference to the criteria range. The criteria range needs to have column labels and a at least one condition below the column label.

Comments

Excel defines a database as a list of related data in which rows of related information are records, and columns of data are fields. The first row of the list contains labels for each column.

Allowed criteria range characters are less than and greater than signs <>, use them to specify a criteria range. Also, asterisks * can be used to match partial strings.

You can place your criteria range wherever you want on your worksheet, however, it is not recommended below the list/database. The function needs a blank row below the list to work properly.

To include the entire list/database enter a blank line below the criteria range column labels.

Excel Function Reference

This extensive function reference list provides detailed information including syntax, arguments, return values, and examples for many of the functions used in Excel formulas. Click on headers to sort table.