If cell contains any text
The picture above shows different values in column B and a formula in column C that tries to identifies the value in column B.
Formula in cell C3:
The formula above checks if a cell contains a text value based on whether Excel correctly identified and formatted the cell as a text value or not.
This works often quite well, however, sometimes numbers are formatted as text.
This can happen if you import data from a database, copy and paste values from the web or a formula that returns numbers that Excel handles as a text string, among other things.
For example, cell B10 has a number formatted as a text value and the ISTEXT function incorrectly identifies the number as a text value.
The following formula will correctly identify numbers even if Excel identifies the number as a text value.
Formula in cell C3:
Explaining formula in cell C10
The formula in cell C10 is
B10*1 returns a number if B10 contains a number and an error for anything else.
13*1 = 13
ISNUMBER(B10*1) returns TRUE if the argument is a number and FALSE for all else.
ISNUMBER(B10*1) returns TRUE.
The NOT function returns TRUE if FALSE and FALSE if TRUE.
NOT(ISNUMBER(B10*1))
becomes
NOT(TRUE) and returns FALSE.
The ISTEXT function returns TRUE for all text values.
ISTEXT(B10) returns TRUE.
Multiplying the two functions is the same as AND logic. I could use the AND function, however, the * (asterisk) is smaller.
ISTEXT(B10)*NOT(ISNUMBER(B10*1))
becomes
TRUE*FALSE and returns 0. 1*0 = 0
The IF function then returns the third argument.
IF(ISTEXT(B10)*NOT(ISNUMBER(B10*1)),"Text","Not text")
becomes
IF(0,"Text","Not text")
and returns "Not text" in cell C10.
Download Excel *.xlsx file
If cell contains any text.xlsx
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