Syntax
=ISBLANK(value)
value- The cell to check.
ISBLANK function in Google Sheets
ISBLANK returns TRUE if a cell is completely empty. It's used to spot missing data and to skip calculations on rows that haven't been filled in yet.
Practice ISBLANK
Task 1 of 1
Some tasks have no owner yet. Return TRUE in C2 if the Owner cell B2 is empty.
Tip: while typing a formula, click a cell or drag across cells to insert references. Press Enter to check, and Tab to accept a function suggestion.
ISBLANK examples
Each example below runs against this sample sheet. The results are calculated by the same engine as the practice grid.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Class | Score | Passed |
| 2 | Priya | A | 92 | TRUE |
| 3 | Leo | B | 67 | FALSE |
| 4 | Chloe | A | 48 | FALSE |
| 5 | Mateo | B | 81 | TRUE |
| 6 | Ines | C | FALSE | |
| 7 | Kai | C | 75 | TRUE |
| Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
=ISBLANK(C6) | TRUE | Ines has no score. |
=ISBLANK(C2) | FALSE | Priya does. |
=IF(ISBLANK(C6), "Missing", "OK") | Missing | A readable flag. |
Tips and common mistakes
- A cell with a formula returning "" is not blank to ISBLANK, even though it looks empty. Test with =C2="" instead if that matters.
- A cell containing a single space is not blank either.
Related functions
Learning step by step? ISBLANK is covered in Lesson 10: ISBLANK, ISNUMBER & IS Functions of the free course.