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ISTEXT

Checks whether a value is text and returns TRUE or FALSE.

Quick Example​

=ISTEXT(A1)

Returns TRUE if A1 contains text, FALSE otherwise.

Syntax​

=ISTEXT(value)

Arguments​

  • value (required): The value to check

Examples​

=ISTEXT("Hello")                     // TRUE
=ISTEXT(123)                         // FALSE (number, not text)
=ISTEXT("123")                       // TRUE (text that looks like number)
=ISTEXT(A1)                          // TRUE if A1 contains text
=IF(ISTEXT(A1), LEN(A1), 0)          // Get length if text

What Counts as Text​

Returns TRUE For​

  • Text strings: "Hello", "ABC"
  • Text numbers: "123", "3.14"
  • Empty strings: ""
  • Spaces: " "
  • Any string value

Returns FALSE For​

  • Numbers: 123, 3.14
  • Dates: DATE(2025, 12, 25)
  • Logical values: TRUE, FALSE
  • Blank/empty cells
  • Errors: #DIV/0!, #VALUE!

How It Works​

Empty String vs Blank​

=ISTEXT("")       // TRUE (empty string is text)
=ISTEXT(A1)       // FALSE if A1 is blank (not a string)

Error Handling​

Returns FALSE for errors (does not propagate them):

=ISTEXT(#VALUE!)  // FALSE

Common Use Cases​

  • Validate text input: =IF(ISTEXT(A1), "OK", "Enter text")
  • Count text cells: =COUNTIF(A1:A10, ISTEXT(A1:A10))
  • Text-only processing: =IF(ISTEXT(A1), UPPER(A1), "")
  • Data type checking: =IF(ISTEXT(A1), A1, "N/A")

Using with Ranges​

=ISTEXT(A1:A5)

For a range, returns TRUE only if ALL cells contain text.