Count number of characters in Excel

Ready-made formulas for char or word count

The add-in does exactly what its name suggests: counts words and characters in Excel. You can calculate all symbols or words in a cell as well as find out the number of specific letters. The results can be returned as values or reusable formulas.

Free download

For Microsoft Excel 365, 2024 – 2016

Count all characters in Excel

Return the number of symbols in each cell of the selected range.

Get a word count in Excel

Find out the number of words in each cell within a certain range.

Count specific characters in selected cells

Check how many times a particular char appears in your dataset.

Insert the result as value or formula

Have the results as static numbers or updatable formulas.

How to count letters and words in Excel

Count number of characters in Excel cells
Count number of characters in Excel cells
Tick off one checkbox to paste the result as a formula
Tick off one checkbox to paste the result as a formula
How to count specific symbols in Excel
How to count specific symbols in Excel
Insert a formula to count specific symbols
Insert a formula to count specific symbols
How to count words in Excel and get the result as a formula
How to count words in Excel and get the result as a formula

Frequently asked questions

What is Count Characters and what do I need it for?

The Count Characters add-in allows you to count the number of characters and words in Excel cells. You can either get the total char count in selected cells or tally the occurrences of a specific symbol. The tool lets you insert the result as a number or formula.

Can't I count number of characters in Excel without any add-ins?

Yes, you can. It's probably no big deal to count all characters in a cell by using a LEN formula. To do a word count in Excel, be prepared to build a more elaborate formula by combining various functions like LEN, TRIM, and SUBSTITUTE. Counting specific characters could be even trickier.

With the Count Characters tool, the number of your actions is reduced to a couple of mouse clicks.

How to count characters and words in Excel?

  1. Click the Count Characters icon under the Ablebits Tools tab.
  2. Select the range.
  3. Choose what you need to count: characters, specific symbols, or words.
  4. Decide if you want the result as a formula and whether you need a backup worksheet.
  5. Click Insert results.

See a more detailed description here.

I need the result as a formula, can the add-in do that?

Yes. The add-in inserts a simple LEN formula for a char count and a more complex formula for word count.

Where does the add-in put the results?

Count Characters inserts a new column to the right of your selected range and places the result next to each cell with the original data.

Over 150,000 happy users!

What our customers think

I’ve used the AbleBits add-in for a number of years

I've used the AbleBits add-in for several years and it's made my life in Excel easier. Its table tools are spot on, allowing me to find discrepancies in Power Query results. The product support is exemplary! I have receive quick responses to the small issues I've had and have been treated graciously. I highly recommend this product.

Mary B,

Can't do my job well without Ablebits

Can't do my job well without Ablebits, saves me so much time. And AI can't do the formulas that Ablebits can. On top of that their service support is super.

Lauren Daniell,

Where has this been all my life?

Where has this been all my life? This program is amazing! It's saved me time and headaches! So easy to use, and so versatile ~ it is truly a magic wand.

Li,

Love it!

I use Merge Table Wizard religiously, cannot live without it. As an analyst, data is key & this is VLOOKUP on speed. Customer Service is prompt & exceptional.

Kelly,

Over and above the Excel add-in

Over and above the Excel add-in, after sales service, when needed, is superb. No two ways about it. As for the Ablebits Addin for Excel, you will not find any better elsewhere. Pricing suits what you get, and it is a bargain at best.

Daryll Norton,

The best of the best!

I have been a customer for some time, and each and every time I've needed assistance at all, they have been there and right away too! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Michael,

Ablebits is worth the money

I’ve been using Ablebits personally for over a decade. I've upgraded to newer versions when needed because the Excel add-on is great. I use it almost daily to save time. It has so many use cases. If you use Excel, it is a must. Great cost for such a fantastic tool.

Will Lyons,

Great find!

I’ve been using Ablebits for over 3 years, and it has become an essential tool for expediting my workflow. The software is extremely reliable, user-friendly, and packed with features that save me hours in Excel. Tasks that once took me forever—like merging sheets and columns, cleaning data, and removing duplicates—are now done in just a few clicks. Highly recommend!

Cheryl,

A huge time-saver

I’ve used different versions of this add-in for close to a decade. It is one of the greatest time-saving tools for data wrangling I’ve gotten and I highly recommend it. Especially if you’re looking to do more with Excel but don’t want to be memorizing formulas. It works with a series if “Wizards” or guides How-Tos.

Olga,

Ablebits customer care Excels

I presented the Ablebits Customer Care Team with an Excel data-column extraction challenge that I lacked the experience or tools to perform. The timeliness of the Team's response, their understanding of the nature of the extraction requested, the expertise conveyed via email, the technical tools, and the supplied demonstration video were most professional. I'm wowed!

K. Pate,

Hard to live without this addon, a must

Been using this for a year now. Simplifies soooo many annoying tasks in Excel. The icons make it readable and easy to find what tool you're looking for. This has been by far the best enhancement for my productivity with Excel for my job.

Alex Huffman,

5 star customer service

I've been using the Ablebits Excel add-on for years and every time I need to install my PC, I tend to need a refreshed activation key and every time, the guys at Ablebits help me instantly without any fuss. Excellent product and Excellent customer support.

Simon Hodgkinson,

Ablebits provides great support - even years after purchase

Ablebits is a great tool that I have been using for nearly eight years. It quit responding recently and I contacted Support for help. They responded the next day with a solution along with assistance on the install. Great, responsive customer support!

Bill Bramble,

Highly recommended!

I highly recommend Ablebits for anyone who works with multiple spreadsheets, build reports, does integrations, or needs to transform data quickly. It's an awesome product, and the company is also super helpful and responsive.

Evan Antonellis,

Cannot work without Ablebits

We mainly use the merge-table wizard to move data between Excel files. Very easy to use and extremely fast even with huge spreadsheets. I don't know how anyone can be without it. We rarely need help from them, but when we do they answer immediately. Strongly recommended!!

Fridtjof Lund-Johansen,

Best Excel Addin

This is by far one of the most useful addins/piece of software I have ever purchased. It solves a ton of excel issues easily. I can't recommend it enough. I have used it weekly for over 5 years. Additionally, support is very helpful.

cmitts,

Ablebits: 5* for quality, 5* for function, 5* for support

Ablebits is one of the best timesavers in my toolbox. I fully believe that I gain >50% efficiency time wise and experience a dramatic increase in accuracy. I just received wonderful and timely tech support from the support team. Fast response. Accurate. To the point. 5* for quality, 5* for function, 5* for support. Thank you Ablebits team!

DavyCinco,

I can’t tell you how much I use and appreciate Ablebits

I can’t tell you how much I use and appreciate Ablebits. The Merge Tables function is worth it alone, but I’m still discovering new fun things this add-in can do. It’s hands down the best program I’ve used to enhance data analysis and curation.

Christina Cenczyk,

Since I found Ultimate Suite, I have been able to actually enjoy my data days

I am the lucky person in our office to manipulate data in Excel. I used to dread it and take days to complete. Since I found Ablebits Ultimate Suite for Excel, I can be the office star and have been able to actually enjoy my data days. This product saves me frustration and time. Excellent support, great documentation and it is easy to work through. Highly recommended!

Kelly Rickard,

My experience with Ablebits has been nothing short of outstanding

Overall, my experience with Ablebits has been nothing short of outstanding. Not only does their software deliver on its promises, but their commitment to customer satisfaction truly sets them apart. I highly recommend Ablebits to anyone in need of reliable and feature-rich software, backed by unparalleled support.

Vijayakrishna Rapaka E,
Read more reviews on Trustpilot

System requirements

Microsoft Excel IconMicrosoft Excel
  • Excel included in Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)
  • Excel 2024
  • Excel 2021
  • Excel 2019
  • Excel 2016
  • Note! Office Insider is not supported
Windows IconWindows
  • Windows 11 on PCs (x86)
  • Windows 11 on Copilot+ PCs (x86 and ARM)
  • Windows 11 on Macs (Parallels, Intel and Apple M)
  • Windows 10
  • Note! Windows Insider is not supported

Choose your Ultimate Suite edition

Count Characters + 70 other time-saving tools in one powerful suite

30-day money back guarantee
If you are not 100% happy with the product, you can cancel an order and get your money back with no questions asked.
Pay once, use forever
You pay only once and can use the purchased version as long as you need.
Instant delivery by e-mail
Volume Discounts
  Personal Business Business, 5 seats
License for Single user, up to 2 computers Single user, up to 5 computers 5 users, 5 computers per user
Support for Excel 365, 2024 – 2016

All Excel versions 2024 – 2016 are supported, both 32- and 64-bit. Also, all desktop Excel versions included in Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Technical support service

Our support team is always happy to help you via email, live chat, or phone no matter how long ago you purchased your license.

Free upgrades

During 2 years after the purchase you get all minor updates and major upgrades for free.

2 years 2 years 2 years
Can be installed without admin rights

Business edition does not require admin rights; it is installed in the CurrentUser\AppData folder. Personal edition requires administrative rights to install.

Corporate deployment (GPO, SCCM)

Your system administrator can quickly and easily deploy Ultimate Suite for a group of users without even disturbing them.

Features and hotfixes on request

We’ll do everything in our power to create additional features you need and fix the found bugs as soon as possible.

You can choose currency in the next step.
$49
Buy now
$99
Buy now
$399
Buy now

Your order will be processed by 2Checkout (Verifone Payments BV)

We use the e-commerce service provider 2Checkout (Verifone Payments BV) to process your order and collect payment.
Get a formal quote Place a Purchase Order (PO) Purchasing FAQ

50% discount for charities

For charities, we offer a 50% discount from the regular price. To get your discount, please contact us using your organization's email address.