COUNTIF Formula not working with asterisk

Cristina Lucci

Hi, I am trying to create a summary formula which will count the names in a specific column. Some cells contain multiple names, but they still need to be counted.

The formula I am created does not seem to work as it returns 0 (the formula has the specific name but I have taken it out for privacy):

=COUNTIF(SME:SME, "*Name*")

When I remove the * it counts works, but only when the cell contains a singular name. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mark Bowler

Hi Cristina,

I would recommend inserting the HAS() formula into your COUNTIF formula. The HAS() formula searches for specific values within a range, such as someone's name.

=COUNTIF([Multi-select Column]:[Multi-Select Column], HAS(@cell, "*Name*"))

Mark Bowler

Hi Cristina,

I would recommend inserting the HAS() formula into your COUNTIF formula. The HAS() formula searches for specific values within a range, such as someone's name.

=COUNTIF([Multi-select Column]:[Multi-Select Column], HAS(@cell, "*Name*"))

Cristina Lucci

Awesome, thanks @Mark Bowler!