COUNTA

Supported, behaves as documented

Category: Statistical · Last tested 2026-08-06

Real, executed compatibility results for the COUNTA function across Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc — verified by actually running it. Syntax and links to each vendor’s official documentation are below.

Support matrix

Engine	Documented	Live-tested	Verdict
Excel	Yes	Not yet	n/a
Google Sheets	Yes	Not yet	n/a
LibreOffice Calc	Yes	Yes (25.8.7.3, 2026-08-06)	Supported, behaves as documented

LibreOffice version history

We executed the same test cases under each LibreOffice release to show exactly when COUNTA’s support changed — not documentation claims, real results.

LibreOffice version	Verdict	Tested
24.2.0.3	Supported, behaves as documented	2026-07-19
24.8.7.2	Supported, behaves as documented	2026-07-19
25.2.0.3	Supported, behaves as documented	2026-07-24
25.8.7.3	Supported, behaves as documented	2026-08-06

Executed test cases

LibreOffice Calc 25.8.7.3 (tested 2026-08-06)

Formula	Description	Result	Expected	Verdict
=COUNTA(A1:A6)	COUNTA counts every non-blank cell regardless of type: numbers, text, and booleans all count, unlike COUNT which only counts numbers (same setup as COUNT_mixed_types_range)	4	4 A1, A2, A4, A5 are all non-blank (A3, A6 are genuinely blank and excluded)	Matched
=COUNTA(A1:A2)	A cell holding a formula that returns "" is still counted by COUNTA, because it contains content (a formula), even though it displays as empty. Confirmed via Microsoft's COUNTA docs (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/counta-function-7dc98875-d5c1-46f1-9a82-53f3219e2509): "if the range contains a formula that returns an empty string, the COUNTA function counts that value."	2	2 Both A1 (formula returning "") and A2 (5) are counted; this same A1 cell is ALSO counted as blank by COUNTBLANK - see COUNTBLANK_empty_string_formula_counted_as_blank	Matched
=COUNTA(A1:A5)	A range with no content at all counts as 0	0	0	Matched

Docs & syntax

Excel: official documentation
Google Sheets: official documentation
LibreOffice Calc: official documentation