Google Sheets Filter Blanks: How to Find Empty Cells

Yes. In Google Sheets, select your data, choose Data > Create a filter, open the filter icon in the relevant column, then choose Filter by condition > Is empty. To show filled cells instead, choose Is not empty; formulas are useful when you need a separate, automatically updating list of matching rows.

What counts as a blank cell?

A genuinely empty cell has no value or formula. But a cell that looks empty may contain a formula returning an empty string, spaces, or other invisible characters. Those cases can behave differently in filters and formulas, so the right method depends on what you mean by “blank.”

For a typical contact list, a blank in the Email column means no email address has been entered. Filtering that column for empty cells is a quick way to find incomplete records. In a calculated report, however, a formula may return an empty string when there is no result yet. It appears blank, but the cell still contains a formula.

Truly empty: Nothing has been entered in the cell.
Formula-generated empty display: A formula is present but displays no characters.
Whitespace: The cell contains one or more spaces, which are hard to see but are still content.

Keeping these distinctions in mind helps explain why “Is empty” may not catch every cell that looks blank on screen. If the result matters, check a few filtered rows or use a helper column to define exactly what should count.

Filter blank cells with the built-in filter

The built-in filter is usually the simplest choice when you want to inspect or temporarily hide rows in the current sheet. In Google Sheets in a web browser, select the data range, including its header row, and choose Data > Create a filter. Filter icons appear in the header cells.

Click the filter icon in the column where you want to find missing values.
Open Filter by condition.
Choose Is empty to show blank entries, or Is not empty to hide them.
To return to all rows, open the column filter and clear the condition, or use Data > Remove filter when you are finished.

For example, suppose columns A through C contain Name, Email, and Status, with headers in row 1. Create a filter over A1:C100, then use the Email column’s filter to show empty cells. You will see the records whose email field has not been filled in, while the other columns remain alongside each matching row.

Include the header row when creating the filter so Sheets can identify the column labels. Also, select the full table rather than only the column you are checking. Filtering just one column can make it harder to keep the relationship between a value and the rest of its row clear.

Filter views for saved or personal filters

A regular filter changes which rows are visible in the sheet. If several people use the same file, that can affect what collaborators see. A filter view is a useful alternative when you want to sort or filter a range without changing everyone’s view of the sheet.

To create one, choose Data > Filter views > Create new filter view, then use the column filter menu to select Filter by condition > Is empty. Give the view a recognizable name if you plan to return to it. Filter views are especially helpful for recurring checks, such as reviewing rows with missing approval dates, while leaving the main sheet’s displayed rows alone for other users.

A filter view does not fill in missing information or change the underlying values. It only changes the view of the selected range. If you do not see the expected rows, check that the filter view covers the full table and that its condition is applied to the correct column.

Use FILTER to create a separate list of blank rows

Use the FILTER function when you want matching rows displayed elsewhere, rather than hidden in the original table. It returns rows from a range when the corresponding condition is true. The result updates as source values change, subject to the range included in the formula.

Assume A1:C6 contains a table with headers in row 1, and the values to check are in column B. Enter this formula in an empty area outside the source data:

With names in A2:A6, email values in B2:B6, and status in C2:C6, enter =FILTER(A2:C6,B2:B6="") to return the rows whose email value compares equal to an empty string. If rows 3 and 5 have blank email values, the result contains those two rows from columns A through C.

If no rows match, FILTER returns a no-match error. To display a helpful message instead, use this version, keeping the same A2:C6 and B2:B6 layout:

With the same table layout, enter =IFNA(FILTER(A2:C6,B2:B6=""),"No blank entries"). When there are no matching rows, the formula displays “No blank entries.” The result spills into the cells below and to the right, so keep that output area clear.

To list rows with values in the checked column instead, change the condition to B2:B6<>"". Keep the returned range and condition range aligned: they need the same number of rows. If the table grows, expand the ranges or use a suitable open-ended range, such as A2:C and B2:B, while recognizing that very large ranges can make a busy sheet slower.

When a cell looks blank but the filter misses it

A formula-generated empty string is a common source of confusion. For example, a formula in B2 could display an empty result while remaining present in the cell. The function ISBLANK treats a cell containing a formula as not blank, even if the formula displays an empty string. A comparison such as B2="" may still match an empty-string result, so it can be more useful for a FILTER condition when both genuinely empty cells and formula-generated empty strings should be included.

Spaces are another issue. A cell containing a space is not truly empty, even though the space may be invisible. If you want to count a cell as blank when it contains only ordinary spaces, add a helper column and fill a test formula down the relevant rows.

With the value to check in A2, enter =LEN(TRIM(A2))=0 in B2 and fill it down. The result is TRUE for a truly empty cell, a cell containing only ordinary spaces, or a formula result that is an empty string; it is FALSE when text remains after trimming. You can then filter the helper column for TRUE. TRIM also removes extra ordinary spaces around text, so this test deliberately treats a value made only of those spaces as blank.

Nonbreaking spaces and other invisible characters may not be removed by TRIM. If a suspicious cell still fails the test, inspect its source or clean the data deliberately rather than assuming it is empty. Replacing characters blindly can damage legitimate text, especially when data was copied from a website or another system.

Common filter problems and fixes

The filter icon is missing: Check that a filter has been created with Data > Create a filter and that you selected the intended range.
The header is included among the results: Recreate the filter using the header row as the first row of the selected range.
Some apparently blank rows remain hidden: Confirm the condition is on the right column. Check whether the cells contain formulas, spaces, or invisible characters.
Rows seem disconnected from their data: Apply the filter to the complete table, not an isolated column.
A formula output does not appear: Make sure the cells needed for its results are empty and that the condition and return ranges cover corresponding rows.

Filters hide rows; they do not delete them. If you plan to remove records after finding blanks, first verify the filtered results and make a copy of important data. Clearing a filter restores the hidden rows, but deleting rows is a separate action.

Choosing between a filter, filter view, and formula

Use the built-in filter for a quick check or a temporary view of missing values. Choose a filter view when you want a saved view that does not disrupt other collaborators’ view of the sheet. Use FILTER when you need a separate live list for a report, review queue, or another part of the workbook.

A helper column is often the clearest option when “blank” needs a custom definition, such as treating cells containing spaces as empty. It makes the rule visible and easy to filter, but it adds a column that you may want to hide or label clearly. For a one-time cleanup, the built-in filter is usually more straightforward than adding formulas.

These Google Sheets steps apply in a web browser. Excel has its own filter controls and formula behavior, so do not assume that the Google Sheets menu paths or every blank-cell edge case will transfer exactly. In either spreadsheet, filtering is a way to display matching records, not a substitute for deciding how incomplete data should be handled.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I filter blank cells in Google Sheets?
Choose Data > Create a filter, click the filter icon in the target column, and select Filter by condition > Is empty. Include the header row and the full data range when setting up the filter.

How do I show only nonblank cells?
Use the column’s filter menu and choose Filter by condition > Is not empty. This hides empty entries from the current filtered view without deleting them.

Can Google Sheets filter cells that contain formulas returning nothing?
They may look empty even though a formula is present. Try a FILTER condition that compares the column with an empty string, such as B2:B6="", or use a helper test with LEN and TRIM if spaces should also count as blank.

How do I filter rows with a formula?
Use FILTER with the full row range as its first argument and a matching column condition as its second. For example, with records in A2:C6 and the blank-check column in B2:B6, =FILTER(A2:C6,B2:B6="") returns matching rows.

Does filtering blanks delete those rows?
No. A filter only hides rows that do not meet the selected condition. Remove or clear the filter to show them again; deleting rows requires a separate action.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

Spotted an error in this guide? Let us know.