Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Counting All Characters.

Counting All Characters

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 26, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


When you work with worksheets—particularly those from other people—you may be looking for a way count the number of characters in a worksheet. The following macro is very handy in that regard. It counts the number of characters in an entire workbook, including any characters in any text boxes inserted in the various worksheets.

Sub CountCharacters()
    Dim wks As Worksheet
    Dim rng As Range
    Dim rCell As Range
    Dim shp As Shape

    Dim bPossibleError As Boolean
    Dim bSkipMe As Boolean

    Dim lTotal As Long
    Dim lTotal2 As Long
    Dim lConstants As Long
    Dim lFormulas As Long
    Dim lFormulaValues As Long
    Dim lTxtBox As Long
    Dim sMsg As String

    On Error GoTo ErrHandler
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

    lTotal = 0
    lTotal2 = 0
    lConstants = 0
    lFormulas = 0
    lFormulaValues = 0
    lTxtBox = 0
    bPossibleError = False
    bSkipMe = False
    sMsg = ""

    For Each wks In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
        ' Count characters in text boxes
        For Each shp In wks.Shapes
            If TypeName(shp) <> "GroupObject" Then
                lTxtBox = lTxtBox + shp.TextFrame.Characters.Count
            End If
        Next shp

        ' Count characters in cells containing constants
        bPossibleError = True
        Set rng = wks.UsedRange.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeConstants)
        If bSkipMe Then
            bSkipMe = False
        Else
            For Each rCell In rng
                lConstants = lConstants + Len(rCell.Value)
            Next rCell
        End If

        ' Count characters in cells containing formulas
        bPossibleError = True
        Set rng = wks.UsedRange.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeFormulas)
        If bSkipMe Then
            bSkipMe = False
        Else
            For Each rCell In rng
                lFormulaValues = lFormulaValues + Len(rCell.Value)
                lFormulas = lFormulas + Len(rCell.Formula)
            Next rCell
        End If
    Next wks

    sMsg = Format(lTxtBox, "#,##0") & _
      " Characters in text boxes" & vbCrLf
    sMsg = sMsg & Format(lConstants, "#,##0") & _
      " Characters in constants" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf

    lTotal = lTxtBox + lConstants

    sMsg = sMsg & Format(lTotal, "#,##0") & _
      " Total characters (as constants)" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf

    sMsg = sMsg & Format(lFormulaValues, "#,##0") & _
      " Characters in formulas (as values)" & vbCrLf
    sMsg = sMsg & Format(lFormulas, "#,##0") & _
      " Characters in formulas (as formulas)" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf

    lTotal2 = lTotal + lFormulas
    lTotal = lTotal + lFormulaValues

    sMsg = sMsg & Format(lTotal, "#,##0") & _
      " Total characters (with formulas as values)" & vbCrLf
    sMsg = sMsg & Format(lTotal2, "#,##0") & _
      " Total characters (with formulas as formulas)"

    MsgBox Prompt:=sMsg, Title:="Character count"

ExitHandler:
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
    Exit Sub

ErrHandler:
    If bPossibleError And Err.Number = 1004 Then
        bPossibleError = False
        bSkipMe = True
        Resume Next
    Else
        MsgBox Err.Number & ": " & Err.Description
        Resume ExitHandler
    End If
End Sub

The macro may seem quite long, but it is very well structured in exactly what it does. First, it looks through all the text boxes in a worksheet. If they are not grouped (you cannot count characters in grouped text boxes), then the characters in them are tallied up. Then the macro tallies up the characters in cells containing constants. Finally, it counts all the characters used in cells containing formulas. The balance of the macro is used to present the information in a message box.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8349) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Counting All Characters.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Protecting Parts of a Document

Word doesn't require you to protect entire documents. Instead, you can protect different sections within a document, as ...

Discover More

Formatting Subtotal Rows

Excel automatically formats subtotals for you. But what if you want to change the default to something more suitable for ...

Discover More

Preventing Changes to Multiple Selected Worksheets

It is common to select a group of worksheets and then print them. When done, any edits you make may affect the entire ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Updating Automatically when Opening Under Macro Control

If your workbook contains links, you are normally given the opportunity to update those links when you open the workbook. ...

Discover More

Determining the Number of Visible Columns

When using a macro to process information in a worksheet, you may want that macro to figure out how many columns are ...

Discover More

Using Named Ranges in a Macro

Named ranges are a great capability provided by Excel. You can define all sorts of named ranges in a workbook, but how do ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two minus 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.