There are mainly three ways to specify blank cells in formulas in Google Sheets. The use case varies depending on the formula you’re working with.

We often need to specify blank cells in Google Sheets formulas for two main purposes:

1. To return an empty cell as a formula output
2. To use as a condition in a formula, typically to include or exclude blank rows

Most of you are probably familiar with using double quotes ("") to represent a blank. But did you know that this approach doesn’t always work? In some cases, you need to return truly blank cells instead — using IF(,,) or IFERROR(0/0).

Let’s look at both use cases in more detail.

Return a Truly Blank Cell in Logical Tests in Google Sheets

In logical tests, you might want to return a blank instead of a value. For example:

=IF(B2="Passed", A2, "")

This formula in cell C2 checks if the value in B2 is "Passed". If so, it returns the name from A2; otherwise, it returns an empty character ("").

But here’s the catch:

• If B2 is not “Passed”, C2 shows nothing — but =ISBLANK(C2) will return FALSE because it’s not truly blank, just an empty string.

To make C2 truly blank and return TRUE with ISBLANK(C2), replace "" with:

=IF(B2="Passed", A2, IFERROR(0/0))

or

=IF(B2="Passed", A2, IF(,,))

Both of these will return truly blank cells.

💡 Can you just leave the argument empty?

In a simple IF statement, you can technically omit the final argument by leaving a blank space after the comma, like this: =IF(B2="Passed", A2, ). Google Sheets will treat this omission as a true null, and ISBLANK will return TRUE.

The Catch: You cannot rely on this shortcut everywhere. In more rigid formulas—like database functions (DSUM, DCOUNTA) or strict array formulas—leaving a required argument completely blank will cause syntax errors because those functions strictly require you to pass a defined parameter. In those advanced scenarios, you must explicitly specify the blank using IF(,,) or IFERROR(0/0) to satisfy the formula’s rules while still outputting a true null.

Specifying Blank Cells as a Condition in Google Sheets Formulas

Let’s say you have data in columns A and B. You want to filter out empty rows using the FILTER function.

Using Empty Character ("") as a Condition:

=FILTER(A1:B, A1:A<>"")

This formula filters out blank rows based on column A. It works because <>"" excludes both cells containing empty strings and truly blank cells.

You can also use the empty string in formulas like:

=COUNTIF(K2:K, "")

This counts cells that appear empty — whether they’re truly blank or just contain an empty string.

Note on QUERY Syntax for Blank Cells:

In Google Sheets, when using the QUERY function, the criterion to exclude blank (empty) cells depends on the field type.

For text columns, use either:

• '' (two single quotes), or
• """" (four double quotes)

Example — to exclude empty cells in a text column:

=QUERY(A1:B, "SELECT * WHERE A <>'' ")

For numeric fields, using <>'' may return an error or unexpected results. Instead, you may need to use a condition like IS NOT NULL:

=QUERY(A1:B, "SELECT * WHERE A IS NOT NULL")

Specifying Truly Blank Cells as Criteria in Database Functions

In Google Sheets, database functions (like DCOUNTA, DSUM, etc.) require special treatment when checking for blanks. Here, using "" as a condition won’t work.

Instead, you must return truly blank cells as criteria.

To count truly empty cells in column A using DCOUNTA:

=DCOUNTA(A1:A, 1, VSTACK(IFERROR(0/0), IFERROR(0/0)))

or

=DCOUNTA(A1:A, 1, VSTACK(IF(,,), IF(,,)))

Explanation:

• A1:A – the data range
• 1 – refers to the first column (column A)
• VSTACK(...) – stacks two truly blank cells vertically to simulate a criteria range

Why two rows? Because database functions require a field label and at least one row of criteria. Since we don’t want to specify a condition, we provide two blank cells — not empty strings, but truly blank cells.

Conclusion

We’ve seen three ways to specify blank cells in formulas in Google Sheets:

1. "" – returns an empty character
2. IF(,,) – returns a truly blank cell
3. IFERROR(0/0) – also returns a truly blank cell

The key takeaway? The difference is not just visual. One returns an empty string, while the others return truly blank cells — something you can verify using the ISBLANK function.

Knowing which to use — and where — can help you avoid subtle issues, especially when working with database functions or logic tests.