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ISNONTEXT Function

The ISNONTEXT function in Excel is used to check whether a value is anything other than text. It returns TRUE for numbers, logical values, dates, errors, and blank cells, and FALSE only when the value is a text string. It is the exact negation of ISTEXT, and is most useful when the positive case you care about is "this is not text" — for example when validating that a field really holds a number before using it in a calculation.

Key Features of ISNONTEXT:

  • Returns FALSE only when the value genuinely is a text string.
  • Returns TRUE for numbers, logical values, dates, times, and error values.
  • Returns TRUE for a blank cell, since an empty cell contains no text.
  • Returns FALSE for an empty string "", which is text of zero length — the one case where blank and empty-string differ.
  • Applied to a range, it evaluates each cell individually and returns an array of results.

Syntax:

ISNONTEXT(value)
  • value: The value or expression you want to test. Typically a cell reference or formula result.

How ISNONTEXT Works:

  1. ISNONTEXT evaluates the provided value or expression.
  2. If the result is a text string — including a zero-length one — it returns FALSE.
  3. For every other data type — number, logical, date, time, error, or blank — it returns TRUE.

ISNONTEXT(x) is always the opposite of ISTEXT(x); there is no value for which both return the same answer.

Examples:

1. A Number:

If A1 contains 42: 

=ISNONTEXT(A1)

Result: 

TRUE

2. A Text Value:

If A1 contains "Hello": 

=ISNONTEXT(A1)

Result: 

FALSE

3. A Number Stored as Text:

If A1 contains the text "42" rather than the number: 

=ISNONTEXT(A1)

Result: 

FALSE (the value is text, however numeric it looks)

4. A Blank Cell:

If A1 is empty: 

=ISNONTEXT(A1)

Result: 

TRUE (an empty cell contains no text)

5. An Empty String:

=ISNONTEXT("")

Result: 

FALSE (a zero-length string is still text)

6. A Logical Value:

=ISNONTEXT(TRUE)

Result: 

TRUE (TRUE is a logical value, not text)

7. Validating a Numeric Entry:

=IF(ISNONTEXT(A1), A1 * 1.2, "Enter a number, not text")

Result: 

Calculates only when A1 holds something other than text

8. Counting Non-Text Cells in a Range:

=SUMPRODUCT(--ISNONTEXT(A1:A10))

Result: 

Returns the number of cells in A1:A10 that do not hold text

Notes:

  • ISNONTEXT is broader than "is a number". It returns TRUE for errors and blanks too, so it is not a substitute for ISNUMBER when you need a value you can actually calculate with.
  • The blank versus empty-string distinction is the one to watch: a blank cell gives TRUE, but a formula returning "" gives FALSE.
  • If the argument evaluates to an error, ISNONTEXT returns TRUE rather than propagating the error — an error is not text.
  • TYPE returns 2 for exactly the values that ISNONTEXT returns FALSE for, so ISNONTEXT(A1) and TYPE(A1)<>2 are equivalent.
  • ISNONTEXT is part of the IS family of information functions (ISBLANK, ISERR, ISERROR, ISEVEN, ISLOGICAL, ISNA, ISNONTEXT, ISNUMBER, ISODD, ISTEXT, etc.).

Applications:

  • Input Validation: Reject text entries in a field that must hold a number or a date.
  • Data Cleaning: Count how many cells in a column are already free of text contamination.
  • Type Auditing: Pair with ISTEXT to partition a mixed column into two complete halves.
  • Defensive Formulas: Guard arithmetic against text arguments that would otherwise raise an error.
  • Conditional Formatting: Highlight rows where a supposedly numeric key arrived as text.
  • ISTEXT: Returns TRUE if the value is text — the exact negation.
  • ISNUMBER: Returns TRUE only for numbers; narrower than ISNONTEXT, which also accepts errors and blanks.
  • ISBLANK: Returns TRUE if the cell is empty.
  • ISERROR: Returns TRUE if the value is any error.
  • TYPE: Returns a numeric code indicating the data type of a value — 2 for text.
  • N: Converts a value to a number — text becomes 0.

Tip: ISNONTEXT is not the same as "is a number", because it also returns TRUE for errors and blank cells. If your formula is about to do arithmetic on the value, reach for ISNUMBER instead — it excludes the two cases that would still break the calculation.