Counting a dropdown value by hand across many tabs breaks the moment someone adds a new tab, and rebuilding every formula takes too long. This free tool helps you count dropdown values across sheets in one table: export each tab as CSV, upload the files together, pick the dropdown column, and get counts per week or tab instantly.
Files are read in your browser only and are never uploaded to a server. For Excel/Sheets, export each tab as CSV first, then upload all files together.
How to count dropdown values across sheets in 3 steps
First, export each tab as CSV. In Google Sheets, open a tab and choose File > Download > Comma-separated values, then repeat for every tab you want to count. In Excel, use File > Save As and choose the CSV format for each sheet. The tool counts CSV data in your browser, so this export step is how Excel and Sheets files get in — the tool does not parse .xlsx files directly.
Second, upload all the CSV files together in the upload box, or paste your CSV with a Week or Tab column into the text area. Each file name becomes the tab name in the results, so name files like Week-1.csv or January.csv before you upload.
Third, pick the Group by column and the Count column, then read the pivot table. Copy the table straight into Excel or Google Sheets with the Copy for Excel / Sheets button, or save it with Download CSV.
Worked example
Click Load example in the tool to see this in action. The example CSV has two columns, Week and Status, with these six data rows: Week 1,Yes — Week 1,No — Week 1,Yes — Week 2,Yes — Week 2,Maybe — Week 2,Yes. The Week column becomes the group, the Status column is the dropdown being counted, and each distinct answer becomes its own column in the result:
| Group | Maybe | No | Yes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Week 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Reading the table: Week 1 has two Yes answers and one No, for a total of 3. Week 2 has two Yes answers and one Maybe, for a total of 3. The bottom row adds up each column: Yes appears 4 times, No once, Maybe once, for a grand total of 6. That bottom-right 6 should always equal the number of data rows you gave the tool, which is a quick way to check that nothing was missed.
How grouping works
When you upload files, the group is the file name. One file equals one tab or week, so the counts stay separated exactly the way your tabs are separated. Name each file after the tab it came from before uploading.
When you paste CSV instead, pick any column as the group — a Week column, a Tab column, a name column, anything. The tool lists every distinct value in that column as its own row.
The value column is the one with the dropdown answers you want to count, such as Status, Priority, or Region. Every distinct answer becomes its own column. Rows with an empty value are skipped so blank cells do not inflate the numbers, and the CSV reader handles quoted commas correctly, so a value like “Yes, urgently” stays one value.
Common mistakes
Writing a COUNTIF for every sheet by hand is the slowest route. Each new tab needs another formula, and one typo breaks the chain. Upload the CSV exports instead and the whole count rebuilds itself.
Forgetting a new tab is the most common silent error. If someone adds Week 5 to the workbook but you only exported through Week 4, your totals are short. Re-export every tab each time you count.
Counting the header row inflates every option by one. This tool treats the first row as headers automatically, so leave headers in place and do not try to remove them.
Different spellings of the same option split the count. Yes and yes, or Done and done, are counted as separate answers. Clean the spellings in the source sheet before exporting so each option appears exactly once.
Frequently asked questions
How do I count a dropdown value across multiple sheets in Google Sheets?
Export each sheet as CSV with File > Download > Comma-separated values, then upload all the files together in the tool above and pick the dropdown column. You get one table with counts per sheet, which you can copy straight back into Google Sheets.
Can I count values across all tabs without writing a formula for each sheet?
Yes. That is exactly what this tool replaces: instead of a COUNTIF per tab plus a summary formula, you upload the CSV exports once and the pivot table counts every tab together, including the totals row and the grand total.
Does my Excel file leave my browser?
No. Your files are read by JavaScript running on your own device and are never uploaded to a server. The export-to-CSV step happens in Excel or Sheets on your computer, and the counting happens locally in this page.
How do I group counts by week?
If each file is one week, the file name becomes the week label automatically. If you paste CSV, include a Week column and choose it in the Group by dropdown; each distinct week then gets its own row in the results table.
What file types work — .xlsx, .csv, or Google Sheets export?
Upload CSV files exported from Excel or Google Sheets. An .xlsx workbook must first be exported as CSV (Excel: Save As > CSV; Sheets: File > Download > Comma-separated values) because the tool counts CSV data in your browser and does not parse .xlsx files directly. No file is ever uploaded to a server.
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