Countif confused

To count the number of values in column F (e.g., "apples") only for the current last twelve months based on dates in column B formatted as "mmm yy", you can use an Excel formula with COUNTIFS and date functions like this:

1. Ensure the dates in column B are actual date values (not text). If they appear as "mmm yy", Excel might recognize them as dates but formatted.
2. Use a formula like the following, assuming data starts in row 2 and goes down to row 1000 (adjust as needed):

=COUNTIFS(F2:F1000, "apples", B2:B1000, ">=" & EDATE(TODAY(), -12), B2:B1000, "<=" & TODAY())

• F2:F1000, "apples" counts only if column F equals "apples"
• B2:B1000, ">=" & EDATE(TODAY(), -12) ensures the date is within the last 12 months from today
• B2:B1000, "<=" & TODAY() ensures the dates are up to today

This counts the occurrences of "apples" in column F where the related date in column B falls within the last 12 months exactly from today's date backward.

If the data in column B is text like "Apr 24", convert it to dates or use a helper column with a formula like:

=DATEVALUE("01 " & B2)

to convert text to an actual date for comparison.

This method prevents counting beyond the last 12 months and filters by the specific value "apples" in column F correctly.