---
schema_version: "1"
id: e68d2e449f897fa6ed418eac3119960fc06694c05c737790234e75e1720f1494
title: "Handlebars Helper Function: isEmpty"
collection: developer
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/developer/current/en-us/marketing-cloud/handlebars/reference/comparison/mcn-handlebars-reference-comparison-isempty.md
canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/handlebars-for-marketing-cloud-next/references/mcn-handlebars-comparison-references/mcn-handlebars-reference-comparison-isempty.html
source_site: developer.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: e0a00fd69f8d41bc1db17ddce31acf4a4837f0022ebabf7cba96257689395c01
products:
  - Handlebars for Marketing Cloud Next
  - Marketing Cloud
---
# Handlebars Helper Function: isEmpty

Checks if a specified parameter evaluates to null or empty. It returns `true` if the parameter is null, undefined, or an empty string, and `false` otherwise.

## Availability

This helper is available in the Winter ’26 release of Marketing Cloud Next.

## Syntax

```handlebars
{{isEmpty input}}
```

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description                           |
| --------- | ---- | ------------------------------------- |
| `input`   | Any  | The value to check for null or empty. |

## Return Value

The function returns `true` if the specified parameter is `null`, `undefined`, or an empty string. It returns `false` for all other values including zero values, non-empty strings, boolean values, and non-empty objects and arrays. If the `input` parameter is missing, or if the parameter references a non-existent variable, it returns `true`.

This function is often used together with conditional helpers to handle empty values. For example, this code example checks if the `firstName` variable is empty and handles it accordingly.

```handlebars
{{#if (isEmpty firstName)}}
  Hello friend!
{{else}}
  Hello {{firstName}}!
{{/if}}
```

## See Also

- [If](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/handlebars-for-marketing-cloud-next/references/mcn-handlebars-comparison-references/mcn-handlebars-reference-comparison-if.md)
- [With](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/handlebars-for-marketing-cloud-next/references/utility/mcn-handlebars-reference-utility-with.md)