How to Add Numbers in Excel

The quickest way to add numbers in Excel is AutoSum. Click the empty cell directly below a column of numbers (or just to the right of a row), press Alt + = on Windows or Command + Shift + T on a Mac, check the highlighted range, and press Enter. Excel writes a formula such as =SUM(B2:B6) and shows the total in the cell.

Applies to: Excel for Microsoft 365 (Windows and Mac), Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, Excel 2016 and Excel for the web. Microsoft’s AutoSum instructions list the same steps for each version.

Which way of adding should you use?

Excel gives you several ways to add, and they don’t all do the same job. Some only show you a total, some leave a formula that keeps updating, and one changes the numbers themselves.

You want to	Use	Leaves anything in the sheet?
Glance at a total	The status bar	No
Total a column or row in one click	AutoSum	Yes, a SUM formula
Add a range, or cells scattered around the sheet	A typed SUM formula	Yes
Add two or three numbers like a calculator	The plus sign	Yes
Add the same amount to many cells	Paste Special > Add	No formula; the values change

A few terms first

• Cell address: the column letter plus row number, such as B2. The address of the selected cell appears in the Name Box at the top left.
• Range: a block of cells written with a colon. B2:B6 means B2 through B6, including both ends.
• Formula bar: the long box above the column letters. Click a total and the formula behind it shows there.
• Every formula starts with =. Without it, Excel treats what you type as plain text.

Method 1: See a total without a formula

Select the cells you want to add by dragging across them. Look at the status bar along the bottom edge of the Excel window: Average, Count and Sum appear there by default. Hold Ctrl (Command on a Mac) to add cells that aren’t next to each other.

Nothing is written into the sheet, so the number disappears once you click somewhere else. If Sum is missing, right-click the status bar and select Sum. You can also turn on Minimum, Maximum and Numerical Count from the same menu, as described on Microsoft’s status bar options page.

Method 2: Total a column or row with AutoSum

In this example, Alex has weekly sales of 120, 95, 140, 80 and 115 in cells B2 through B6.

1. Click B7, the first empty cell below the numbers. For a row, click the first empty cell to the right of it instead.
2. Go to the Home tab and select AutoSum (the Σ symbol) at the right end of the ribbon. It’s also on the Formulas tab. Or use the keyboard: Alt + = on Windows, Command + Shift + T on a Mac. Select the Σ button itself, not the arrow beside it, which opens a list of other functions.
3. Excel types =SUM(B2:B6) and draws a moving dashed border around the cells it plans to add. If it picked the wrong cells, drag across the right ones now.

4. Press Enter (Return on a Mac). B7 shows 550.

To confirm it worked, click B7 again. The cell shows the total and the formula bar shows the SUM formula. Change a number in B2:B6 and the total updates on its own.

AutoSum guesses the range from the numbers next to the cell, and a blank cell or heading can cut that guess short. If your column has a gap, it may only grab the numbers below the gap, so always look at the border before pressing Enter.

Total several columns at once

Select the empty cells under every column (for example B7:E7) and use AutoSum once. Excel puts a separate total in each cell. To get row totals and column totals in one go, select your numbers plus one empty row below and one empty column to the right, then press Alt + =.

Method 3: Type a SUM formula

Typing the formula yourself lets you add exactly the cells you want, even if they’re spread out.

1. Click the cell where the total should go.
2. Type =SUM(
3. Drag across the cells to add. Excel fills in the range for you. To add another range, type a comma and select it, or hold Ctrl while you click.
4. Type ) and press Enter.

To add	Type
One range	=SUM(B2:B6)
Two separate ranges	=SUM(B2:B6,D2:D6)
Single cells	=SUM(B2,B4,B6)
A range plus a fixed number	=SUM(B2:B6,50)
A whole column	=SUM(B:B) (put it in a different column, or Excel reports a circular reference)

SUM accepts up to 255 arguments, and any text in the range is skipped. When you insert a row inside the range, the formula grows to include it. Microsoft explains these rules on its SUM function page. If formulas are new to you, the guide to using a formula in Excel covers the basics.

Method 4: Add with the plus sign

For a quick sum, type the numbers or cell addresses with + between them: =120+95+140 or =B2+B3+B4. This works well for two or three values, but it has two weak spots compared with SUM: Swap the plus sign for an asterisk and the same pattern multiplies instead, as shown in creating a multiplication formula in Excel.

• If a referenced cell contains text (like “n/a”), the result is a #VALUE! error. That can actually help you spot bad data.
• If you delete a row the formula points to, you get #REF!, and rows you insert later aren’t included.

Method 5: Add the same number to many cells

Paste Special can add one amount to a whole block of numbers, such as adding a 25 shipping fee to every price. It overwrites the original values and leaves no formula, so work on a copy if you might need the old numbers.

1. Type 25 in an empty cell and copy it with Ctrl + C.
2. Select the cells you want to increase.
3. Go to Home > Paste (the arrow under the icon) > Paste Special, or press Ctrl + Alt + V.
4. Under Operation, select Add, then select OK.

Each selected number goes up by 25. Press Ctrl + Z straight away if you selected the wrong cells. The same box has Subtract, Multiply and Divide, as listed on Microsoft’s paste options page.

Other kinds of totals

• Only rows that match a condition: =SUMIF(A2:A50,"East",C2:C50) adds column C wherever column A says East. The guide to using SUMIF covers wildcards, dates and SUMIFS for several conditions.
• Only visible rows: SUM still counts rows hidden by a filter. =SUBTOTAL(109,C2:C50) skips filtered rows and rows you hid by hand.
• An Excel table: click inside the table, open the Table Design tab and check Total Row. Pick Sum from the drop-down under any column.
• A running total: in C2, type =SUM($B$2:B2) and copy it down with the fill handle. The $ signs lock the starting cell, so each row adds everything above it.
• The same cell on several sheets: =SUM(Jan:Dec!B10) adds B10 on every sheet from Jan through Dec. For other layouts, see how to add totals from different sheets.

When the total looks wrong

The total is 0 or too low

Some numbers are probably stored as text, which often happens after pasting from a website or another program. They tend to sit on the left side of the cell with a small green triangle in the corner. Select them, select the warning icon that appears, and choose Convert to Number. Microsoft’s page on converting numbers stored as text also shows a VALUE formula for stubborn cases.

A quick check: select the column and compare Count in the status bar with the number of rows you expect. If Count is lower, some cells aren’t being read as numbers.

You see the formula instead of the answer

Either the cell is formatted as Text or Show Formulas is on. Press Ctrl + ` (the key left of 1) to toggle Show Formulas. For a Text cell, set Home > Number Format to General, click in the cell, and press F2 then Enter.

The total doesn’t change when you edit a number

The workbook is set to manual calculation. Go to Formulas > Calculation Options > Automatic, or press F9 to recalculate once.

The total is off by a cent

The cells probably hold more decimals than they display. Select them and use Home > Increase Decimal to see the real values. Wrap the total in ROUND, such as =ROUND(SUM(B2:B6),2), if you need it fixed at two places.

Frequently asked questions

Is AutoSum different from the SUM function?

No. AutoSum is a shortcut button that writes the SUM formula for you, so the result is identical. Once it’s in the cell, you can edit the range in the formula bar like any typed formula.

How do I remove a total?

Click the cell and press Delete. Only the formula goes; the numbers it was adding stay where they are.

Can I add up time values?

Yes, SUM adds times. If a total over 24 hours resets to a small number, apply the custom format [h]:mm to the total cell so Excel shows the full hours.

How do I count entries instead of adding them?

Use =COUNT(B2:B50) for cells with numbers or =COUNTA(B2:B50) for any filled cell. The guide to counting rows in Excel covers filtered data too.

Start with Alt + = under your next column of numbers, then click the total and read the formula bar. Once that range makes sense, typing your own SUM formulas will feel natural.