How to Add in Excel

The addition is one of the most basic and essential arithmetic operations you can do in Excel. You can add numbers, cells, a range of cells, and a mix of numbers and cells in Excel.

There are various ways to add in Excel, including using formulas, functions, AutoSum feature, and using paste special feature. In this article, we’ll show you the various ways to add in Excel.

Add Numbers in Excel

Adding simple numbers in Excel in easy as adding numbers on paper. All you have to do is put an equal sign in front of the formula and put an addition operator (equal ‘+’ sign) in between numbers.

For example, to add 10 and 32, type =10+32 in the cell of your choice and press ‘Enter’. Excel automatically adds the numbers.

To add more numbers just add a ‘+’ sign between every two numbers as shown below.

Add Cells in Excel

You can also use the cell reference that contains values in the formula to add values of the cells. First type equal sign (=) into the cell where you want the result followed by cell references separated by a plus sign (+).

For example, to add values of cells A2 and B2, enter the equal sign (=) into the cell (B2) where you want the result. Next, enter a cell reference or click the cell that has a value, followed by the ‘+’ sign, followed by another cell reference (=A2+A2).

You can add as many cells as you want with this simple formula. If you’re adding more than two references, you just have to type multiple cell references separated by the ‘+’ (plus) sign.

To add a mix of numbers and cells that has numbers, use this formula.

Adding Columns/Rows in Excel

To add to the column of number and produce the results on another column, type the formula in the first cell (C1) of the result column and drag the fill handle (tiny green square at the lower right corner of the cell) down to the cell C9.

Now, the formula is copied to C1:C9. Column A is added to column B, and you got the results on column C.

You can also use this same method to add rows instead of columns.

Adding the Same Number to a Column of Numbers in Excel

You can also add a column of numbers or range cells to a constant number in another cell. To do that, you have to fix the reference to the cell containing the constant number by adding the dollar ‘$’ symbol in front of the column letter and row number in the formula. Otherwise, when the formula is copied, the cell reference will automatically adjust to the new position. By adding the dollar sign, you are preventing the cell reference from changing no matter where the formula is copied.

For example, add the dollar ‘$’ sign in front of the column letter and row number of cell A11 ($A$11), and make it an absolute cell reference. Now the cell reference (A11) in the formula won’t be changed. Then add the value in cell A1 to the value in cell A11 using the below formula in cell C1.

Then, drag the fill handle of cell C1 down to cell C9. Now the formula is applied to all the rows and each cell of the column (A1:A9) is added to cell A11 individually.

If you’re not a fan of the formula, you can do the same above function with paste special feature. To do that, right-click on cell A11 and select ‘Copy’ (or press CTRL + c) to copy the cell value.

Next, select the cell range A1:A9, right-click, and click the ‘Paste Special’ option.

In the Paste Special dialog box, Select ‘Add’ under Operations and click the ‘OK’ button.

Now, the cell value of A11 is added to a column of numbers (A1:A9). But the original values of column (A1:A9) are replaced with the results.

Adding in Excel using the SUM function

If you want to add up dozens or hundreds of cells in a range, the arithmetic formula can get very long. Instead, we can use the SUM function to quickly add in Excel.

The SUM function adds up all the specified values and returns the result. Those specific values can be numbers, cell references, an array of cells, and ranges.

The Syntax:

=SUM(number1, [number2], …)

For example, to add just numbers, enter the following formula with the numbers inside parentheses, separated by commas:

=SUM(5,21,420,81,9,65,96,69)

To add continuous or non-continuous cells, enter the cell references between parentheses, separated by commas in the function:

Sum An Entire Column/Row

To add up a column/row of numbers or range of cells, enter the first and last cell of the range separated by a colon. This function is really helpful when you want to sum up hundreds of cells in a range.

Sum Up Multiple Columns/Rows at a Time

You can also sum up more than one range of cells at a time. To do that, type the column ranges separated by comma (,) in the function to get a grand total of all cells in all specified ranges.

Any number of ranges can be summed up with the same formula:

Adding in Excel using the AutoSum Feature

If you want to sum up a range of cells in Excel without having to enter the formula, use the AutoSum option in the Excel ribbon. Just select the cell below the range and click the AutoSum option. Excel will automatically calculate and gives you the result.

To do that, first, select a cell below or next to the range you want to sum. Then, go to the ‘Home’ tab, and click on the ‘AutoSum’ button in the Editing group.