How to Add and Subtract Multiple Cells in Excel (3 Examples)

Adding and subtracting are the two most frequent mathematical operations that we do in our regular day-to-day life. If you are facing problems adding and subtracting multiple cells simultaneously in Excel, then you are in a right place. In this article, you will learn how to add and subtract multiple cells in Excel with 3 easy examples.

How to Add and Subtract Multiple Cells in Excel: 3 Simple Examples

Let’s first introduce our sample dataset. We have our Month, Income, and Expenses in 3 separate columns. Our goal is to add and subtract these incomes and expenses in different ways.

1. Add Multiple Cells and Subtract from One Cell

Suppose you want to subtract all your expenses from your half-yearly income (In this example, half-yearly income is at cell C11, $12650) to get the total savings. Follow the steps below.

Steps:

• First, at cell E11, enter the following formula, and then, press ENTER.

The result is as follows.

Read More: How to Add and Subtract in One Cell in Excel

2. Add and Subtract in One Column with the SUM Function

In mathematics, subtracting a value from another value is similar to adding a positive and a negative value. We will apply the SUM function to get the total savings. Just follow the steps below.

Steps:

• Firstly, enter the following formula in cell E11, and then press ENTER.

You can see that the Savings for  March is enclosed in the first bracket in the dataset. As the amounts are in Accounting number format, the parenthesis around the number indicates that they are negative. So, when you add up such amounts in a single SUM function, you are actually adding the positive values, at the same time subtracting the negative amounts.

The image below shows the result.

Read More: How to Add and Subtract Columns in Excel

3. Add and Subtract Two Columns in One Formula Using SUM Function

Assume that you need to add cells of the ranges C5:C10 and D5:D10 and then subtract the sum of the second range from 1st range. Just follow the steps below to do this.

Steps:

• At cell E11, enter the following formula, and then, press ENTER.

This formula first adds up the amounts in Column C, then adds up the amounts in Column D, and finally subtracts the second output from the first result.

So we have perfectly got the output.

Read More: Adding and Subtracting in Excel in One Formula

Download Practice Workbook

Download the following Excel file for your practice.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, I have discussed 3 effective examples to add and subtract multiple cells in Excel. I hope you found this article helpful. Please, drop comments, suggestions, or queries if you have any in the comment section below.

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