Chinmoy Mondol
Summing different cells is one of the most common and essential operations in Excel. There are many ways to do it. In this article, I’ve covered 4 of the most popular and straightforward techniques on how to sum random cells in Excel.
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4 Suitable Ways to Sum Random Cells in Excel
The following image is of the dataset which is used throughout this article. It has 3 columns (Date, Sales Rep, and Sales). I have used different cells from this dataset to explain the 4 subsequent methods.
1. Performing Simple Arithmetic Calculations to Sum Random Cells in Excel
You can perform a sum operation between cells by adding cells with a plus (+) operator.
Follow these steps to apply this solution:
Steps:
- Select the cell you want to show the summation to (In my case, cell G9).
- Enter equal (=) sign in the cell. It should enable you to type formulas.
- Now, type in the desired cell numbers with a plus (+) operator in between (In my case, D6+D8+D10) and hit the Enter button.
It will sum the values of the cells you entered and get you the output in the selected cell.
[Note: This method is handy when working with a small number of cells, but in terms of working with a large dataset, following this method may be troublesome as you have to type in every cell number.]
Read More: [Fixed!] Excel SUM Formula Is Not Working and Returns 0 (3 Solutions)
2. Using the SUM Function to Sum Random Cells in Excel
The syntax of the Excel SUM function is as follows:
=SUM(number1, [number2] ,…)
The SUM function takes 3 types of inputs: positive or negative numeric values, range, and cell references. It takes these inputs and shows their summation as output.
The 1st argument is mandatory, others are optional, and it takes up to 255 numbers.
Follow these steps to get the summation using the Excel SUM function.
Steps:
- Select the cell you want to show the summation to (In my case, cell G9).
- Enter equal (=) sign in the cell. It should enable you to type formulas.
- Type in “SUM” or select the SUM function from the drop-down menu.
- Write the cells you want to sum separated by a comma. (In my case, D6, D8, D10) and hit Enter button.
- Alternatively, instead of manually typing the cell numbers, you can select the desired cells by holding the Ctrl key and then selecting all the cells. It will make the selection of cells a lot quicker.
- This will sum the values of the cells you entered and get you the output in the selected cell. You can choose a range of cells or multiple columns and rows as well.
Read More: How to Sum Only Positive Numbers in Excel (4 Simple Ways)
Similar Readings
- How to Add Percentages to Numbers in Excel (4 Easy Ways)
- 3 Easy Ways to Sum Top n Values in Excel
- How to Sum Cells with Text and Numbers in Excel (2 Easy Ways)
- All the Easy Ways to Add up (Sum) a column in Excel
- How to Add Rows in Excel with Formula (5 ways)
3. Utilizing the AutoSum Option to Sum Random Cells in Excel
You can also use the AutoSum option to perform the sum operation automatically. This is the easiest method as Excel automatically handles everything. You just have to click the option, and Excel will insert the formula for you.
Follow these steps to apply this solution:
Steps:
- Select the cell you want to show the summation to (In my case, cell G03).
- Go to Home and click the “AutoSum” option under the Editing section or press Alt + = (Equal sign) and hit Enter button.
- Now, hold the Ctrl button and select the desired cells (here, I have selected D6, D8 and D10). Then click Ok to get the result.
[Note: As it is an automated process, It may work differently in your dataset and might show results that you don’t want. In that case, you have to follow the second method and apply the SUM function manually.]
4. Applying the SUMIF Function to Sum Random Cells in Excel
The syntax of the SUMIF function is as follows:
=SUMIF(range, criteria, [sum_range])
range: The range of cells on which the criteria should be applied.
criteria: The criteria that determine which cells to add.
sum_range [Optional]: The cells to add together. If the sum_range is not specified, the range’s cells are added together instead.
By using this method, you can get the summation of specific cells based on certain criteria.
Follow these steps to apply this solution:
Steps:
- Select the cell you want to show the summation to (In my case, cell G9).
- Enter equal (=) sign in the cell. It should enable you to type formulas.
- Type in “SUMIF” or select the SUMIF function from the drop-down menu.
- Select the range and add a comma (In my case, the Sales Rep column).
- Select the criteria and add another comma (In my case, cell G8).
- Now, select the sum_range (In my case, the Sales column) and hit the Enter button.
It will show you the summation result of the criteria-based cells (In my case, It will only sum the cells in the Sales column where the Sales Rep name is Abigail). This tool is very handy when you are working with a large dataset.
Read More: Excel Sum If a Cell Contains Criteria (5 Examples)
Conclusion
In general, summing cells in MS Excel is a pretty easy task, but it can be hideous for large datasets. In this article, I’ve provided multiple methods for multiple scenarios so that no matter how large the dataset is, you always get the solution. I hope you were able to solve your problem. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions or questions. Thank you.
Further Readings
- How to Sum Columns in Excel (7 Methods)
- Sum by Font Color in Excel (2 Effective Ways)
- How to Add Numbers in Excel (2 Easy Ways)
- Shortcut for Sum in Excel (2 Quick Tricks)
- How to Sum Multiple Rows in Excel (4 Quick Ways)
- Add Multiple Cells in Excel (6 Methods)
- How to Sum Colored Cells in Excel (4 Ways)
