SUM

What it does

SUM adds everything you give it: single cells, whole ranges or plain numbers. Text and empty cells inside a range are skipped, so a column with a header or a gap still adds up correctly.

Syntax

=SUM(number1, [number2], …)

Arguments in square brackets are optional, and … means you can add more of the same. In this Excel language, arguments are separated by ,

Arguments

number

The first thing to add: a range such as B2:B4, a single cell or a number. Add more arguments to put other ranges into the same total.

Example

A short trip has three costs. What does it cost in total?

The formula in B5:

=SUM(B2:B4)

Result: 445

The range B2:B4 holds 120, 240 and 85, and 120 + 240 + 85 = 445. The header in row 1 and the label in A5 are outside the range, so they don't get in the way.

Common mistakes

• Including the total's own cell in the range, for example =SUM(B2:B5) typed in B5. Excel warns about a circular reference instead of giving a total.
• Numbers stored as text, often from pasted data, are skipped. If a total looks too small, check for values that sit on the left of their cells.
• Adding the cells one by one with + and then inserting a row. A range like B2:B4 grows with inserted rows; a list of single cells doesn't.

In other Excel languages

Excel translates function names, and in some languages the argument separator too. Type the name your Excel shows.

Practise it

• SUM: add up a rangeModule 2 · Adding up
• SEQUENCE: lists of numbersModule 11 · Dynamic arrays
• #VALUE! and #NAME?Module 13 · Finding and fixing errors

More from this module

• SUMIF
• SUMIFS
• SUMPRODUCT

All functions