SUM function in Excel

SUM adds up numbers, cells and ranges.

SUM is the function everybody uses first, and it has more to it than adding a column. It takes up to 255 arguments, each of which may be a single number, a cell or a whole block of cells.

Syntax

=SUM(number1, [number2], ...)

Argument	What it is
`number1, number2, ...`	Numbers, cells or ranges to add. You can mix them freely.

Examples

Each result below is what Excel itself showed for the formula on the sample sheet.

Sample sheet: Twelve sales made by four salespeople in three regions.

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Date	Salesperson	Region	Product	Units	Amount
2	05-Jan-2026	Asha	North	Notebook	20	1200
3	12-Jan-2026	Ravi	South	Pen	50	500
4	20-Jan-2026	Meena	North	Bag	4	3000
5	02-Feb-2026	Asha	East	Pen	30	300
6	14-Feb-2026	Kabir	South	Notebook	15	900
7	28-Feb-2026	Ravi	North	Bag	2	1500
8	03-Mar-2026	Meena	East	Notebook	40	2400
9	15-Mar-2026	Asha	North	Bag	3	2250
10	22-Mar-2026	Kabir	South	Pen	60	600
11	01-Apr-2026	Ravi	East	Notebook	25	1500
12	18-Apr-2026	Meena	North	Pen	80	800
13	06-May-2026	Asha	South	Bag	5	3750

=SUM(F2:F13)
Result: 18700
The total of the Amount column.
=SUM(E2:E13,F2:F13)
Result: 19034
Two ranges at once: all the units and all the amounts added together (not a useful figure, but it shows the idea).
=SUM(F2:F4,F13,100)
Result: 8550
A range, a single cell and a typed number in one formula.
=SUM(B2:B13)
Result: 0
A range that holds only text adds up to 0. SUM skips text without complaining.
=SUM(F2:F13)/COUNT(F2:F13)
Result: 1558.333333
Total divided by how many: the average, worked out the long way.
=SUM(F:F)
Result: 18700
A whole column. The heading in F1 is text, so it is ignored.

How it works

SUM goes through everything you give it and adds up the numbers. In a range, it quietly skips text, empty cells and the words TRUE and FALSE. That is why you can include a heading row or a column with a few notes in it and still get a total.

The quickest way to enter it is the AutoSum button on the Home tab, or the shortcut Alt and the equals key together. Excel guesses the range above or beside the cell. Check the guess before you press Enter: a blank cell in the middle of a column makes AutoSum stop early.

Why SUM is better than plus signs

=A1+A2+A3 and =SUM(A1:A3) give the same answer today. They behave differently tomorrow.

Insert a row inside the range and SUM grows to include it. The plus version does not.
If one cell holds text, the plus version shows #VALUE!. SUM carries on.
Delete a row and the plus version breaks with #REF!. SUM adjusts.

Numbers that will not add

The most common complaint about SUM is that the total is too small, or zero. The cause is nearly always numbers stored as text. They come from pasted or downloaded data, look like numbers, sit at the left of the cell and often carry a small green triangle in the corner. SUM ignores them, exactly as it ignores a name.

Three cures: select the cells and use the warning sign's "Convert to Number"; multiply them by 1 with Paste Special; or convert in a formula with VALUE.

Totals that include hidden or filtered rows

SUM adds every cell in the range, whether you can see it or not. After filtering a list, the SUM at the bottom still shows the total of everything. For "the total of what is on screen", use SUBTOTAL.

Adding across sheets

A 3-D reference adds the same cell on several sheets: =SUM(Jan:Dec!B5) adds B5 on every sheet from the one named Jan to the one named Dec. It suits workbooks with one identical sheet per month.

Running totals

In C2 write =SUM($B$2:B2) and copy it down. The start of the range is fixed with dollar signs and the end is not, so each row adds everything from the top down to itself.

Adding only some rows

SUM has no conditions. To add only the rows for one region or one month, use SUMIF for one condition and SUMIFS for several.

In Google Sheets

SUM is the same in Google Sheets.

Related functions

Every result on this page was calculated in Microsoft Excel (version 16.0, build 20326) on 12 November 2026, not typed by hand.

This is an independent help site. It is not connected with or approved by Microsoft. Excel and Microsoft 365 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation, named here only to say which program a formula is for. The people and figures in the sample sheets are made up.