AutoSum will try to add the cells above each selected cells. The reverse happens if you select a range of cells on the same row. Since you selected many cells in a single column, AutoSum believes you want to add the cells of each row. Select the range of cells from E8 to E10.ĪutoSum will immediately do the sum of the rows to the left of the selected cells. It's faster to apply them to many rows and columns. You can also apply many AutoSum at the same time. If you disagree, all you have to do is select the range you need by using the mouse or the cursors and the Shift key. It will suggest a wrong range of cells if you forget to put in a number.Īlways check the range of cells suggested by AutoSum. That is why AutoSum is asking you to confirm you the sum of only one cell. Why is it not suggesting a range of cells from A5 to C5? AutoSum stop as soon as there is an empty cell (like the B5 cell) or one with text. It may not be what you want.ĪutoSum will now suggest the formula =sum(C5). The Autosum trapĪs practical as this function is, you must be pay attention to the range of cells that AutoSum will suggest. Press the Enter key to confirm the formula. It will always look towards top first, before looking to the left. That is why AutoSum continues to look for cells with numbers until it finds one above or to the left of the active cell.

Why did it select that range of cells? It knows that most users place an empty row or column between the numbers and the totals. If you have done so, delete the formula in the D5 cell.Īutosum will now suggest =sum(E1:E4). It will continue doing this process until in encounters an empty cell or the border of the worksheet.ĭo not confirm the formula.

In the case of this exercise, it will find the number 3 in the cell C5. AutoSum will then try to determine if there is a number in the cell located to the left of the active cell.

How, did AutoSum determine what cells needed to be calculated? It will first determine if there are any numbers above the active cell (where the cursor is located). Confirm the formula by pressing the Enter key. If you look in the active cell or the formula bar, Excel will suggest the formula =sum (A5:C5). If you unable to find worksheet, enter the number in the appropriate cells, see table above. To do the following exercise, you can use the file demos-excel2007-1.xlsx on the demostrations files web page. Soon after, the competition (Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro Pro) had no choice but to create the equivalent command for their product. It revolutionize how people create models. This function was first introduced in Excel 3.0. After all, we all need to know the sum of rows or columns.

Without a doubt, the most often used command for a beginner is the Autosum command.

How to sum a column in excel 2007