SUM
How to use the SUM function in Excel (with examples)
SUM adds up cells, ranges and numbers and returns the total.
Syntax
=SUM(number1, [number2], ...)
- number1 — The first number, cell or range to add (e.g. B2:B10).
- number2, ... — Optional. Up to 255 additional numbers or ranges.
Example
Formula:
=SUM(B2:B4)→ result: 3580
How SUM works
SUM adds all the numbers in the given range. Text and empty cells are ignored, so you can safely sum a column that includes its header.
AutoSum — a total in one keystroke
Select the cell where you want the total and press Alt+=. Excel detects the numbers above and writes the =SUM(...) formula for you. Just press Enter.
Adding multiple ranges
Separate ranges with commas (or semicolons in Russian/Uzbek-locale Excel): =SUM(B2:B10, D2:D10). Two-dimensional ranges work too: =SUM(B2:D10).
Put it into practice
Do interactive exercises on this topic in the Excel simulator.
Start exerciseFrequently asked questions
Most often the numbers are stored as text. Select the cells and click “Convert to Number” from the yellow warning icon.
=B2+B3+B4 returns #VALUE! if it hits a text cell, while SUM simply skips text. SUM is also more convenient for large ranges.