how to add numbers in google sheets

Adding some cells or a column is some of the most common things users do in Google Sheets.

If you have a column full of numbers, you can easily calculate the sum of the entire column (or a specific range in the column).

In this tutorial, I will show you how to use a simple formula to sum a column in Google Sheets.

Sum a Column using the SUM Function

Suppose you have the dataset as shown below and you want to get the sum of all the values in the column.

Column with values to Sum

Below is the formula that will give you the sum of all the values in the column:

          =          SUM          (          A2:A10          )

SUM formula to add a range of cells

Enter this formula in cell A15 (or whichever cell where you want the sum of the column) and hit the enter key.

Google Sheets try to guess the range for you which you want to calculate the sum. When you enter the text =sum and then hit the tab key, Google Sheets will automatically select the range of cells that have the numbers.

Since this is a dynamic result, in case you change anything in any of the cells, the formula would automatically update.

While this works great, what if your data expands and you get new values that you need to be a part of the sum. While you can adjust the formula, there is a better way to make the formula dynamic.

Instead of just using the range that has the values, you include more cells that might get some additional data in the future.

In our example, I can use the below formula instead:

          =          SUM          (          A2:A14          )

SUM function with extended range

Although cell A11 to A14 are empty as of now, these are still used in the formula. In case a value is added to these cells, the formula would automatically update to reflect these new values in the total sum.

Sum an Entire Column using the SUM Function

Another thing you can do when calculating the sum of all the values in a column is to include the entire column as a part of the formula.

For example, suppose you have the data as shown below and you want to add all the values in the entire column. At the same time, you want to make sure that in case any new value is added anywhere in the column, it's also added to the total value.

Column with values to Sum

Below is the formula that will do this:

          =          SUM          (          A:A          )

Sum an entire column

The above formula takes A:A as the input range, which represents the entire column.

Also, don't worry about having any text value in the column, as text values are automatically ignored.

Note: For this to work, you need to enter the formula in a cell that is not in the same column. If you keep it in the same column, it would give a reference error as there would be a circular reference issue.

Remember that the SUM formula only adds those cells that have a numeric value. If there is any text, or of the number that has been formatted as text, it would be ignored.

So this is how you can use the SUM formula to get the total of a column in Google Sheets

I hope you found this tutorial useful!

Other Google Sheets tutorial you may like:

How to Multiply in Google Sheets (Numbers, Cells or Columns)
How to Divide in Google Sheets (Numbers, Cells, or Columns)
How to Merge Cells In Google Sheets
How to Apply a Formula to an Entire Column in Google Sheets
Slow Google Sheets? Easy Ways to Speed Up
How to Compare Two Columns in Google Sheets
How to Use SUMIF function in Google Sheets? Examples!