Master the SUM Function in Excel: A Beginner's Guide

Francis Mpatswe

04 February 2023 • 646 Views • 0 Share • Published in Technology

The SUM function in Microsoft Excel is used to add up a range of cells. It is a quick and easy way to perform basic calculations in a spreadsheet.

Here is how to use the SUM function in Excel, along with some examples:

Select the cell where you want the result of the calculation to appear.
Type "=SUM(" without the quotation marks.
Select the range of cells you want to add up, or type in their cell references, separated by a comma. For example, if you want to add up cells A1 to A3, you would type "A1:A3".
Close the parentheses and press "Enter". The result of the calculation will appear in the selected cell.

Example 1: Suppose you have a range of cells in column A with the following values: 1, 2, and 3. To add them up, you would select cell B1 and type "=SUM(A1:A3)" and press "Enter". The result, 6, would appear in cell B1.

Example 2: Suppose you have a range of cells with different values, such as 1, 2, 3, and 4. To add them up, you would select a cell, such as B1, and type "=SUM(A1,A2,A3,A4)" and press "Enter". The result, 10, would appear in cell B1.

In both examples, you can use the SUM function to quickly and easily perform basic calculations in Excel. With practice, you will be able to use this function and other Excel functions to perform more complex calculations.