Addition and subtraction both are the most used operations in math and when it comes to Excel, you will also find them helpful in performing many other operations. Sometimes, you may find it difficult to understand how to add and subtract multiple cells in Excel. In that case, you will find this post useful because today you will get to know how you can add or subtract multiple cells at the same time in Excel.
Without further discussion, let’s get straight into it:
Add Multiple Cells and Subtract from One Cell
Suppose your dataset contains 3 separate columns of Month, Income, and Expenses. You have to add and subtract the income and expenses now. In this example, you will see a subtraction of all the expenses from half-yearly income to find the amount of net savings.
- In cell E11 put the following formula and press ENTER.
=C11 – SUM(D5:D10)
- Below you will find the outcome.
That’s it!
Add and Subtract in One Column with the SUM Function
Do you know subtracting a value from another value is the same thing as adding a positive and a negative value?
Here you will see the use of the SUM function to find the net saving figure. Below are the steps to follow:
- In cell E11, put the following formula:
=SUM(E5:E10)
- Press ENTER key.
- You can see the March savings are not opened in the first bracket. The parenthesis always indicates the number values are negative, therefore remember that when you are trying to add such amounts in a single SUM function, it means you are adding positive values and subtracting the negative values simultaneously.
Below you can see the results.
That’s it!
Add and Subtract Two Columns in One Formula with the SUM Function
Suppose you need to add a cell range from C5:C10 and D5:D10. And then you have to subtract the sum of another range from 1st range. Below are the steps to follow:
In cell E11, put the following formula:
=SUM(C5:C10) – SUM(D5:D10)
Press ENTER key.
Using this formula will first add the amounts in Column C and then in Column D. At the end, you will notice it subtracts the second output from the first outcome.
Here we go:
That’s it!
How to Add and Subtract Multiple Cells in Excel without a Formula?
Other than a formula, Excel has many other features that let you perform a task. The Paste Special feature is a great option when you need to subtract one value from multiple cells. Let’s understand the thing:
In this example, you will notice the value in cell B2 from the values in cell A2 to A8 is subtracted. You will get the results in the same cells after subtraction. Below are simple steps to follow to understand how to add and subtract multiple cells in Excel with the Paste Special option.
- First, copy the cell value that you need to subtract from the other cells.
- Now, select all the cells from which you need to subtract the value.
- Right-click on the selected cells and choose the Paste Special option.
- The Paste Special window will pop up.
- Click on the Subtract option from the window and then click OK.
- In the next screen, you will see Excel has deleted cell B2 from cells A2 and A8. In the same cell, you will also get the results.
That’s it!
To Sum Up:
In this post, you have learned how to add and subtract multiple cells in Excel by using 3 different methods. You must try each method so that you understand which suits you the best.
