The Google Sheets SUM function is used to add up multiple numbers in google sheets. You can enter the numbers to add manually or you can add an entire range.
SUM can save Google Sheets users a lot of time as you can easily add an entire range of numbers instead of having to enter multiple + signs between each number in a formula.
Read this tutorial to learn what you can do with the SUM function in Google Sheets.
There are two ways to add values in Google Sheets. One involves using the plus sign. This is best for adding two or three numbers. However, this method can easily get taxing when you need to add several numbers, or a range of values.
If you need to add values stored in a range, you should use the SUM function. Its syntax is straightforward but you can use it in a wide variety of cases. It also has other advantages over the manual plus sign method.
=SUM(range)
Where
range is where the values you want to add are stored. You can specify the range as either a list of cell references or a reference to an entire range
=SUM(number1, number2, …)
Where
number1, number2, … are the numbers you want to add. You can also specify a reference to where the values you want to add are stored:
Check the screencap below:
We want to add values in column A, so we set the range to B7:B9.
The formula to type is now
=SUM(B7:B9)
Check the screencap below:
Google Sheets sometimes detects a pattern in your sheet and offers to extend the formula to the other cells of the row or column. You can opt to accept the suggestion or not.
We want to add the entries of Row A, so we set the range to B18:D18.
The formula to type is now
=sum(B18:D18)
Hold the Ctrl key (Windows) or ⌘ key (MacOS) as you select the individual cells.
Check the screencap below:
We want to add along a diagonal of the range, which are B30, C29, and D28.
The formula to type is now
=SUM(B30,C29,D28)
You can also hold the Ctrl key (Windows) or ⌘ key (MacOS) as you select the cells.
There are cases where you need to add only values that fulfill a certain condition. There are two ways of doing so in Google Sheets.
We combine SUM with FILTER:
=SUM(FILTER(range, condition1, condition2, …)
Where
range is where the values you want to add are stored
condition1 and condition2 are the conditions you want to apply
We want to add all the numbers along Row 4 that are less than 4. The range is A4:C4 and the condition is A4:C4<4 .
The resulting formula is
=SUM(FILTER(A4:C4,A4:C4<4))
The problem with this method is that it is restricted to only a single row or column. It breaks down if the range is across multiple rows or columns:
The solution is to use the SUMIF and SUMIFS functions in Google Sheets.
Access the sample Google Sheets spreadsheet here.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on how to add up a column in Google Sheets or our article on how to use auto sum in Google Sheets.
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