How to sum a column in Excel

Method 1: AutoSum (fastest)

AutoSum guesses the range above the selected cell and stops at the first empty cell or text header. Always check the dotted outline before pressing Enter: if the column has a gap, AutoSum only grabs the part below the gap.

1. Click the first empty cell below the numbers (C9 here).
2. Press Alt+= on Windows or Cmd+Shift+T on a Mac, or click Home > AutoSum.
3. Check the highlighted range. Drag to fix it if it stopped at a blank.
4. Press Enter.

Method 2: type the SUM formula

=SUM(C2:C8) adds every number from C2 to C8. Empty cells count as nothing, so the blank amount for SO-1045 is fine. You can also list separate pieces: =SUM(C2:C4,C7:C8) adds two blocks.

The catch: SUM ignores text in a range, and SO-1043 holds "620" as text (it came from a CSV export). There is no warning, so the total below is short by 620.

Check that every number was counted

Before you trust a total, compare how many cells have something in them with how many are numbers. COUNTA counts non-empty cells, COUNT counts numbers only. A difference means text is hiding in the column.

To total it anyway, convert inside the formula. SUMPRODUCT with two minus signs turns each text number into a real number and works in every Excel version. The better long-term fix is converting the column itself.

Sum an entire column (C:C)

=SUM(C:C) adds every number in column C, so new rows are included automatically and the text header is ignored. It is handy on a summary sheet, for example =SUM(Orders!C:C).

Never put that formula in column C itself. It would include its own cell and Excel shows a circular reference warning. Put it in another column or another sheet. A cleaner way to keep totals growing is an Excel Table: select the data, press Ctrl+T, then tick Table Design > Total Row.

Quick total in the status bar

Selecting a range shows Average, Count and Sum at the bottom right. Right-click the status bar to add Min, Max and Numerical Count. In current Excel for Microsoft 365 you can click the Sum value to copy it.

If you see Count but no Sum when selecting a column of amounts, the cells are text.

1. Select the cells (click C2, then Ctrl+Shift+Down to reach the end).
2. Read Sum in the status bar.
3. Right-click the status bar to choose which figures appear.

Sum only some rows

To total one category, use SUMIF with the column to test, the value to match and the column to add. For several conditions, use SUMIFS.

For filtered lists, SUM still adds the hidden rows. Use =SUBTOTAL(109,C2:C8), which only adds visible rows (9 instead of 109 ignores filtered rows but still counts rows you hid by hand). A Table Total Row uses SUBTOTAL for you.