Let the sheet do the adding.
Use SUM to turn a changing list into a total that stays useful.
Give the calculation a range.
A small packing list is easy to total in your head. But when the quantities change, a handwritten total becomes another thing to maintain. A formula connects the total to the cells that supply it.
Put 3, 5, and 2 in cells B2, B3, and B4. In B5, enter =SUM(B2:B4). The colon describes the continuous range from B2 through B4. The equals sign tells the sheet that this is a calculation rather than a label.
One change, a new total
3 + 5 + 2 = 10
3 + 8 + 2 = 13
Change an input, not the answer.
Replace the 5 in B3 with 8. The total becomes 13 without editing B5. This is the useful part of a spreadsheet: the relationship survives an ordinary change to the data.
Keep the total outside the range it adds. A formula in B5 that includes B5 asks the cell to use its own answer. Also make sure quantities are numbers, not labels such as “3 boxes.” Put units in a heading or a separate column.
B2: 3 B3: 5 B4: 2 B5: =SUM(B2:B4)
Make it yours.
- Enter the three quantities in B2:B4.
- Put the SUM formula in B5 and check the total.
- Change B3 to 8 and watch the answer update.
What changed when you tried it?
A little nudge
The range stops at B4; the total belongs in B5.
What to look for
The first total is 10. After the change, it is 13.
Take it one small step further
Add a fourth quantity in B5 after moving the total to B6, and expand the formula to B2:B5.
A formula remembers how to get the answer.
Read more: Google Sheets · SUM ↗
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