How to add cells from different sheets in Microsoft Excel

Adding cells from different sheets is important because it allows for a more comprehensive analysis of data. When working with large sets of data, it’s often necessary to separate the data into different sheets based on specific criteria, such as date or location. However, this can make it difficult to get a complete picture of the data as a whole. By adding cells from different sheets, you can easily combine and analyze data from multiple sources, giving you a better understanding of trends, patterns, and relationships that may not be visible when analyzing individual sheets separately.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to add cells from different sheets in Microsoft Excel. There are several methods available in Microsoft Excel to add cells from different sheets. For our purpose, we will use a commonly used method i.e. the SUM function to add cells from various sheets in Excel.

At present, we have three distinct datasets allocated in three separate sheets i.e. Sheet1, Sheet5, and Sheet6, representing the sales of specific products for January, February, and March respectively. Our objective is to combine these product sales data into a single sheet, i.e., Sheet7.

Method 1 – Using the SUM Function

Step 1 – Select a Blank Cell

  • Select a blank cell where you want to add the cells from different sheets.
  • We have selected a blank cell in Sheet7 to add cells from Sheet1, Sheet5, and Sheet6.

Step 2 – Place an Equals Sign 

  • Place an Equals sign in the blank cell.

Step 3 – Enter the SUM Function and Open the Parenthesis

  • Enter the SUM function in the cell right next to the Equals Sign.
  • Open the parentheses.

Step 4 – Enter the Reference of the First Sheet i.e. Sheet1 and Place a Colon

  • Enter a single quotation mark ( ).
  • Enter the reference of the first sheet showing sales of January i.e. Sheet1.
  • Place a colon ( : )

Step 5 – Enter the Reference of the Last Sheet i.e. Sheet6 and Place an Exclamation Mark

  • Enter the reference of the last sheet showing sales of March i.e. Sheet6.
  • Enter a single quotation mark ().
  • Enter an Exclamation mark ( ! ).

Step 6 – Enter the Reference of the Common Cell Containing the Values in all the Sheets and Close the Parenthesis

  • Enter the reference of the common cell of each sheet containing the value to be added i.e.B2.
  • Close the Parenthesis.

Step 7 – Press the Enter Key

  • Press the Enter key.

Step 8 – Use Autofill to To Add the Sales of All the Products

  • Use the Autofill feature to apply the SUM function in the adjacent cells and add the sales for all the products in Sheet7.

Method 2 – Using the Addition Sign

Step 1 – Select a Blank Cell

  • Select a blank cell where you want to add the cells from different sheets.
  • We have selected a blank cell in Sheet7 to add cells from Sheet1, Sheet5, and Sheet6.

Step 2 – Place an Equals Sign 

  • Place an Equals sign in the blank cell.

Step 3 – Enter the Reference of the Cell in Sheet1

  • Enter the reference of the cell containing the January Sales in Sheet1 i.e. Sheet1!B2.
  • Enter the addition sign ( + ).

Step 4 –  Enter the Reference of the Cell in Sheet5

  • Enter the reference of the cell containing the February Sales in Sheet5 i.e. Sheet5!B2.
  • Enter the addition sign ( + ). 

Step 5 –  Enter the Reference of the Cell in Sheet6

  • Enter the reference of the cell containing the total sales in March Sales in Sheet6 i.e. Sheet6!B2.
  • Enter the addition sign ( + ).

Step 6 – Press the Enter Key

  • Press the Enter key.

Step 7 – Use Autofill to To Add the Sales of All the Products

  • Use the Autofill feature to add the total sales for all products in Sheet7.