How to add specific cells in Excel

You can watch a video tutorial here.

Excel is widely used for calculations due to the several arithmetic operators and functions that it has. Instead of typing in numbers for calculations, you can use the cell references i.e. the address (Column header & Row number) of the cell in the calculation. When adding specific cells in Excel, you can do so using the cell reference.  If the number of cells being added is not large, you can use the addition operator or plus sign (+). If there is a large number of cells to be added, it is better to use the SUM() function that can accept a range of cells. If the cells being added are continuous then you can add them using a range i.e. you need to specify only the start cell and the end cell e.g. A2:A10. If the cells are not continuous, you can still use the SUM() function, but need to individually select the specific cells.

Option 1 – Use the addition operator (+)

• In the destination cell, type the formula using cell references:

= (Total for Region 1 + 

Total for Region 2 +

Total for Region 7 +

Total for Region 11 +

Total for Region 12 +

Total for Region 15)

• Press Enter

Option 2 – Use the SUM() function 

• In the destination cell, type the formula using cell references:

= SUM(Total for Region 1,

Total for Region 2,

Total for Region 7,

Total for Region 11,

Total for Region 12,

Total for Region 15)

• Press Enter

Result – Compare the methods

• Both options yield the same result