AutoSum in Excel (Shortcut)

What do you do when you have to get the sum of cells in a column?

Do you use the SUM function?

While that’s the right way to do this, I hope you’re not manually entering the SUM formula and selecting the range to get the sum of all the values in the column (or rows).

In this tutorial, I will show you a simple shortcut to Autosum values in rows and columns in Excel.

Shortcut to AutoSum in Excel

Let me first give you the shortcut, and then I’ll explain how it works with different datasets.

Below is the shortcut to AutoSum in Excel (if using Windows)

ALT + =

And here is the AutoSum shortcut you can use with Mac:

Control + Shift + T

Now, let me show you how to use this autosum shortcut in different situations

AutoSum Values in a Column

Below I have some values in a column, and I want to get the sum of all these values at the bottom.

Data in column I want to sum

Here are the steps to do this:

  1. Select all the cells for which you want to get the sum
  2. Hold the ALT key and then press the equal=to key

That’s it!

As soon as you use the shortcut, it will give you the sum of all the values in the column by inserting the sum formula in the cell right below the data.

auto sum result for a column

Note: Since the shortcut inserts the SUM formula in the cell after the cell filled cell, in case you change any of the values in the column, the formula will automatically update to give you the correct result

AutoSum Values in a Row

Just like we got the sum of values in a column, you can also use the auto sum shortcut to get the sum of the values in a row.

Below I have some values in a row that I want to sum.

deta in a row that I want to sum

Here are the steps to do this:

  1. Select all the cells in the row
  2. Hold the ALT key and then press the equal-to key

When you use the autosum shortcut, it will insert the SUM formula in the cell right next to the last filled cell in the row (as shown below).

auto sum result for data in a row

AutoSum Values in Multiple Columns

In the above examples, I have shown you how to use the autosum shortcut with one column or one row. However, you can also use it with a range of cells.

Below I have a data set where I want to get the sum of each column at the bottom of the column.

data in multiple columns

Here are the steps to do this:

  1. Select the entire dataset
  2. Hold the ALT key and then press the equal-to key

This will insert the SUM formula at the end of each column and give you the sum of each column

AutoSUM results for multiple columns in Excel

Even if you have text headers in your data set, you can still select the entire data set and use the autosum shortcut, as it ignores the cells with text values and gives the sum of numeric values.

Pro Tip: To quickly select the entire data set, select any cell in the data set and use the keyboard shortcut Control + A (hold the Control key and then press the A key)

AutoSum Values in Multiple Rows

Just like getting the sum of multiple columns in a data set, you can also get the sum of multiple rows (with one slight change in the steps)

Below I have a data set where I have sales value for every month in a row, and I want to get the sum of each row

Dataset for getting sum of rows

Here are the steps to do this:

  1. Select the entire data set, along with one additional blank column just right to the data set (as shown below)
select an extra column
  1. Hold the ALT key and then press the equal-to key

When we select an additional blank column, Excel knows that the autosum shortcut should be used to fill the values in the blank column.

autosum for rows

Had we not selected that extra blank column, using the autosum shortcut would have given us the sum of columns and not the rows.

Pro Tip: If you want the AutoSum values for the rows as well as columns, select an additional blank row and an additional blank column and then use the autosum shortcut.

AutoSum in Excel Using Quick Analysis Tool

Apart from the shortcut, another quick way to autosum in Excel is by using the Quick Analysis Tool.

Below I have a data set where I have the sales value for stores in columns and for months in rows.

Dataset for getting sum of rows

To get the autosum values for rows as well as columns using Quick Analysis Tool, follow the below steps:

  1. Select the entire data set.
  2. Click on the Quick Analysis Tool icon that appears at the bottom right of the selection.
click on the quick analysis tool icon
  1. Click on the Totals tab.
click the tables tab in the quick analysis tool options
  1. To get the sum of all the columns, click on the first Sum option (the one with the blue color). In case you want to get the sum of the rows click on the Sum option with the yellow color
select the sum option for rows or columns

One difference between the autosome shortcut and the Quick Analysis Tool method is that the result you get from Quick Analysis Tool is formatted (cells with sum are bolded and the text Sum is added to the row/column header)

Quick analysis tool result is formatted

So these are some quick methods you can use to AutoSum in Excel.

The fastest method would always be to use the keyboard shortcut, but in case you prefer using the mouse, you can also use the Quick Analysis Tool option

Other Excel articles you may also like:

Excel Ebook Subscribe

FREE EXCEL BOOK

Get 51 Excel Tips Ebook to skyrocket your productivity and get work done faster

Picture of Sumit Bansal
Hello there! I'm Sumit Bansal, founder of trumpexcel.com and an Excel MVP. I started this website in 2013 with a simple goal: to share my love for Excel through easy to follow tips, tutorials and videos. I'm here to help you get the best out of MS Excel to save time and boost your productivity.

Leave a Comment

Free-Excel-Tips-EBook-Sumit-Bansal-1.png

FREE EXCEL E-BOOK

Get 51 Excel Tips Ebook to skyrocket your productivity and get work done faster

Free-Excel-Tips-EBook-Sumit-Bansal-1.png

FREE EXCEL E-BOOK

Get 51 Excel Tips Ebook to skyrocket your productivity and get work done faster

Free Excel Tips EBook Sumit Bansal

FREE EXCEL E-BOOK

Get 51 Excel Tips Ebook to skyrocket your productivity and get work done faster