How to Do Sums in Google Sheets: A Step-by-Step Guide

As someone who loves working with numbers, I’ve always been a big fan of spreadsheets. Excel has been my go-to tool for years, but lately, I’ve been exploring various alternatives. And do you know what? I’ve come to see that Google Sheets might just be my new favorite! It’s so straightforward and intuitive – just like its big brother – but with all the flexibility and efficiency that I’ve come to expect from a modern cloud-based tool. Oh, and the fact that it’s free? That’s just the icing on the cake!

One of the things I absolutely adore about Google Sheets is how easy it is to do some quick sums. I know this might sound trivial, but trust me, when you’re working with a large data set, performing multiple calculations can get tedious quickly.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to use Google Sheets to carry out simple arithmetic operations (e.g. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) easily and quickly. You’ll be amazed by how much time you can save by following the steps below!

Addition in Google Sheets

Let’s start with the basics: addition. I’m going to assume you know the basics of setting up a new Google Sheets document, so I’ll skip that part and jump straight into the fun stuff!

1. Select the cell where you want the sum to appear. Alternatively, you can type ‘=SUM()’ in the cell and hit Enter. That will automatically bring up an empty parenthesis, where you’ll be able to insert your range of cells that you want to add up.
2. Type in the first cell of the range that you want to add followed by a colon (:), and then the last cell of the range. For instance, if you want to sum up the values in cells A1 through A10, you’ll need to type ‘A1:A10’ in the empty parenthesis.
3. Press Enter or hit Tab. The sum of your cells will now appear in the cell you selected in Step 1.

That’s it! You’re now an addition expert in Google Sheets! Pretty easy, wasn’t it?

Subtraction in Google Sheets

If you’re like me, you’re probably already thinking ahead to the next logical step: subtraction. Once again, Google Sheets makes it easy to subtract numbers.

1. This time, type ‘=’ followed by the cell you want to subtract from and then minus sign (-), and then the cell you want to subtract. For example, if you want to subtract the value in cell A10 from the value in cell A1, you’ll need to type ‘=A1-A10’ in the selected cell.
2. Press Enter or hit Tab when you’re finished. The difference between the two cells should now appear in the cell you selected in Step 1.

Multiplication in Google Sheets

Onto the next one – multiplication! Don’t worry; we’re still keeping it simple. Just follow these steps, and you’ll be a master of multiplication in no time!

1. Type ‘=’ and then the first cell you want to multiply followed by an asterisk (*), and then the second cell. For example, if you want to multiply the values in cell A1 and cell B1, you’ll need to type ‘=A1*B1’ in the cell you have selected.
2. Press Enter or hit Tab. The product of the two cells you selected should now appear in the cell you selected initially.

Division in Google Sheets

Finally, let’s take a look at division. This one is a little more complicated than the others, but I guarantee you’ll still get it in no time!

1. Type ‘=’ and then the cell you’re dividing by, followed by a forward slash (/), and then the cell you’re dividing into. For example, if you want to divide the value in cell B1 by the value in cell A1, you’ll need to type ‘=B1/A1’ in the cell you’ve selected.
2. Press Enter or hit Tab. The resulting quotient should now appear in the cell.

There you have it! You can now do simple sums (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) in Google Sheets! Yay! This may not seem like much to some of you, but if you’re dealing with large sets of data, being able to use sheets like this more effectively can really be a game-changer. Don’t forget, the more you practice it, the more second-nature it’ll become to you over time.

I hope you found this guide helpful, and if you want to learn about more advanced techniques or features offered by Google Sheets, please let me know by commenting below. Good luck!