Calculating a total in Excel is a basic function that most people know how to use. But how handy is it if you can let Excel calculate rows or columns automatically?
Total row
First you need to convert the data to a table via the tab Start / Format as table. This is an underrated feature because it looks like Excel is just giving you a choice of different formatting options. But in reality, this feature opens up additional possibilities that you can apply to the data. So choose a layout style from the gallery and click OK. Now if you click on a cell in the table, you will see that a new tab is available in the ribbon: table design. The easiest way to show the total is to check the box Total row tick in the group Table Style Options. Excel now shows the total of the last column.
drop-down list
You can also add a total row to the table with a key combination. Click on a cell in the table and press Ctrl+Shift+T. To add totals to the other columns, click at the bottom of the column and choose from the drop-down list Sum. If you look in the formula bar, you will see that the added formula is actually a subtotal. This is a reference formula, intended only for tables in Excel. Select the cell in which the total was calculated and drag the cell using the bottom right corner to the remaining cells on the right to have the totals calculated there too.
SUM formula
Another easy way to add a total row to a table is to use the SUM formula and copy it. You do this by =SUM( and then select all cells you want to add. Close with parenthesis ()) and press Enter. Excel now returns the final result of the formula. A few more options: Go to the Home tab and in the Edit group click the button AutoSum. You can also Alt+= typing in Windows or cmd+= in macOS.
