How to Sum a Column in Google Sheets

You have a column of amounts and need the total at the bottom. SUM handles it in one formula, and two shortcuts get the same number without typing anything.

Click the cell where the total should go

Pick an empty cell, usually the first one below the numbers. If the amounts are in B2:B6, click B7.

Type the SUM formula

=SUM(B2:B6)

The only argument is the range to add up. If B2:B6 holds 120, 85.50, 300, 42, and 210, the cell shows 757.5.

Blank cells are ignored, so it is fine if the range includes a few empty rows.

Use the Functions button instead

Click the empty cell below the data, then click the Σ button (labeled Functions) at the right end of the toolbar and choose SUM. Sheets inserts the formula and highlights the range it guessed, which is normally the numbers directly above. Press Enter to accept it, or adjust the range first.

Sum the whole column when the list keeps growing

=SUM(B:B)

This adds every cell in column B, so new rows added later are included without editing the formula. The header text in B1 does not cause a problem because SUM ignores text and only adds numbers.

Do not put this formula inside column B itself, or the total would include its own cell and Sheets reports a circular reference. Place it in another column, for example D1.

Read the quick total without any formula

Select the cells you want to add. In the bottom-right corner of the window a small box shows Sum and the value. Click that box to switch it to Average, Min, Max, Count, or Count numbers. The number is only displayed, not written into the sheet.

To total only the rows that meet a condition. SUMIF adds a range where another range matches a criterion. With cities in A2:A6 and amounts in B2:B6, =SUMIF(A2:A6, "Toronto", B2:B6) adds only the amounts on rows where the city is Toronto. The arguments are the range to test, the value to test for, and the range to add.