Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Totaling Across Worksheets.

Totaling Across Worksheets

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 5, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


1

Referring to ranges of cells is one of the very basic skills necessary to effectively use Excel. As you start to create ever-more-complex formulas, you may wonder if there is a way to refer, in a range reference, to a "stack" of cells on multiple worksheets, the same as you can refer to rows or columns on the current worksheet. For instance, the following formula is a way to refer to all cells in column B:

=SUM(B:B)

Note that you don't have to provide a starting or ending row; you just have to provide the column name. You can likewise do the same thing for row references. The following refers to the range of all cells in row 3:

=SUM(3:3)

The problem with referencing all the cells in a set position across a range of worksheets is that there is no unique "collection name" to apply to cells in that position. For instance, rows have numbers and columns have letters. "Stacks" of cells across worksheets don't have a comparable name.

The only way, then, that you can refer to the same cell across a range of worksheets is the rather explicit way that Microsoft dictates. For instance, the following refers to the range at cell D5 across three sheets:

=SUM(Sheet1:Sheet3!D5)

Understanding that sheets must be named in the range, you can include an ever-expanding range by simply making sure that you only add new worksheets between the beginning and ending sheets specified in your formula.

As an example, let's assume that you have a template for an invoice, and that your workbook contains all the invoices you have created this year. Further, each invoice has a total at cell F15. If you want a summary worksheet that shows a total for all invoices, all you need to do is make sure that your first invoice is the first worksheet in your workbook, that your invoice template is the second to last, and that your summary worksheet is the last one in the workbook. In this way, your formula could be something like:

=SUM(Inv01001:InvTemplate!F15)

Whenever you need to add a new invoice, simply make sure it is added immediately before the invoice template. Your invoices remain in order, and your formula always returns the correct total.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9047) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Totaling Across Worksheets.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Automatically Capitalizing Day Names

Type the name of any of the seven days into your document, and Word automatically makes sure it is capitalized. This is ...

Discover More

Moving Captions with Pictures

Put a caption with a picture and you'd probably like the two elements to behave like they belong together. If you are ...

Discover More

Inserting the Current Time with Seconds

If you need to insert the current time, with seconds, then you'll need the macro discussed in this tip. It's easy to use ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Counting Non-Blank Cells

Need to count the number of cells in a range that are not blank? You can use the COUNTA function of a more complex ...

Discover More

Throwing Out the Lowest Score

Want to add up a bunch of scores, without including the lowest one in the bunch? You can make a small change to your ...

Discover More

Finding the Directory Name

Need to know the directory (folder) in which a workbook was saved? You can create a formula that will return this ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 8?

2019-12-24 11:28:56

Joel Courtheyn

I've even managed to calculate weighted averages of data across worksheets, however with the use of user defined functions !
Someone who is interested in that may contact me.


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.