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: Ranges on Multiple Worksheets.

Ranges on Multiple Worksheets

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 12, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


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Most everyone knows that if you want to refer to a range of cells, you simply specify the beginning and ending point of the range and then separate those points by a colon. For instance, the following formula would return the sum of all cells in the range A1 through C4:

=SUM(A1:C4)

You may not know, however, how you can refer to the same cell or range of cells on a range of multiple worksheets in your workbook. For instance, you may want a cell to return the sum of each cell A1 on the first three worksheets in your workbook. If the worksheets are named Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3, then the formula would appear as follows:

=SUM(Sheet1:Sheet3!A1)

Similarly, if you wanted the sum of all cells in the range A1 through C4 on each of the same worksheets, you would use the following formula:

=SUM(Sheet1:Sheet3!A1:C4)

At times this notation can be a bit difficult to remember. You can easily use the mouse to build such a range by following these steps:

  1. Select the cell in which you want to enter your formula.
  2. Enter the equal sign and the first part of the function, followed by the opening parenthesis. In the examples given above, you would enter =SUM(.
  3. Click on the sheet tab of the first sheet in the range.
  4. Hold down the Shift key as you click on the sheet tab of the last sheet in the range.
  5. Use the mouse to select all the cells in the range on the visible worksheet.
  6. Press Enter.

Your formula should now be complete, with the desired range in place.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11803) 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: Ranges on Multiple 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. ...

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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 nine minus 1?

2024-08-25 12:09:12

J. Woolley

My previous comment below mentions My Excel Toolbox's MAXIF and MINIF, which are missing from Excel; however, Excel 2019 includes MAXIFS and MINIFS, which are similar to MAXIF and MINIF.


2020-12-12 11:24:56

J. Woolley

These are often called 3D range references. My Excel Toolbox has several freely available functions that support such references but are not included in Excel: COUNTBLANK3D, COUNTIF3D, SUMIF3D, AVERAGEIF3D, MAXIF3D, and MINIF3D. The last two are supported by MAXIF and MINIF, which are also missing from Excel. See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox/


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