Buzz
Most people think that calculating totals can only be done in Excel using the built-in SUM function. However, little do they know that you can also calculate totals in Word on your laptop. Let's explore the detailed and easiest way to calculate totals in Word with Mytour.
The following steps are performed on an HP laptop, using Word 2021 software. Similar steps can be followed for laptops using other software.
1. Explore the Formula tool
Similar to using the SUM function in Excel, when calculating the total of a data table in Word, the Formula is an indispensable tool to assist us in that task. Using Formula can be likened to using the SUM function to calculate different data cells in the numerical table on a Word file.
Formula is an indispensable tool for total calculation
2. Things to know when using the total calculation function in Word
Positional Referencing
It involves determining the position of the calculation value you want to sum in directions such as Left, Right, Above, Below based on the data cell you use for calculation.
For instance, if you need to sum cells to the left of the selected cell, use the formula =SUM(Left). If you want to calculate the sum of cells above the selected cell, use the formula =SUM(Above).
Determining the position of the calculation value you want to sum in various directions
Referencing by Column and Row
It involves determining the data position similar to Excel. In Word, tables are implicitly numbered sequentially as 1, 2, 3,... for referencing rows and alphabetically as A, B, C, D,… for referencing columns.
Determining the data position similar to Excel
3. How to calculate totals in Word
Calculate Totals in Word by Row, Column
To calculate the total of a column or row containing numbers in a table, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Place the mouse cursor at the cell position where you want to display the result. On the toolbar under Table Tools, go to the Layout tab.
Step 1 at the Table Tools section, go to the Layout tab
- Step 2: Choose Formula.
Step 2 selecting the Formula tool
- Step 3: The Formula dialog appears; change the default formula to =SUM(X1:Xn), where:
+ X represents the column identifier to reference (A, B, C, D,…)
+ n represents the row identifier to reference (1, 2, 3, 4,…)
Step 3 execute the SUM formula
- Step 4: Click OK to complete and receive the result.
Step 4 completion and result retrieval
Sum function in Word using data position referencing in the table
To calculate the sum of specific cells in a table, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Place the mouse cursor at the cell to be calculated, go to the toolbar, and select Table Tools, then choose the Layout tab.
Step 1 at the Table Tools section, go to the Layout tab
- Step 2: Next, click on Formula.
Step 2 selecting the Formula tool
- Step 3: In the Formula dialog, check the text between the parentheses to ensure Word includes the cells you want to sum.
Formulas for summing based on data position referencing that you can use:
=SUM(ABOVE): Sum the numbers in the column above the selected data cell.
=SUM(LEFT): Sum the numbers in the row to the left of the selected data cell.
=SUM(BELOW): Sum the numbers in the column below the selected data cell.
=SUM(RIGHT): Sum the numbers in the row to the right of the selected data cell.
Step 3 enter the SUM(ABOVE) function to sum the numbers above the selected data
- Step 4: Click Ok to complete and receive the result.
Step 4 press OK to finish the calculation
4. Formulas for summing multiple rows and columns in Word
To calculate the sum of multiple columns or rows containing numbers in a table, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Place the mouse cursor at the cell to display the result. On the toolbar under Table Tools, go to the Layout tab.
Step 1 at the Table Tools section, go to the Layout tab
- Step 2: Click on Formula to enter the formula.
Step 2 select the Formula tool
- Step 3: To calculate the sum of multiple rows or columns, enter the following formula in the dialog box:
+ Summing multiple rows: =SUM(SUM(position of the first row), SUM(position of the second row),…, SUM(position of the nth row))
+ Summing multiple columns: =SUM(SUM(position of the first column), SUM(position of the second column),…, SUM(position of the nth column))
Step 3 calculate the sum of multiple rows and columns using the formula
- Step 4: Click OK to complete and receive the result.
Step 4 completion and result retrieval
5. Formulas for summing in Word based on user-selected data
To calculate the sum based on user-selected cells in a table, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Place the mouse cursor at the cell to display the result. Then on the toolbar under Table Tools, go to the Layout tab.
Step 1 at the Table Tools section, go to the Layout tab
- Step 2: Further, click on Formula to open the dialog.
Step 2 select the Formula tool
- Step 3: In the Formula cell, enter the formula =SUM(Xn1, Xn2, Xn,…). For example, if you want to sum 4 random cells B2, C3, D4, you would enter it as =SUM(B2, C3, D4).
Step 3 select the data cells for the operation
- Step 4: Click OK to complete and receive the result.
Step 4 completion and result retrieval
6. How to update results and display formulas
Using the mouse
To review the formula, highlight the result you want to check, right-click, and choose Toggle Field Codes.
Highlight the result to check and right-click, then choose Toggle Field Codes
Using keyboard shortcuts
You can also update results and display formulas using the F9 and Alt + F9 shortcuts as follows:
- To update results with the F9 key, follow these steps:
+ Step 1: First, select the table by clicking on the plus sign at the top left corner.
Step 1: Click on the plus sign at the top left corner.
+ Step 2: Then press F9 to update.
Then press F9 to update.
To display the formula again using the shortcut Alt + F9, follow these steps:
+ Step 1: First, select the table by clicking on the plus sign at the top left corner.
Step 1: Click on the plus sign at the top left corner.
+ Step 2: Then press Alt + F9 to update.
Then press ALT+ F9 to update
7. Other formulas in the table
In addition to the SUM function for calculating totals, Word also has other formulas for tables such as:
- IF(): Used to evaluate the first argument. Returns the second argument if the first argument is true, returns the third argument if the first argument is false.
- OR(): Takes two arguments. Returns 1 if either is true, returns 0 if both are false. Mainly used inside the IF formula.
- MIN(): Used to find the smallest value of specified items within parentheses.
- MAX(): Used to find the largest value of specified items within parentheses.
- TRUE(): Has one argument, evaluates whether the argument is true or not. Returns 1 if the argument is true, 0 if the argument is false. Mainly used inside the IF formula.
- FALSE(): No arguments, always returns 0.
- AND(): Used to evaluate whether the values of the arguments inside the parentheses are all TRUE or not.
- AVERAGE(): Used to calculate the average of specified values within parentheses.
- NOT(): Has one argument, evaluates whether the argument is true or not. Returns 0 if the argument is true, 1 if the argument is false. Mainly used inside the IF formula.
- INT(): Used to round down the value inside the parentheses to the nearest integer.
- ABS(): Used to calculate the absolute value of the value inside the parentheses.
- COUNT(): Used to calculate the number of items specified within parentheses.
- PRODUCT(): Used to multiply the values inside the parentheses.
- DEFINED(): Used to evaluate whether the arguments inside the parentheses are defined or not. Returns 1 if the argument has been defined and evaluated without error, 0 if the argument has not been defined or returns an error.
- MOD(): Takes two arguments (must be numbers or return as numbers). Returns the remainder after dividing the first argument by the second argument. If the remainder is 0, it returns 0,0.
- ROUND(): Used to round values within parentheses. Has two arguments, the first argument equal to 0 returns rounding to the nearest integer, the second argument greater than 0 returns rounding to the specified number of decimal places.
- SIGN(): Has one argument, must be a number or return as a number. Evaluates the item specified in the large parentheses as greater than, equal to, or less than zero (0). Returns 1 if greater than zero, 0 if equal to zero, -1 if less than zero.
Other functions used in Word
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DON'T MISS some laptops currently on sale at Mytour:After reading the article, now you can confidently perform summation in Word with easy operations. Hopefully, this article will provide you with additional information to make your work more convenient. If you find it helpful, feel free to share it with your friends. Thank you, and see you in the next articles!
