Excel sum entire column except header

In this example, the goal is to return the total for an entire column in an Excel worksheet. One way to do this is to use a full column reference.

Full column references

Excel supports "full column" like this:

You can see how this works yourself by typing A:A or C:C into the name box (left of the formula bar) and hitting return.

You will see Excel select the entire column.

Example

To solve the problem in the example worksheet, we can use a full column reference to column D with the SUM function like this:

The result is the sum of all numeric values in column D.

One advantage to full column references is that they will automatically include new data. As entries are added to the table, the formula will automatically include the new amounts.

Advantages and risks

The main advantage to full column references is simplicity.

Where is autosum in excel

Simple and very compact, a full column reference will automatically include all data in a column, even as data is added or removed. However, full column references come with certain risks. One risk is that you may accidentally include extra

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how to sum whole row in excel