Lesson 2 · Basics

SUM Function

Practice the Google Sheets SUM function with interactive exercises. Add ranges, multiple columns and individual cells.

Task 1 of 3

Find the total number of visitors for the week. Put it in D2.

Tip: while typing a formula, click a cell or drag across cells to insert references. Press Enter to check, and Tab to accept a function suggestion.

Adding numbers with SUM

SUM adds every number you give it. Most of the time you hand it a range, a block of cells written as first:last, such as B2:B8.

=SUM(value1, [value2, ...])

=SUM(B2:B8) adds one column.
=SUM(B2:E5) adds a whole rectangle of cells.
=SUM(B2, B4, B6) adds specific cells only. Separate them with commas.

SUM skips text and blank cells inside a range, so a stray label won't break your total.

Tip: Whole-column ranges such as B:B keep working when new rows are added below your data.