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Formulas & functions

Overview of formulas in Excel

Get started on how to create formulas and use built-in functions to perform calculations and solve problems.

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 Important: The calculated results of formulas and some Excel worksheet functions may differ slightly
between a Windows PC using x86 or x86-64 architecture and a Windows RT PC using ARM architecture.
Learn more about the differences.

Create a formula that refers to values in other cells

1. Select a cell.

2. Type the equal sign =.

Note: Formulas in Excel always begin with the equal sign.

3. Select a cell or type its address in the selected cell.

4. Enter an operator. For example, – for subtraction.

5. Select the next cell, or type its address in the selected cell.

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 6. Press Enter. The result of the calculation appears in the cell with the formula.

See a formula
1. When a formula is entered into a cell, it also appears in the Formula bar.

2. To see a formula, select a cell, and it will appear in the formula bar.

Enter a formula that contains a built-in function

1. Select an empty cell.

2. Type an equal sign = and then type a function. For example, =SUM for getting the total sales.

3. Type an opening parenthesis (.

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 4. Select the range of cells, and then type a closing parenthesis).

5. Press Enter to get the result.

Download our Formulas tutorial workbook

We've put together a Get started with Formulas workbook that you can download. If you’re new to Excel, or
even if you have some experience with it, you can walk through Excel’s most common formulas in this tour.
With real-world examples and helpful visuals, you’ll be able to Sum, Count, Average, and Vlookup like a pro.

Formulas in-depth
You can browse through the individual sections below to learn more about specific formula elements.

The parts of an Excel formula 

Using constants in Excel formulas 

Using references in Excel formulas 

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 Need more help?
You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community, get support in the Answers community, or
suggest a new feature or improvement on Excel User Voice.

See Also
Switch between relative, absolute and mixed references for functions

Using calculation operators in Excel formulas

The order in which Excel performs operations in formulas

Using functions and nested functions in Excel formulas

Define and use names in formulas

Guidelines and examples of array formulas

Delete or remove a formula

How to avoid broken formulas

Find and correct errors in formulas

Excel keyboard shortcuts and function keys

Excel functions (by category)

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 In this course:

Overview of formulas in Excel

 Article

VLOOKUP
 Article

SUM function
 Article

COUNTIF function
 Article

IF function
 Article

IFS
 Article

SUMIF
 Article

Next: Tables

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