How to sum a column
✓ Verified in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 ✓ Verified in Google Sheets (2026-08-30)Add up all the numbers in a column — the whole column or just a range.
The formula
| App | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel (desktop) | =SUM(A2:A100) | =SUM(A:A) sums the entire column; Alt+= inserts a SUM automatically. |
| Google Sheets | =SUM(A2:A100) | Identical, including whole-column A:A. |
| LibreOffice Calc | =SUM(A2:A100) | Identical. |
How it works
SUM adds every number in the range and ignores text and blanks, so headers don't break it. Whole-column references (=SUM(A:A)) are convenient for growing data — just don't put the formula in column A itself, or you create a circular reference. For a total that only counts visible (unfiltered) rows, use =SUBTOTAL(9,A2:A100) instead.
Verified, not just documented
We ran =SUM(A2:A5) in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 (headless, with forced recalculation) and it returned 100 — exactly the expected result. We then ran the same formulas in Google Sheets, executed 2026-08-30: a formula-only workbook goes into Google Drive, which converts it to a Sheet and recalculates every formula with Google’s own engine, and comes back out as .xlsx carrying the values Google computed. It returned 100 for the worked example, the same value LibreOffice produced. Both engines’ numbers on this page are executed results. The Excel formula follows Microsoft’s official documented syntax — we do not run desktop Excel.
Functions used
SUM — see full Excel, Google Sheets & LibreOffice compatibility for each.
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