Forum Discussion
Impossible to sum numbers in Excel
As variant
You may copy any empty cell (Ctrl+C)
Select column with numbers as texts
Paste->Paste special->Add->Ok
I understand conceptually the difference between text and numbers but it is so incredibly frustrating that EVERY time I open a new document and manually enter numbers (not cutting and pasting) I cannot get Excel to sum.
Here's a silly example from today- new sheet, manually entered. This time I switched to commas to test whether it was an issue of being in France with a US version of Office 365 (how to switch this back to US/US format?).
Now it "sums" on the bottom right and gives me an average but instead of a summed number it gives me
I understand conceptually the difference between text and numbers but it is so incredibly frustrating that EVERY time I open a new document and manually enter numbers (not cutting and pasting) I cannot get Excel to sum.
Here's a silly example from today- new sheet, manually entered. This time I switched to commas to test whether it was an issue of being in France with a US version of Office 365 (how to switch this back to US/US format?).
Now it "sums" on the bottom right and gives me an average but instead of a summed number it gives me =SUM(A1:A5) AAARGH!!
What do I need to change here? Microsoft makes this so incredibly difficult!
Thanks.
AAARGH!! What do I need to change here? Microsoft makes this so incredibly difficult!
Thanks.
- HansVogelaarApr 27, 2023MVP
Activate the Formulas tab of the ribbon and look at the Formula Auditing group.
You'll notice that the 'Show Formulas' button is highlighted.
Click this button to turn it off. You should now see the result of the formula.
- philip369Apr 27, 2023Copper ContributorThanks! That worked!!!
Now why is that the default? - HansVogelaarApr 27, 2023MVP
'Show Formulas' is off by default. Perhaps you turned it on by accident - the keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+`