Enter and Edit Formulas in an Excel Worksheet

You can use formulas to perform numerical calculations in your Excel spreadsheet. Formulas range from elementary to very complex. Adding, subtracting, and averaging are very common formulas. All Excel formulas begin with the equal sign (=) followed by the cell references and operators you want to use in the formula.

 

The most commonly used arithmetic operators are listed at the bottom of this how to.

---

---

How To Enter Formulas by typing the cell references:

To enter a formula, you first select the cell where you want the result to appear. Then you type the formula in the selected cell. For example, if there are numbers in cells A2 and A3, and you want to add them and show the result in cell A4, you would:

1. Select the cell where you want the formula to appear (ex: A4).
2. Enter the formula (ex: Type =A2+A3 in the cell A4).
3. Press Enter.
4. The result will appear in A4. If A4 is the active cell the formula will appear in the formula bar.

How To use the mouse the enter cell references:

You can use the mouse to enter cell references while you are creating formulas.

1. Select the cell in which you want to enter the formula.
2. Type = (to begin a formula)
3. Click the cell for which you want to enter a reference.
4. Type the operator you want.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you've created the formula you want.
6. Press Enter.

How To use the mouse the enter range references:

You can use the mouse to enter a range reference in a formula or function

1. Enter the equal sign, function name, and opening parenthesis for the function
2. Drag over the range for which you want to enter a reference
3. Type the closing parenthesis.
   • You can enter more arguments by typing a comma (,) and continuing.
4. Press Enter.

How To Edit Formulas:

You can edit formulas as you would edit any other data. Select the cell, click the formula bar, edit the formula, and then enter the edited formula. Using the Edit Formula button:

1. Select the cell containing the formula you want to edit.
2. Click the Edit Formula button on the Formula Bar.
3. Edit the formula.
4. Press Enter or click OK.

Common Arithmetic Operators:

Operator:		Description:		Example:
+		To add numbers		=A1+A2
-		To subtract numbers		=A1-A2
*		To multiply numbers		=A1*A2
/		To divide numbers		=A1/A2
%		To specify percentage of a number		=75%
^		To specify the exponent		=2^3, which means 2 reaised to the third power

Top of Page

---