How to Add Cells Across Multiple Spreadsheets

by C. Taylor
Spreadsheets take the place of old-fashioned ledgers.

Spreadsheets take the place of old-fashioned ledgers.

Jupiterimages/ Images

Adding data that spans multiple Excel spreadsheets might appear daunting at first, but Microsoft simplifies the task with two referencing methods. The first uses the same basic cell referencing technique you probably already use to reference cells on the same sheet; the difference is you need to add the name of the sheet. The second method is even niftier. Using a 3-D reference allows you to add the same cell or a range of cells from multiple sheets simultaneously, which makes adding cells across multiple sheets even easier.


Open your spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel and identify the cells you want to add.


Use the "Sum" function in a blank cell to add values from multiple cells. Reference cells from other spreadsheets by adding the sheet name, followed by an exclamation point, before the cell reference. Use commas to separate up to 255 cell references in the Sum function. For example, "=SUM(Sheet2!A1,Sheet3!B2:B6)" adds the values in cell A1 of Sheet2 to the values in B3 through B6 of Sheet3.


Use 3-D references to simplify referencing the same cells on a range of sheets. Specify a 3-D reference by entering two sheets separated by a colon. As an example, "Sheet2:Sheet5!" references all sheets between Sheet2 and Sheet5. Therefore, the formula "=SUM(Sheet2:Sheet5!A1:B5)" adds all the values in cells A1 through B5 on Sheet2 through Sheet5.

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