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Autosum not working

Anonymous
2023-06-29T21:16:35+00:00

When I hit Autosum after selecting a column of numbers, it does not calculate. It just shows me the formula for the autosum in the cell beneath the column. This happens when the cells contaiing the numbers are formatted as 'numbers' or as 'general'. Please help!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-06-29T21:33:44+00:00

    The cells may be formatted as General or Number, but that doesn't mean they are numbers. Test them by writing the following formula:

    =ISNUMBER(A2)

    Where A2 is one of the numbers in the column that aren't summing. If this says FALSE the cell isn't a number.

    Solution: select a blank cell that has a general format and choose Copy. Select the column you want to sum and choose Paste, Paste Special, Add, OK.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-02T01:08:31+00:00

    When you say the formula just stays there what do you mean? If the formula is displayed in the spreadsheet then the cell is formatted to Text. Click Clear All and try again.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-06-30T16:45:54+00:00

    Thank you Shane for your reply. I tried the =ISNUMBER(A2) test but don't get any response, neither TRUE nor FALSE, just blank and the formula just stays there.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-06-29T22:07:33+00:00

    Hello Fern,

    I'm Ibhadighi and I'd happily help you with your question. In this forum, we are Microsoft consumers just like yourself.

    One of the common reasons for AutoSum not working in Excel is that the numbers might be formatted as text. Even though they may look like normal numbers, Excel regards them as text strings and does not include them in calculations. You can try selecting all the cells containing the numbers, then go to the Number section under the Home tab and select the General format from the drop-down.

    Best Regards, IBHADIGHI

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-06-29T21:22:14+00:00

    Forgot to mention that the numbers are aligned to the left and I cannot change the alignment so that it is to the right.

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