Cell: How to Subtract in Excel

This updated guide examines Cell: How to Subtract in Excel and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Method 1

Subtracting Cell Values

1. Open Excel. It's a green app with a white "X" on it.
   • If you would rather use a pre-existing Excel document, instead double-click the Excel document in question.
2. ClickBlank workbook(PC) orExcel Workbook(Mac). It's in the top-left side of the "Template" window.
3. Enter your data if necessary. To do so, click a cell, type in a number, and press?Enteror?Return.
4. Click an empty cell. This will select the cell.
5. Type "=" into the cell. Exclude the quotation marks. You'll always type an "equals" sign prior to inserting a formula in Excel.
6. Type in a cell's name. This should be a cell with data from which you wish to subtract other cells' value(s).
   • For example, you would type "C1" to select the number in cell C1 .
7. Type-into the cell. You'll see it appear after the number you entered.
8. Type in another cell's name. This should be a cell whose value you wish to subtract from the first cell's name.
   • You can repeat this process with multiple cells (e.g., "C1-A1-B2").
9. Press?Enteror?Return. Doing so will calculate the formula entered in the cell and replace it with the solution.
   • You can click on the cell to view the original formula in the text bar directly above the row of letters.

Method 2

Subtracting Within a Cell

1. Open Excel. It's a green app with a white "X" on it.
2. ClickBlank workbook(PC) orExcel Workbook(Mac). It's in the top-left side of the "Template" window.
3. Click a cell. Unless you plan on creating data using this workbook, the cell you select is not important.
4. Type "=" into the cell. Exclude the quotation marks. This will set the cell up for a formula.
5. Type in a number from which you wish to subtract. It will appear in your selected cell to the right of the "equals" sign.
   • For your budget, for example, you might type your month's income into this cell.
6. Type-into the cell. You'll see it appear after the number you entered.
   • If you decide to subtract multiple numbers (e.g., X-Y-Z), you'll repeat this step after each subsequent number excluding the last one.
7. Type in a number you wish to subtract from the first number.
   • If you're calculating budget, you might type an expense into this cell.
8. Press?Enteror?Return. Doing so will calculate the formula entered in the cell and replace it with the solution.
   • You can click on the cell to view the original formula in the text bar directly above the row of letters.

Method 3

Subtracting a Column

1. Open Excel. It's a green app with a white "X" on it.
   • If you would rather use a pre-existing Excel document, instead double-click the Excel document in question.
2. ClickBlank workbook(PC) orExcel Workbook(Mac). It's in the top-left side of the "Template" window.
3. Click a blank cell. Doing so will select it.
4. Enter your main number. This is the number from which the rest of the column will be selected.
   • For example, you might type in your yearly salary here.
5. Enter any subtractions in the cells below. To do so, you'll type in a negative version of the number you wish to subtract (e.g., if you wish to subtract 300, type in "-300").
   • You'll type in one subtraction per cell.
   • Make sure each of the numbers you enter are in the same column as the main number.
   • For the salary example, you'd likely type "-" followed by an expense for each box.
6. Click a blank cell. This time, the cell doesn't need to be in the same column as the main number.
7. Type "=" into the cell. Exclude the quotation marks. Doing so will set up the cell for a formula.
8. TypeSUMinto the cell. The "SUM" command adds items together.
   • There isn't an official "subtract" command, which is why you enter numbers in the negative format above.
9. Type(CellName:CellName)in afterSUM. This command adds all cells in a column from the first cell number value through the last cell number value.
   • For example, if the K1 cell is your main number and the last cell in the column with data in it is K10 , you'd type "(K1:K10)".
10. Press?Enteror?Return. Doing so will run the formula in your selected cell, thereby replacing the formula with the final total.