Autosum

What is the Autosum Excel Function?

The Autosum Excel Function[1] can be accessed by typing ALT + the = sign in a spreadsheet, and it will automatically create a formula to sum all the numbers in a continuous range.  This function is a great way to speed up your financial analysis.  It allows you to easily add up a series of numbers either vertically or horizontally without having to use the mouse or even the arrow keys on the keyboard!

For a financial analyst performing calculations all day long, even a small increase in speed for one function can add up to a lot of time saved over the course of a day, week, or year.

In industries like investment banking, keyboard shortcuts such as Autosum Excel are critical, and analysts are expected to know them all by heart (see our guide on how to get a job in investment banking).

How Autosum Excel works

The Autosum Excel shortcut is very simple – just type two keys:

ALT =

Step 1: place the cursor below the column of numbers you want to sum (or to the left of the row of numbers you want to sum).

Step 2: hold down the Alt key and then press the equals = sign while still holding Alt.

Step 3: press Enter.

Example of the Autosum Excel function

Here are two screenshots of the Autosum Excel shortcut in action.

The first example shows the Autosum formula being used in a vertical series of numbers, and the second example shows the formula used on a horizontal series of numbers.

It’s important to place your cursor in the correct place before pressing “Alt =”.

See Excel screenshots example below:

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More Excel Guides

Thank you for reading this CFI guide to using the Autosum Excel shortcut to speed up your financial analyst work in spreadsheets.  To keep learning and advancing your career, CFI highly recommends these additional resources:

• Excel for Dummies
• Index and Match Functions
• Excel Shortcuts List
• Important Excel Formulas
• Free Online Courses