Autosum

What is the Autosum Excel Function?

The Autosum Excel function 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 analysisExplore All Courses.  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 analystGuide to Becoming a Financial AnalystHow to become a financial analyst. Follow CFI's guide on networking, resume, interviews, financial modeling skills and more. We've helped thousands of people become financial analysts over the years and know precisely what it takes. 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 bankingInvestment BankingInvestment banking is the division of a bank or financial institution that serves governments, corporations, and institutions by providing underwriting and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services.,Investment BankingInvestment banking is the division of a bank or financial institution that serves governments, corporations, and institutions by providing underwriting and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services. 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 jobHow to Get a Job in Investment Banking?This guide will outline how to get a job in investment banking using out top three tactics: networking and resume, interview prep, and technical skills 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 DummiesExcel for BeginnersThis Excel for beginners guide teaches you everything you need to know about Excel spreadsheets and formulas to perform financial analysis. Watch the Video and learn everything a beginner needs to know from what is Excel, to why do we use, and what are the most important keyboard shortcuts, functions, and formulas
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• Important Excel FormulasExcel Formulas Cheat SheetCFI's Excel formulas cheat sheet will give you all the most important formulas to perform financial analysis and modeling in Excel spreadsheets. If you want to become a master of Excel financial analysis and an expert on building financial models then you've come to the right place.
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