Perform calculations in a table

Do any of the following:

Total the numbers in a row or column

  1. Click the cell in which you want the sum to appear.
  2. On the Table menu, click Formula.
  3. If the cell you selected is at the bottom of a column of numbers, Microsoft Word proposes the formula =SUM(ABOVE). Click OK if this is correct.

    If the cell you selected is at the right end of a row of numbers, Word proposes the formula =SUM(LEFT). Click OK if this is correct.

Notes

Perform other calculations in a table

  1. Click the cell in which you want the result to appear.
  2. On the Table menu, click Formula.
  3. If Microsoft Word proposes a formula that you do not want to use, delete it from the Formula box.

    Do not delete the equal sign. If you deleted the equal sign, reinsert it.

  4. In the Paste function box, click a function. For instance, to add numbers, click SUM.

    To reference the contents of a table cell, type the cell references in the parentheses in the formula. For instance, to add the numbers in cells A1 and B4, the formula would read =SUM(a1,b4)

  5. In the Number format box, enter a format for the numbers. For example, to display the numbers as a decimal percentage, click 0.00%.

Note   Word inserts the result of the calculation as a field in the cell you selected. If you change the referenced cells, you can update the calculation by selecting the field and then pressing F9.

Note   Microsoft Word table calculations must be manually recalculated. Consider using Microsoft Excel to perform complex calculations.