Excel track · Exercise 7 of 86 Paid
Running total down a column
Build a running total that can be filled down without editing each row.
Advanced
Daily units and a week of activity
Read-only data · screen 1 of 2 · answer in C2
In C2, start a running total with a formula that fills down the column unchanged.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day | Units | Running |
| 2 | Mon | 12 | |
| 3 | Tue | 8 | |
| 4 | Wed | 15 | |
| 5 | Thu | 3 |
In C4, give Wednesday's running total: the same formula, filled down two rows.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day | Units | Running |
| 2 | Mon | 12 | |
| 3 | Tue | 8 | |
| 4 | Wed | 15 | |
| 5 | Thu | 3 |
Reference answer
What it does
A running total is one formula filled down a column, and the work is in the dollar signs. The formula =SUM(B$2:B2) locks the row of the start cell and leaves its column free. Filled down, it turns the second half into B3, B4 and beyond while the start stays at row 2.
Row 2 reads 12, row 3 reads 20, row 4 reads 35, and each is everything above it rather than a fresh total. Pin both halves and every row repeats the first figure; pin neither and each row reports only itself.
The same shape carries a cash book balance, a cumulative percentage or a year-to-date column. It also survives inserted rows, because the range is built from cells rather than typed numbers.
Syntax
=SUM(B$2:B2) filled down a columnWorked example
On Daily units and a week of activity, =SUM(B$2:B2) returns 12.
=SUM(B$2:B2)Common errors
| Error | What it means and how to fix it |
|---|---|
Wrong total | Pinning both halves of the range freezes it, so every row repeats the first total. Only the start row takes the dollar sign. |
#REF! | A filled-down range names rows outside the sheet, usually after the start cell was deleted. |
#VALUE! | A cell in the growing range holds text. Summing a column that mixes headings and numbers returns this. |
At work
A cash book with a running balance, and a project plan with cumulative percentage complete.