How do I subtract in Excel?
This is another very simple question to answer, but a commonly searched-for problem, so you’re not alone if you’re stuck on this. The method is exactly the same if you want to know how to subtract in Google Sheets.
Let’s take a very simple example, we have 100 and we want to subtract 10. The number 100 is in cell A1, and the number 10 is in cell A2:
To begin with, you need to understand that subtracting in Excel is a kind of formula, and whenever you type a formula in Excel you must begin it with the equals symbol =, and the formula is after the equals sign. So if we want the answer to this sum to be in cell A3, we click in cell A3 and type:
=A1-A2
and then press ENTER on your keyboard:
And there we have it, the answer to 100 minus 10 is now in cell A3:
So in a round about way, we have said to Excel “in cell A3, calculate the answer to what’s in cell A1, minus what’s in cell A2”
Another way of subtracting in Excel:
A more direct way of doing this is to “hard code” in the numbers into the cell – that might sound complicated but in fact it is even more simple than the above method. Let’s take the exact same calculation of 100-10. Simply click in any cell, and type in
=100-10
(remembering to start your formula with an equals sign) =
Press ENTER on your keyboard, and you’ll see the result of the calculation in the cell:
Once you get the hang of these two methods, you’ll be performing all kinds of calculations in Excel and Google Sheets. Try replacing the minus symbol – with + for addition, * (star) for multiply, or / (slash) for divide.