Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 8, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
Word allows you to do simple spreadsheet-style calculations on tabular data. You do this using equation fields. For instance, let's assume you had a 20-row table in which you wanted to total the values in the third column. All you need to do is the following:
Figure 1. The Formula dialog box.
Once the sum is placed in the cell and you later change the column figures, remove rows, or add new rows, you will need to update the sum. You do this by selecting the field you inserted and then pressing F9.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11759) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Summing a Table Column.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
Word allows you to format your text using different languages. If you are working with a right-to-left language, you may ...
Discover MoreNeed to make a copy of every single table in a document? There's a quick and easy way to do it using the macro in this tip.
Discover MoreInsert a manual page break into the middle of a table, and you may find that subsequent pages of the table don't always ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments