{"id":441,"date":"2024-02-07T13:57:43","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T13:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/07\/how-to-use-the-subtract-function-in-excel\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T13:57:43","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T13:57:43","slug":"how-to-use-the-subtract-function-in-excel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/07\/how-to-use-the-subtract-function-in-excel\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the SUBTRACT Function in Excel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \"woman <\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft that makes it easy to work with numbers and other values.<\/p>\n

Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft that makes it easy to work with numbers and other values.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

While Excel contains a lot of power, it\u2019s also quite useful for simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.<\/p>\n

\"Download<\/a><\/p>\n

In fact, Excel\u2019s simple formulas make it easy to add and subtract numbers and cell values without breaking out a calculator.<\/p>\n

How to Use Subtract Function in Excel<\/h2>\n

Many of Excel\u2019s most powerful capabilities come via the use of functions, which are a kind of predesigned formula.<\/p>\n

For example, the SUM function automatically sums or totals a range of cells without you having to manually add each cell to the previous one. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is no SUBTRACT function in Excel. That\u2019s because subtracting is one of the easiest things you can do in a spreadsheet. <\/p>\n

I\u2018ve found that performing subtraction in Excel is as simple as entering a simple mathematical formula. Excel does the rest. <\/p>\n

The formula for subtracting one number from another starts with an equal sign and looks like this:<\/p>\n

=<\/strong>value1 \u2013 value2<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t get much easier than that. You can subtract discrete values or the values contained in individual cells. <\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say I want to put an aquarium in my home so I can enjoy tropical fish.<\/p>\n

I made a spreadsheet of the different tasks I need to complete and how much I expect each purchase to cost. I then gather the receipts to note what I actually spent. We\u2019ll use subtract to see if my expected costs match reality. <\/p>\n

Step 1: Type an equal sign in a cell.<\/h3>\n

You subtract numbers and cell values in Excel using a simple formula. In Excel, every formula starts with an equal sign, so position your cursor in the cell where you want to show the solution and enter the following:<\/p>\n

=<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step 2: Add the first cell address.<\/h3>\n

Position the cursor after the equal and either manually enter the first cell address or use your mouse to select the first cell. You should now see something like this:<\/p>\n

=B2<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/em><\/p>\n

Step 3: Enter a minus sign.<\/h3>\n

Position the cursor after the first cell address and enter a minus sign, like this:<\/p>\n

=B2-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step 4: Add the second cell address.<\/h3>\n

Position the cursor after the minus sign and either manually enter the second cell address or use your mouse to select the second cell. You now have the following formula:<\/p>\n

=B2-C2<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step 5: Press enter to the solution.<\/h3>\n

Press enter to enter the formula, and the solution is displayed in the cell. After running the formula on every line in my sheet, I can see that I completed my aquarium with $236 to spare. <\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/p>\n

Tips for Subtracting in Excel<\/h2>\n

You\u2019re not limited to subtracting just one cell from another. In my experience, I\u2019ve found that Excel can perform many different types of subtraction.<\/p>\n

For example, you can subtract entire rows and columns, as well as cell ranges. Here are three tips on how to get the most out of subtracting in Excel.<\/p>\n

How to Subtract Multiple Cells<\/h3>\n

You\u2019re not limited to simple subtraction in Excel. You can subtract multiple cells from a single cell by stringing together additional cell addresses with minus signs.<\/p>\n

For example, to subtract cells C13 through C 18 from B12, use the formula:<\/p>\n

=B12-C13-C14-C15-C16-C17-C18<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/strong><\/p>\n

You could also write this as subtracting a range of cells from the first cell. In this instance, you\u2019d use the range B2:B4<\/strong> and enter this formula:<\/p>\n

=B12-(C13:C18)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/em><\/p>\n

Just enclose the range you\u2019re subtracting within parentheses. <\/p>\n

How to Subtract Entire Columns<\/h3>\n

You may want to subtract all the values in one column from all the values in another column. This is easily done by copying the formula from a single cell to all the cells in the solution column.<\/p>\n

Simply enter your subtraction formula into the first cell in a new column. Then, copy that formula to the other cells in the column by dragging the corner of the first cell down the column.<\/p>\n

All the cells in subsequent rows will subtract the same two relative cells as in the first formula.<\/p>\n

For example, if you copy the formula =D1-C1<\/strong> downward through a column, the cells in each subsequent row would contain the formulas:<\/p>\n

=B2-C2<\/strong><\/p>\n

=B3-C3<\/strong><\/p>\n

=B4-C4<\/strong><\/p>\n

And so on. <\/p>\n

\"subtract<\/p>\n

How to Subtract the Same Number From a Column of Numbers<\/h3>\n

Excel also lets you subtract the same number or cell value from all the cells in a column. You do this by locking the repeated number with dollar signs ($). <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you want to subtract the value in a given cell from a range of cells. For our example, assume the cell you want to subtract is G1. <\/p>\n

You can\u2019t just enter G1 <\/strong>and then copy the formula because Excel will change the referenced cell as you copy the formula.<\/p>\n

Instead, you need to lock<\/em> G1 into the formula by using dollar signs ($) in front of the row and column referenced by entering $G$1<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This tells Excel to always reference cell G1, whatever the other values in the formula. You end up with something like this:<\/p>\n

=C2-$G$1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pro tip<\/strong>: You can then copy that formula down an entire column, subtracting the fixed number from each cell in that column.<\/p>\n

To learn even more about Excel, check out our article on How to Use Excel Like a Pro<\/a>. This useful article contains 29 powerful tips, tricks, and shortcuts that will make Excel even more powerful. <\/p>\n

Getting Started<\/h2>\n

Excel includes powerful arithmetic capabilities, including the ability to subtract numbers and cell values. Excel makes simple subtraction as easy as writing numbers on a blackboard.<\/p>\n

\"excel<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft that makes it easy to work with numbers and other values. Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft that makes it easy to work with numbers and other values. While Excel contains a lot of power, it\u2019s also quite useful for simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Use the SUBTRACT Function in Excel - Bell Marketing Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/07\/how-to-use-the-subtract-function-in-excel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use the SUBTRACT Function in Excel - Bell Marketing Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft that makes it easy to work with numbers and other values. 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