Sum a column of numbers returns a zero, even though the column has actual numbers that don't sum to zero

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Sum a column of numbers returns a zero, even though the column has actual numbers that don't sum to zero

Hugh Larsen 0

When I click on a cell that has the sum function (for example: =sum(A4: A9) and the cells contain non-zero entries, when I click on the cell, it returns a zero, as if the sum of the column of numbers adds to zero, regardless of the numbers in the column. This just started happening recently. Why?

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Answer 1

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435K

To convert the text to values can't be done simply by changing the cell Format...

Select the cells which contain the digits then go to the Data tab & click the Text to Columns tool. Click Finish in the conversion wizard dialog.

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Answer 2

Jeronimo Fuerte 38,760 Independent Advisor

This usually happens when the values look like numbers but are actually stored as text, especially if they were copied/imported from another source. Excel’s SUM ignores text entries, so a range full of text-formatted “numbers” can return 0. To test this, enter =ISNUMBER(A4) in a blank cell. If it returns FALSE, the value is not being treated as a real number. Converting text-formatted numbers to real numbers must resolve this situation.

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Sum a column of numbers returns a zero, even though the column has actual numbers that don't sum to zero

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