Just click individual cells to sum
Excel 2011 had the possibility to sum individual cells by typing "=", and then just clicking on individual cells across the workbook that you want to sum, and "return" when done. This functionality is no longer available in Excel 2016 (you have to type "=sum(", then clicking on the individual cells while holding down the command key, "return". I would be happy if the old functionality is brought to Excel 2016.
Saskia Aldershof
shared this idea
Update – thanks for the continued support of this feature. We’ll keep this request open for voting, but we’ll need to consider modifying the behavior slightly if it is to be brought back. For this suggestion, we would want to enable such behavior on both Mac and Windows, but we would need to do it in a way that does not cause problems for people who don’t want this behavior. For example, it may be that you would type =, then hold the CMD key as you click the cells to be added. Or perhaps you would need to enable a preference to get the old behavior. Please comment on these options or offer other ideas.
We’ve been working to make Excel more consistent between Mac and Windows, as can be seen by the updates over the past several months, which have satisfied several thousand votes on this forum (multi-thread calculation, PivotCharts, modern chart types, new functions, slicers for tables). I mention that to be clear that we are listening to the suggestions, comments and votes.
Steve K [MS Excel]
287 comments
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Doreen Bequary
commented
I am floored that you would remove that function. Apparently no bothered to ask an accountant how valuable this function is. If you are concerned that everyone might not want that function make it a preference.
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Anonymous
commented
I think this is a waste of time forum. We might get better results logging the issue at - https://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-us/home
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Nicolas Laurent
commented
Bring it back, please. That's a "productivity quick win"
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Anonymous
commented
bring it back please!!!!
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Anonymous
commented
Just make it a feature that we can turn on if we want it or leave it if we don't. You could even allow us to set our own hot keys i.e. Command+Shift. Give us functionality don't take it away
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Anonymous
commented
I agree. Just bring it back!
I am sure that Windows users will find it a more convenient way of adding numbers in separate cells rather than having to use the SUM function.
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Anonymous
commented
Simply bring back the old Mac sytem of =, then clicking on a particular cell to add that cell's number to the formula. If we need to hit command while doing so be it. Just make Excel as user friendly as possible.
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Lola
commented
Waiting for the update! I agree, bring back this feature asap!
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Phillip
commented
Dear Steve K, your last update was almost a year ago. Any news???
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Chris
commented
Everyone who wants this feature restored, please VOTE for it!
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Mike Raffone
commented
Hey MicroSoft, why don't you test any function changes on Excel with a focus group of MAC and PC users before updating the entire ecosystem! The auto plus function was a time-saver and removing it created a lot of frustration. Bad Bad Bad idea.
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Anonymous
commented
please make it available again.. im sure its not that hard and that function really helped. thanks
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Dana
commented
It is not difficult to do this for the Mac: Apple's Numbers app includes the feature, as does the old Excel for Mac. Therefore I assume that it is a Windows problem, and Microsoft is unwilling to do anything about its outmoded Windows.
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Anonymous
commented
Being a Windows user of Excel since the first released version I didn't even know this option existed. Even when using Excel on a Mac when I needed to, I always did it the "Windows" way even after being told about it but I gotta say, the old Mac way of = + click is something I think should return, even if it is only returned for the MAC. The fact that a useful and beloved feature was removed without consent is a disgraceful way to treat long term Excel for MAC users.
Knowing that their users can't just switch to something else gives companies like MS the feeling that they can do what they want, despite what the users want. That's just arrogance. I've not even seen a compelling reason to have removed it in the first place. Bringing the two platform's functionality together inline with one another is fine, but don't cut out features that don't exist in another platform, add them to the one that is missing it and provide an option to enable it on the new platform.
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Scott
commented
Horrible idea to get rid of this feature. WHY!? What would even make them think this should be disposed of?!
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Anonymous
commented
I have used Excel for decades, and I am lost without it, constantly having to check myself. Arbitrary changes without a thought for longtime users is an arrogant Microsoft trait.
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Anonymous
commented
Removal of this function is very, very annoying! I spend my working days calculating multi-million dollar budgets and this was a really useful function. Please, please bring it back!
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Anonymous
commented
Hello Excel Team,
Pls add back the auto plus function. I think, it is better to keep the option open rather than taking it off without taking vote for that and now asking for several thousand votes! -
Anonymous
commented
This function was the most used by me in the old version. It's a big problem now its gone. Please bring it back.
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Anonymous
commented
Please do bring this back. It would be fine to enable a preference to get the old behavior. That's easy enough. This feature had been one of the few things that I used on a daily basis that made an Excel a better product than Google's competing spreadsheet application. Now I'm wondering if that competitor has a simpler workaround than the onerous "=sum( command-clicking cells" mentioned above. Thank you to Saskia Aldershof for bringing this to MS' attention, and all of you commenters who are continuing to push to bring this back.