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Sum absolute values in Excel - A complete guide

Author: Xiaoyang Last Modified: 2024-07-15

Suppose you have a list containing both positive and negative numbers and you wish to sum their absolute values, effectively treating all negatives as positives. For instance, the sum of 10 and -10 would be 20, not 0. Are there any quick methods in Excel to help you calculate these absolute values? This tutorial provides different solutions to meet your needs.


Sum the absolute values with formulas

Here are some cute formulas for you to sum the absolute values, please look at this:

Formula 1: Use SUM and ABS functions

Please enter below formula into a cell where you want to display the result, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to get the sum.

=SUM(ABS(A2:A14))

Formula 2: Use SUMPRODUCT and ABS functions

This Sumproduct formula also can do a favor for you, please type the following formula, and press Enter key, then you will get the sum of the absolute values that you need.

=SUMPRODUCT(ABS(A2:A14))

Formula 3: SUMIF() function

With the following two SUMIF functions, you can quickly calculate the sum of the absolute values, do as this:

1. In a blank cell which you want to put the result, enter one of below formulas, and press the Enter key.

=SUMIF(A2:A14,">0") - SUMIF(A2:A14,"<0")

=SUM(SUMIF(A2:A14,{">0","<0"})*{1,-1})


Easily sum absolute values with an amazing tool

Using the Sum Absolute Value features of Kutools for Excel can quickly help you calculate the absolute values of numbers in a range without the need to memorize and execute formulas.

After installing Kutools for Excel, go to the Kutools tab and select Kutools > Formula > Formula Helper.

In the Formula Helper dialog, you need to configure as follows.

  1. Select Math from the Formula Helper drop-down list
  2. SelectSum absolute values in the Choose a formula list box
  3. Select the range of numbers you will sum, and finally click OK .
Result

Now, you have the sum of the absolute values of the selected numbers.

Note: To use this feature, you should install Kutools for Excel first, please click to download and have a 30-day free trial now!

Sum the absolute values by changing all negative numbers to positive in Excel

Apart from formulas, we can change all negative numbers to positive ones and then sum up these numbers. And you can apply Kutools for Excel's Change Sign of Values utility to get it done with ease.

Kutools for Excel - Supercharge Excel with over 300 essential tools. Enjoy a full-featured 30-day FREE trial with no credit card required! Get It Now

1. Select a blank cell below the numbers whose absolute values you will add, type the formula =SUM(A2:A14) (A2:A14 is the number cells whose absolute values you will sum) into it, and press the Enter key. See screenshot:
 

2. Select these number cells (A2:A14 in our case), and click Kutools > Content > Change Sign of Values.

3. In the opening Change Sign of Values dialog box, please check the Change all negative values to positive option, and click the Ok button.

And now all negative values are converted to positive values, and the summing result changes automatically.

Kutools for Excel - Supercharge Excel with over 300 essential tools. Enjoy a full-featured 30-day FREE trial with no credit card required! Get It Now


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Comments (2)
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This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site
Thanks. it works!!!!
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site
There's another method. You could use a macro-function too. A macro function is entered holding CTRL+SHIFT while pressing ENTER. The formula needed for the examples showed above is: {=SUM(ABS(A2:A11))} You should not type the accolades { and }. They will appear automatically when you hold the CTRL and SHIFT keys while pressing ENTER. Excel uses this to indicate the formula is a macro-formula.
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