How to add two numbers in Google Sheets: 3 different methods

There are an infinity of reasons to add two numbers in Google Sheets. In this article we’ll cover three different ways to achieve this.

We will start with the SUMIF formula but we will move on to ADD and to arithmetic operators. Any of these functions are good, but still you should know the difference that separates them. This should help them Add two separate values using SUM.

All three methods can be building blocks for more complicated formulas, they also have their pros and cons.

Start with SUM formulas

SUM formulas are the bread and butter of adding values in Google Sheets. They allow you to sum numbers, cells or ranges. You can even set conditions to match in order to sum up values. 

Add two separate values using SUM

This function has a super simple syntax, all you need to do is give it values to sum. At its very basic it looks something like this:

This is a poor use of the formula, because it will just return the one value that was provided. But it goes to show just how straightforward it is.

You can also pass cell coordinates as arguments.

Finally, to make the most of it, you can include ranges. This is where the formula really shines, as it allows you to sum all the values from columns and rows.

This is often used to calculate totals as shown below.

Conditional addition with SUMIF

Once you have mastered SUM, you can move on to its evolved forms: SUMIF and SUMIFS. Both of these formulas add two or more numbers in Google Sheets but only if certain conditions are met.

For example, you could add only sales that exceed $100.

This is what the resulting table would look like:

SUMIFS works in much the same way, but you can apply as many conditions as you want.

Add two values using ADD

The ADD function is similar to its SUM counterpart, but it has one major limitation: it adds exactly two numbers. This gives it two advantages:

• Simpler – This could make it easier for beginners.
• Clear intent – Using this function makes it clear that you mean to add only two values. This is particularly useful for long formulas.

Doesn’t get much easier than this. But you could easily replace “ADD” with “SUM” in the example above with and it would still work.

Using arithmetic operators to add numbers

The final way to add two numbers in Google Sheets is to use the arithmetic operator “+”. Instead of using a formula you are just doing simple math.

As with all the methods we covered, you can replace values with cell coordinates.

Of course you can combine this with any other calculations you wish to perform. For a full list of arithmetic operators, check out our post on 100+ functions for Google Sheets.

Now you know SUM formulas

And that’s it! We covered how to add two numbers in Google Sheets, and much more. Hopefully this knowledge will come in handy in your spreadsheet journey.