Excel is one of those programs that's not just useful, but actually makes you feel like a magician. There's something incredibly satisfying about putting in a few numbers and having an entire graph or table appear before your very eyes! But what happens when you want to subtract something in Excel? It's not as flashy as a graph, but it's a super helpful function that can save you time and headaches in your work. So, without further ado, here's my step-by-step guide on how to subtract in Excel!
Before you can start subtracting in Excel, you'll need to open a new workbook. This is essentially a blank spreadsheet where you'll be doing all your work. To open a new workbook, simply open Excel and click "New Workbook" in the welcome screen, or use the shortcut Ctrl + N. Easy peasy!
Okay, now that you have your blank workbook open, you'll need to choose where you want to subtract. This means selecting the cell where you want the answer to appear. For example, if you're subtracting two numbers, you might want the answer to appear in cell C1. To select a cell, simply click on it in the workbook. You'll know it's selected because it'll be highlighted.
Now it's time to enter the numbers you want to subtract. Let's say you want to subtract 4 from 10. You would enter "10" in cell A1 and "4" in cell B1. Make sure you enter each number in its own cell, because Excel needs to know which numbers you're subtracting from each other.
Here comes the fun part! To subtract in Excel, you simply use the minus sign (-). In this example, you would type "=A1-B1" in cell C1 (without the quotation marks). What this does is tell Excel that you want to subtract the number in cell B1 from the number in cell A1. So, if A1 is 10 and B1 is 4, Excel subtracts 4 from 10 and gives you the answer, 6, in cell C1. It's like magic!
If you want to subtract more numbers, just remember to always use the minus sign and to separate each number with a comma. For example, if you want to subtract 4, 3, and 2 from 10, you would type "=A1-4-3-2" in cell C1.
Okay, so now you know how to subtract in Excel. But what if you have a long list of numbers you want to subtract from a single cell? Do you have to type out that formula every time? Nope! Excel has a handy function called Autofill that can save you a ton of time.
To use Autofill, simply select the cell with the formula (in our example, that would be cell C1) and move your mouse over the bottom-right corner of the cell. The cursor will turn into a plus sign (+). Click and drag the cursor down as far as you want the formula to go. Excel will automatically fill in the formula for you, adjusting the cell references as it goes. Magic timesaver!
And there you have it, folks! A step-by-step guide on how to subtract in Excel. It might not be as flashy as some Excel functions, but it's an essential tool for anyone who works with numbers. And who knows, maybe next time you'll subtract so well that Excel will give you a standing ovation. (Okay, probably not. But a girl can dream.)
