AutoSum shortcut in Excel - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a sales assistant at a retail store.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to quickly find the total sales for each product category using the AutoSum shortcut.

📊 Data: You have a list of product categories and their sales amounts for the week.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a column that shows the total sales for each category using the AutoSum shortcut.

Sample Data

Category	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Electronics	120	150	130	160	170
Clothing	80	90	85	95	100
Groceries	200	210	190	220	230
Books	50	60	55	65	70

1

Step 1: Select the cell next to the first product category's Friday sales (cell G2).

No formula yet, just select cell G2.

Expected Result

Cell G2 is selected.

2

Step 2: Press the AutoSum shortcut key (Alt + =). Excel will automatically select the range B2:F2 to sum.

=SUM(B2:F2)

Expected Result

Formula =SUM(B2:F2) appears in cell G2, showing the sum of Monday to Friday sales for Electronics.

3

Step 3: Press Enter to confirm the formula in cell G2.

Confirm formula =SUM(B2:F2)

Expected Result

Cell G2 shows 730 (120+150+130+160+170).

4

Step 4: Copy the formula in cell G2 down to cells G3 to G5 by dragging the fill handle.

Formulas in G3: =SUM(B3:F3), G4: =SUM(B4:F4), G5: =SUM(B5:F5)

Expected Result

Cells G3 to G5 show totals for Clothing (450), Groceries (1050), and Books (300).

5

Step 5: Rename the header of column G to 'Total Sales'.

Type 'Total Sales' in cell G1.

Expected Result

Cell G1 shows 'Total Sales'.

Final Result

Category   Monday  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Total Sales
Electronics 120     150      130        160       170     730
Clothing    80      90       85         95        100     450
Groceries   200     210      190        220       230    1050
Books       50      60       55         65        70      300

✓AutoSum shortcut quickly sums rows of sales data.

✓Total sales per category are calculated without typing formulas manually.

✓This saves time and reduces errors in adding numbers.

Bonus Challenge

Use the AutoSum shortcut to calculate the total sales for each day (column totals) below the Friday sales.

Show Hint

Select the cell below the Friday sales column (e.g., B6), then press Alt + = to sum the column.