To keep a running total of cells A1 through A10 in column B (for example, B1 contains the value from A1; B2 contains A1+A2; B3 contains A1+A2+A3; and so on), follow these steps:
- Start Excel and open a new workbook.
- In cell B1 type the following formula:
=SUM($A$1:A1)
- Select cells B1 through B10.
- On the Edit menu, point to Fill, and then click Down.
The $A$1 (absolute reference) is constant in each cell, although the A1
(relative reference) is updated in each successive cell to refer to the adjacent cell in column A. - Type the following data into the worksheet:
A1: 1
A2: 6
A3: 77
A4: 94
A5: 32
A6: 44
A7: 33
A8: 22
A9: 6
A10: 5
- The cells in column B return the following data:
B1: 1
B2: 7
B3: 84
B4: 178
B5: 210
B6: 254
B7: 287
B8: 309
B9: 315
B10: 320
TIP: To calculate a running average of the numbers in column A, replace SUM with AVERAGE in the formulas.