SUMIFS Function
Master SUMIFS to sum cells meeting multiple criteria. Learn conditional summation with practical examples and error solutions in Excel & Google Sheets.
Excel
Google SheetsExcel=SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2]...)Practical Examples
Basic Sales Analysis
Sum sales for Electronics category in Q1 2025
Employee Salary Budget
Calculate total salary for Senior positions in Marketing department
Dynamic Regional Performance
Sum revenue based on cell references for flexible reporting
Inventory Value Calculation
Calculate total value of in-stock items above reorder point
Error Handling with SUMIFS
Gracefully handle potential errors in criteria evaluation
Common Errors and Solutions
SUMIFS returns #VALUE! error
Criteria ranges and sum_range have different sizes or shapes
1. Ensure all ranges have the same number of rows 2. Check that ranges aren't offset 3. Use consistent range references (A2:A100 with B2:B100, not B3:B101) 4. Verify no merged cells in ranges
Always select ranges starting from the same row and with equal lengths
Example:
SUMIFS returns 0 despite matching data being present
Text numbers in sum_range or criteria mismatch due to data types
1. Convert text to numbers: Select range → Data → Text to Columns → Finish 2. Use VALUE() function to convert 3. Check for leading/trailing spaces with TRIM() 4. Ensure date formats match
Maintain consistent data types across all ranges
Example:
Excel doesn't recognize the SUMIFS function
Using SUMIFS in Excel versions prior to 2007
1. Upgrade to Excel 2007 or later 2. Use SUMPRODUCT as alternative: =SUMPRODUCT((range1=criteria1)*(range2=criteria2)*sum_range) 3. Use array formula with SUM and IF
Check Excel version compatibility before using SUMIFS
Wildcards not working as expected in criteria
Literal asterisk or question mark not escaped properly
1. Use tilde (~) to escape wildcards: ~* for literal asterisk 2. Ensure wildcards are within quotes: "Product*" 3. Check that wildcards work with text criteria only
Test wildcard patterns with a simple COUNTIFS first
Example:
Advanced Tips and Best Practices
Use TODAY() or NOW() functions within criteria for rolling date ranges. For last 30 days: =SUMIFS(Sales, Dates, ">="&TODAY()-30, Dates, "<="&TODAY()). This creates self-updating reports without manual date changes.
For large datasets (>50,000 rows), avoid full column references (A:A). Use defined ranges (A2:A50000) for 10x faster calculation. Also, sort data by most restrictive criteria first.
SUMIFS doesn't accept arrays as criteria directly. For OR logic, use multiple SUMIFS with addition: =SUMIFS(...,"A")+SUMIFS(...,"B"). For complex logic, consider SUMPRODUCT.
Use named ranges for better formula readability: =SUMIFS(Revenue, Region, "North", Quarter, "Q1") is clearer than cell references. Press Ctrl+F3 to define names.
SUMIFS is not case-sensitive by default. 'apple' and 'APPLE' are treated as equal. For case-sensitive sums, combine with SUMPRODUCT and EXACT functions.
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Example Excel formula:
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Excel