SUM, COUNT & AVERAGE functions in Excel

Two of the most frequently used tools in Excel are the Count and Sum functions. These functions let you count and sum cells based on one or multiple different criteria.

COUNT in Excel

You can use the COUNT function to count the number of cells containing numbers.

Use the COUNT function to count the number of cells containing numbers

How to use COUNTIF

If you need to count cells based on a specific criteria then use the COUNTIF function. An example would be if you only want Excel to count the cells with values greater than 5.

Use the COUNTIF function to count cells based on a specific criteria

How to use COUNTIFS in Excel

If you need to count cells based on multiple criteria then use the COUNTIFS function. An example would be if you want Excel to count all cells with values greater than 5 and that are Red.

Use the COUNTIFS function to count cells based on multiple criteria

SUM in Excel

If you want to add multiple numeric values within different cells you can use the SUM function. In order to do this do it like in the example below:

Use the SUM function to add the values of a range of cells

How to use SUMIF

In order to sum cells based on only one criteria then use the following SUMFIF function with two arguments.
=SUMIF(B1:B5,">5")

Use the SUMIF function to add values based on one criteria

To sum cells based on one criteria use the following SUMIF function with three arguments, the last argument is to range the sum. An example would be if you only want Excel to sum the values of cells that are Blue.
=SUMIF(A1:A5,"Green",B1:B5)

Sum cells using one criteria with the SUMIF function

How to use SUMIFS in Excel

In order to sum cells based on multiple criteria, use the following SUMIFS function. The first argument is the range to the sum.
=SUMIFS(C1:C5,A1:A5,"Blue",B1:B5,"Red")

Use the SUMIFS function to sum cells based on multiple criteria

AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS in Excel

Next to the COUNT and the SUM function explained above, you can average numbers in a range of cells with the AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS formulas.
With these also you can add one or multiple criteria to make sure you only select a certain subset of cells in your range that meet your criteria.
You now know how to use some of the most used and most powerful formulas in Excel.