Doing Math in MS Word Tables
Gayle Fink (Gayle Fink)

This corner of the newsletter is reserved for readers to share practical tips, techniques and shortcuts that can make a difference in our work. Send your tips to Gayle Fink (gfink@bowiestate.edu).

There are times when you are preparing a report where the data are still a “work in progress.” You think you checked all the numbers, but somehow things don’t add up correctly. Possibly, a better way to fix the problem than using your calculator is to insert a Word formula into the table.

First, create the table with your data (see example below). Click on the cell that contains the numeric total and then go Table Tools/Layout/Data/Formula

The formula dialogue box opens. Word assumes that the calculation is at the bottom of a column so the default is =SUM(ABOVE)”. You can also use =SUM(LEFT or RIGHT) too!

Here is the catch. If you are using Word formulas, you need to manually update the SUM fields. Click on the formula cell in the table and press F9 to do this.

So, is this more help? You be the judge.