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Excel - Can you Total that Diagonally in Excel - Episode 670

232 views · Published 19 February 2009 · 1:43 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial: Simplest way to total diagonally in Excel. 

Welcome back to another episode of the MrExcel netcast! I'm Bill Jelen and today we're tackling a question that has been causing some confusion for our viewers. In the last two podcasts, we've been diving into some complex formulas that can make your head spin. But today, we're going to take a step back and look at a simpler solution for a common problem: totaling along the diagonal in Excel.

Now, in real life, the data set you're working with may have many more columns than just five. But for the sake of this example, let's say you only need to total the last five cells in each row. Instead of using a complicated array formula, why not try a simpler approach? Just type in the plus sign, grab the next cell, and continue until you have all five cells included in your formula. This will give you the total of the diagonal values in that row.

And the best part? This formula is easily replicable. Just copy and paste it down the column and it will automatically adjust to grab the diagonal values in each row. No need to worry about complicated array formulas or relative referencing. It's a simple solution that gets the job done efficiently.

Of course, there's always the option to use the insanely hard Chip Pearson Array Formula if you want to impress your colleagues with your Excel skills. But sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best. So, it's up to you to decide which approach works best for your situation. Thanks to everyone who pointed out the simpler solution in the comments of our last video. We appreciate your feedback and are always looking for ways to improve our content.

Thanks for tuning in to today's netcast. Be sure to subscribe to our channel for more Excel tips and tricks. And don't forget to hit that like button if you found this video helpful. We'll see you next time for another episode of the MrExcel netcast!"

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OK. Yes. Sorry. I spent two days on insanely hard formulas. Thanks for the letters, phone calls, and e-mails. There is a simple way to total five cells diagonally. Episode 670 shows you how.

Table of Contents
(00:00) Total diagonally in Excel
(00:39) Simple solution: a formula to point to each cell
(01:13) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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