Multiplying values is one of the most commonly performed functions in Excel, so it’s not surprising that there are several ways to do it. You can use the method that works best for what you want to accomplish in your spreadsheet on a Mac or Windows 11. Have you ever gotten stuck doing complex multiplications in MS Excel? Would you like to learn how to multiply in Excel like a pro even though you are a complete beginner? If so, then you’ve come to the right place.
Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just want to better manage your finances, this skill will help you now and in the future. Microsoft Excel manipulates data – that, in a nutshell, is its purpose. Therefore, there are numerous ways to perform mathematical operations, including multiplication. You can multiply literal values, you can reference values by cell or by range, and more.
Excel has been around for almost half a century. It’s an integral part of Microsoft Office tools, right alongside Microsoft Word. However, there are still people who are just getting started with this spreadsheet program. If you are one of those who still don’t know how to multiply in Excel, this comprehensive guide is for you. Visit their official site for more details.
How to multiply cells and numbers in Excel
Determine the cell you want to multiply
Put the multiplication formula in an empty cell in the column next to your data. Use the cell label with your numbers as the cell label in the empty cell. This also works if you want to multiply two or more cells.
For each cell you want to multiply, you can write its formula in a new column. When you multiply a number by more than one cell, you can use a separate column to figure out the formula for each product.
Signify multiplication between cells
If you want to show that you are doing a multiplication, put an asterisk between your factors. For example, to multiply cell A1 by 12, you would write the formula =A112 in a blank cell. This will give you the sum of the numbers in cells A1 and 12.
With additional factors, you can enter the formula the same way under the first cell you compute. For example, if you want to multiply cell A2 by 10, you would type =A210 in the cell right below your first calculation and press “enter” to get the answer.
Repeat the process for additional cells
Follow the same procedure when calculating additional cells and multiple numbers. If you have multiple cells that you want to multiply by a specific value, use a new column to organize each calculation. This way you can sort each product for multiple cells and values.
For example, if you use column A for your initial data set, two for your multiplier, and column B for your calculation, write the formula for each cell as =A12, =A22, =A3*2, and so on, with each formula taking up one cell in the column.
Multiply cells by cells
You can multiply a cell by a constant number, like in the examples above, or you can multiply it by another cell. You can multiply cell A3 by cell A5, for example. To do this, type the formula =A3*A5 into a blank cell and press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
This adds the numbers in the two cells together. Multiplying cells is useful for data that changes over time because the changes in cells A3 and A5 are reflected in the multiplication.
How to multiply column of values by constant
Use the first column for your data
Under column A, fill out each cell with a value from your data. How many cells you use in a column depends on how big your data set is. For example, let’s say you want to enter 35 values. This means that there is a value in each cell in column A, from cell A1 to cell A35.
Enter the constant
Enter the constant that you are multiplying the values in column A by in column B. Let’s say you need to multiply by 8. Type this number into cell B1. After entering your data and constant values, you can use a blank cell to do the multiplication function.
Apply the formula
Use the formula to show multiplication in a different column. For the first calculation, let’s say you want to multiply the numbers in cells A1 through A35 by the constant in column B. You would use column C and cell C1.
In each empty cell in column A, type the formula =A1B1, =A2B1, and so on. Repeat this formula in each cell of column C to multiply each cell in column A by the constant in cell B1.
How to multiply in Excel using two numbers
Enter your data in spreadsheet
You can make a cell for each value in a small set of data by using a single column. Each column and row in Excel has a label that starts with the letter A for columns and the number 1 for rows.
Enter the multiplication formula
To enter the formula, click on any cell next to the column of values. Put an equal sign in the cell to show that the formula function is there. This tells the program to do the math operation you just typed in. Use an asterisk () to show that you are multiplying when you enter the numbers.
For example, say you want to show a multiplication formula for the numbers “3” and “8” in the first column of a data set. =38 is what the formula looks like in Excel. To get the answer, press “enter.”
Use the result in your data
If you only want to multiply two or three numbers in Excel, you can often write your formula in just one cell. When multiplying more than two numbers, you can speed up the process by putting the formulas in more than one cell. This helps organize each product you want to compute.
FAQ
What is the fastest multiplication method?
Harvey says that the Schonhage-Strassen method is very fast. If a computer used the squared method taught in school, it would take months to solve a problem with two numbers that each had a billion digits. With the Schonhage-Strassen method, a computer could do this in 30 seconds.
How many formulas in Excel?
Excel’s Functions Library has more than 475 formulas that do everything from simple math to very complicated statistical, logical, and engineering tasks. For example, IF statements, AND, OR, and NOT functions, COUNT, AVERAGE, and MIN/MAX are some of our all-time favorite formulas.
