How to add up two cells in Excel without a formula?

I have a sheet in Excel with a list of numbers. Sometimes I want to move X units from one cell to another.

Let's say I have a classroom of kids, each one has a certain number of marbles. There are 2 columns in the sheet, first column is names, second column is marbles. John gives 375 marbles to Bill. I want to update the sheet.

Currently I pull out a calculator, do the subtraction and addition, and update the cells manually.

This is cumbersome and error-prone. Is there a better way?

(I know I can write "=8300+375" in the cell but eventually each cell will have a stupidly long formula..)

2 Answers

You can use paste special to easily perform the calculations.

• Enter -375 in one cell and 375 next to it.
• select your new numbers and press CTRL+C
• Select the cells you want to change.
• in the ribbon / home / paste / "paste special"
• check "add" then "ok"

Máté Juhász post inspired me to suggest you VBA Macro, Since it's faster and time saver too. And I do believe that You can handle it.

How it works:

• I'm assuming that you have data in Range A2:B4.

• Put Values you want to Subtract in C2:C4.

• From Developer TAB, click Design Mode
  then Insert & From ActiveX Controls
  click Command Button Icon and draw it on
  the Sheet.

• Click the Command Button, you reach to VB editor Windows.

• Copy & Paste this code between

  Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()

  End Sub.

  Range("C2:C4").Select Selection.Copy Range("B2").Select Selection.PasteSpecial Paste:=xlPasteAll, Operation:=xlSubtract, SkipBlanks:= _ False, Transpose:=False Range("C2:C4").Select Selection.ClearContents Application.CutCopyMode = False

• From VB editor Windows click File menu then hit Close & Return to Microsoft Excel.

• Finally Click on Command Button.

You find New Values in Column B,(check Screen shot).

N.B.

If you want to Subtract Old vlaue from New Value in a Cell only, then you may use this VBA code.

Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Excel.Range)
If Target.Column = 2 And Target.Row = 1 Then NewVal = Range("B1").Value Application.EnableEvents = False Application.Undo OldVal = Range("B1").Value Range("B1").Value = NewVal Range("B1").Value = NewVal - OldVal Application.EnableEvents = True
End If
End Sub

• Press ALT+F11 to open VB editor and Copy & Paste the above shown code as Standard Module.

• As soon you overwrite Value in B1, code will
  Subtract it from Old Value and re-write B1
  with New Value.

Adjust Data Range as your need.