How to Subtract in Excel (Numbers, Dates, Time, Percentages)

This method is the foundation of subtraction in Excel, ideal for straightforward calculations where you need to find the difference between two individual cells. It’s commonly used for basic arithmetic operations and is a great starting point for Excel beginners.

All you need to do is ensure that you have two cells with numbers in, or even just two numbers in your mind.

Then you can enter the following in your total cell:

1. Type “=Cell1-Cell2” in your total cell

    
   After you type “=” you’ll get the ability to click on cells to select them. You can click on one cell, press the “-” key, then click on another cell and press Enter to get your total.
    
   Alternatively, you can type numbers straight into your spreadsheet. “=2-1” is a completely valid formula for example. Generally, it’s recommended you keep your numbers in separate cells so that you can change them later if you need to, however.
    
   

When you have one cell that needs to be reduced by the values of several other cells, this method comes into play. It’s particularly useful for scenarios like adjusting a starting value by multiple deductions, such as a budget reduced by various expenses.

1. Minus each of the cells from the first cell

    
   Looking at our example below, you could minus all of the expenses from the income value with the following Excel subtraction formula:

   =D3-D4-D5-D6-D7-D8

   There is a faster way to do this, however, which we’ll show below.
    
   

The SUM function in Excel will add up all numbers in a specified group of cells. This approach streamlines the subtraction of multiple cells from a single cell by summing up the cells to be subtracted first. It’s efficient for consolidating multiple subtractions into one formula, making your spreadsheet cleaner and your calculations more manageable.

1. Subtract numbers from your original cell with the SUM function

    
   In our example, we can type =D3-SUM(D4:D8). This will take our original number (1,200), and minus it from our rent, internet, power, food, and other expenses cells added together (855).
    
   You can quickly select numbers in a column with the SUM formula by clicking on the top cell after your first open brackets, then holding shift and clicking on the bottom cell. You can then type a closed bracket to complete the formula.
    
   

This variation of the SUM function method is tailored for situations where the cells being subtracted contain negative numbers. It simplifies the process by converting the subtraction of negatives into an addition, thereby streamlining calculations involving losses or deficits.

1. Add a – in front of the numbers you want to subtract from the original cell and type “=SUM(Cell1:Cell5)” in the formula box

    
   Of course, you should replace “Cell1” and “Cell2” with the actual references for your cells. In our case you can see that the final formula is =SUM(D3:D8), but the result is the same as if we were to do =D3-SUM(D4:D8) due to the negative expense numbers.
    
   

Subtracting columns in Excel is essential for comparing datasets row by row, such as calculating the difference between two sets of measurements or financial figures. This method is key for data analysis tasks where columnar comparisons are required.

1. Type the subtraction for the two columns in the first row of your total, then click and drag the corner of the cell down to the bottom

    
   In this case, the two columns we want to subtract from one another is our income (column C) and our expenditure (column D). Therefore, the formula for the first cell of our total column would be =C4-D4.
    
   Now, rather than typing this out for each row of the columns, we can click and drag from the edge of the first cell of our total. Excel will automatically add one to the column numbers for each row it’s dragged, giving the correct calculation.
    
   

2. Excel will automatically subtract each row of the columns from one another and display it in the total column
    
   

   

So, what if you want to subtract a single number from a column of different cells? This method is designed for situations where you need to apply a uniform deduction across a range of cells, such as decreasing a series of measurements by a constant value. It’s particularly useful for adjusting data sets en masse.

1. Minus an absolute cell from the first number in your column, then click and drag to copy the formula down

    
   Remember a second ago our cell numbers changed sequentially when we copied our formula down the column? In this case, we don’t want this. Instead, we want to define an absolute reference like so:

   =Cell1-$Cell$2 

   We’re telling our formula: minus our first cell, which is allowed to change, with our second cell, which is not allowed to change. Therefore, even though our first cell has changed, the number subtracted from it will always be the one in Cell2.
     
   

2. The formula will be copied down the row, only subtracting the specified static cell
     
   

   

You can subtract two percentages in Excel the same as you would any other number: with the minus symbol. Things get a little more complicated when you want to subtract a percentage from a regular number, however.

Let’s look at both below:

1. Subtract one percentage from another with the minus symbol

   Subtracting a percentage from another percentage is as easy as typing =cell1-cell2 in your formula bar. If both are percentages, you’ll automatically be presented with the difference between the two. However, you must make sure that your cell formatting is set to percentages for this to work.
    
   

2. Decreasing a number by a percentage

    
   You can also use Excel to decrease a number by a percentage specified in another cell. All you need to do is set your percentage cells to percentage formatting and your regular number to number formatting. Then you can enter the following formula:

   Cell 1* (1-Cell2)

   You can see an example of this in action below:
    
   

3. OR: Minus the percentage as an absolute reference

    
   Remember in one of the previous steps we used an absolute reference to minus the same number from multiple cells? We can do the same with percentages using this Excel subtraction formula:

   =Cell1* (1-$Cell$2)

   Again, make sure that your cells have their relevant formatting for the type of number presented.
    
   

If you’re wondering how to subtract time in Excel, the answer is simple. Time subtraction is vital for calculating durations or the difference between time points, such as work hours or event durations. This method allows users to manage schedules, track time spent on tasks, and more.

1. Use the minus symbol to subtract one time from another

    
   Once you have your times down, it’s enough to just minus one cell from another as normal. The final Excel subtraction formula, then, would look something like this:

   =Cell1-Cell 2

   It’s really that easy.
    

Using Excel to subtract dates is also very easy. It works the same as subtracting a number or percentage. Date subtraction is used to calculate the interval between two dates, essential for project timelines, age calculations, and any scenario where understanding the span of days between dates is necessary.

1. Select your total cell and type “=Cell1-Cell2” in your formula bar

    
   Press Enter to complete the calculation. It will output the number of days between the two dates.
    
   

2. Drag down from the bottom-right corner of the cell to fill in the rest of your column

    
   The calculation will automatically apply sequentially to the dates in your table.
    
   

It’s a little more niche, but at times you may need to subtract the text of one cell from another or remove a number from the end of a cell. This method is useful for text manipulation, such as removing specific characters or words from cell content. It’s particularly handy for cleaning data, creating readable labels, or modifying text entries in bulk.

1. Use the Trim and Substitute commands to remove text from the end of a cell

    
   To subtract the text of one cell from another you can use the substitute function and replace it with an empty space. Trim then removes any extra spaces. So, without our cells, the formula would look like this:

   =TRIM(SUBSITUTE(your full text, the text you want to subtract,""))

   Naturally, for this to work your cells must have the relevant formatting type, with text set to text and numbers to number.
    
   You can also perform subsitute/trim in a table by referencing the cell instead of typing out the text in full:

   =TRIM(SUBSITUTE(Cell1,Cell2,""))

    
   

2. OR: Substitute a single phrase/number from a range of cells

    
   If the text you want to subtract is the same in every cell of your column, you don’t need a separate number column. Instead, you can just set the right formatting for each cells and then specify the text you want to remove in your substitute formula:

   =TRIM(SUBSITUTE(Cell1, "Text to remove",""))

    
   

If you’re unfamiliar, a matrix is a set of numbers. Matrix subtraction is a more advanced technique used for subtracting corresponding elements of two arrays or matrices. This method is essential for complex data analysis, mathematical modeling, and operations research, providing a powerful tool for handling multidimensional data.

1. Set up three tables and type the matrix subtraction formula

   Your tables should be laid somewhat like the example below, though technically they can be anywhere on your page. The formula itself isn’t complicated – but the steps to get the results are a little different from what you’re used to.

   First, highlight the empty cells of your results table so that Excel knows to output the result across the entire range. Then, type the following formula (replacing the words with the relevant cell references) and press CTRL + SHIFT + Enter:

   =(TopLeftCell1:BottomRightCell1)-(TopLeftCell2-BottomRightCell2)

   It’s important that you remember to press Ctrl + SHIFT + Enter, as this is what will make it an array formula.
    
   

2. Check your result cells for curly braces

    
   To verify that the formula is an array, you can click on any of your result cells and see that the formula is surrounded by curly braces instead of regular ones.
    
   

Extra: How to Divide in Excel

In Excel, you can divide using cell references, handle errors like dividing by zero, and even combine division with other operations for more complex calculations. In our other guide, you will learn basic to advanced functions for division, handle errors, and optimize calculations for maximum efficiency.
 

Extra: How to Combine Text Cells in Excel

We’ve shown you how to subtract text in Excel, but what if you want to combine the text of two cells into one? For that, you’ll need the Concatenate formula. You can check our full guide on how to concatenate in Excel here.

Extra: How to Wrap Text in Excel (Automatically and Manually)

Knowing how to wrap text in Excel is important so that your spreadsheet doesn’t get any wider than it needs to be. The wrap text function in Excel lets you break text into multiple lines, therefore increasing the length of your cell. In our other guide, we show you how to wrap text in Excel, using both Excel line breaks and its automatic word wrap functionality.
 

Extra: How to Square Root in Excel

For more Excel math, you can check our how to square root in Excel with three different formulas guide. It should give you a better idea of how Excel formulas function in general.