When you’re working with numbers on your Google Sheet, knowing how to multiply them can come in handy. For instance, say you have the quantity and price of each item and you’d like to know the total cost for all the items.
4 methods to multiply in Google Sheets
- Using the multiplication operator
- Using the MULTIPLY function
- Using the ARRAYFORMULA function
- Using the SUMPRODUCT function
Method 1: Using the multiplication operator
This is one of the simplest methods to multiply two numbers.
Step 1: Select a cell to type the formula.
Select the cell where you want to display the result of your product. In this instance, the cell is D2. Click on the cell to highlight it. Once you’ve highlighted the cell, you’ll see a blue border around it and the cell name in the Name box.
Step 2: Enter the formula.
This is just like how you multiply numbers on paper (2*2=4), but you use the cell name here instead of the actual number. In this instance, the formula is B2*C2.
Step 3: Press Enter.
Once you’ve typed in the formula, press Enter. You can see the formula applied to the cell.
Step 4: Apply the formula to the cells below.
Once you press Enter, you might get the Suggested autofill dialog box. If you do, you can click the tick at the bottom-left corner of the dialog box.
This would automatically apply the formula to the rest of the cells as well.
If you don’t see the dialog box, you can drag the fill handle to the desired cells.
Method 2: Using the MULTIPLY function
This method uses the MULTIPLY function provided by Google Sheets.
Step 1: Pick a cell to enter the function.
Similar to the first step of the previous method, pick a cell to enter the function. In this instance, it’s D2.
Step 2: Enter the MULTIPLY function.
The formula is =MULTIPLY(B2, C2). This will multiply the cells inside the brackets, and the product will be displayed.
Step 3: Press Enter.
Press Enter to apply the function to your cell. You’ll now be able to see the product of the two cells in the D2 cell.
Step 4: Apply the function to the rest of the rows.
To apply the function to the rest of the rows, click and drag the fill handle. The fill handle will appear at the bottom-right corner of the cell border in an active cell.
This would apply the function to all the cells you’ve dragged the fill handle to.
Method 3: Using the ARRAYFORMULA function
It can be quite tedious to apply the formula to the rest of the cells every time. This is where the ARRAYFORMULA comes into the picture. You can input a range of cells instead of just one cell.
Step 1: Select a cell to enter the function.
Similar to the first steps of the previous methods, pick a cell to enter the function.
Step 2: Enter the function in the selected cell.
The formula is =ARRAYFORMULA(B2:B5*C2:C5). The operands are the range of cells instead of just a single cell. This would automatically apply the function to the range of cells.
Step 3: Press Enter.
Press Enter to apply the function to your cells.
Method 4: Using the SUMPRODUCT function
In some instances, you might want to find the sum of your products as well. In such instances, it can be useful to use the SUMPRODUCT function.
Step 1: Pick a cell to enter the function.
Pick a cell to display the sum of products. Let’s pick D7, for instance.
Step 2: Enter the function.
The formula is =SUMPRODUCT(B2:B5*C2:C5). The formula is similar to the ARRAYFORMULA function. However, this displays the sum of the products instead of the products themselves.
Step 3: Press Enter.
To apply the function, press Enter. Now, you can get the sum of the products easily.
Wrapping up
No more struggling to multiply numbers on your Sheet. Use any of the four quick and easy methods given above to multiply in Google Sheets.