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SUBTOTAL is a function in Google Sheets that allows users to perform calculations on a selected range of data while ignoring hidden rows or filtered data. When used with SUMIF, which calculates the sum of a range of cells based on given criteria, SUBTOTAL can provide the sum of only the visible cells that meet the specified criteria, resulting in a more accurate calculation. This is especially useful when working with large datasets that require sorting or filtering, as it ensures that only the relevant data is included in the calculation.
Often you may want to use the SUBTOTAL function with the SUMIF function in Google Sheets to sum only the visible rows that meet some criteria.
Fortunately this is easy to do by using a helper column.
The following step-by-step example shows how to do so in practice.
Step 1: Enter the Data
First, let’s enter the following dataset that contains information about various basketball players:
Step 2: Add Helper Column
Next, type the following formula into cell D2:
=SUBTOTAL(103, C2)
Then click and drag this formula down to each remaining cell in column D:
Step 3: Filter the Data
To add a filter to this data, we can highlight cells A1:D11, then click the Data tab, then click Create a filter.
Then click the filter icon next to the Conference column and filter the data to only show rows where the value in the Conference column is equal to West:
Step 4: Use Subtotal with SUMIF
Now suppose that we would like to sum the values in the Points column only for players who have a Position value of Guard.
=SUMIFS(C2:C11, B2:B11, "Guard", D2:D11, "1")
The following screenshot shows how to use this formula in practice:
The formula correctly returns a sum of 31.
By looking at the filtered data, we can verify that the sum of the values in the Points column among players with a Position of Guard is indeed 31:
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common operations in Google Sheets: