Sum if cells contain an asterisk

Summing cells that contain an asterisk is tricky in Excel because the asterisk “*” is a wildcard.  In Excel, it means any string of characters. This article will teach us how to sum cells containing an asterisk using SUMIF and the tilde (~).  

Figure 1.  Final result: Sum if cells contain an asterisk

The tilde ~ is also a wildcard in Excel.  It is used to mark the character next to it as a literal character.  

SUMIF function in Excel

SUMIF sums the values in a specified range, based on one given criteria

Syntax

=SUMIF(range,criteria, [sum_range])

Where

• Range: the data range that will be evaluated using the criteria
• Criteria: the criteria or condition that determines which cells will be added
• Sum_range: the cells that will be added; if left blank, “sum_range” = “range” which means that the range of data that will be added is the same range of data evaluated

Setting up the Data

Let’s create a list of categories and sales for coffee.  We want to sum the sales for categories containing an asterisk “*”.  

Figure 2.  Sample data to sum cells containing an asterisk

Sum Cells Containing an Asterisk

In cell F3, enter the formula:

=SUMIF(B3:B8,"*~**",C3:C8)

Where

• B3:B8 is the range of data we want to evaluate, which is under column B “Category”
• C3:C8 is the range whose values we want to add, once the criteria is satisfied in column B
• The formula returns the value 320, which is the sum of sales for Espresso*, Flat* White and Vienna*

Figure 3.  Entering the formula using SUMIF, tilde ~ and asterisk *

Important Notes

• “*~**” is the criteria; the asterisks in both sides ensure to include all cells containing an asterisk, no matter where the asterisk is in a cell.
  • Example: In “ Espresso* ”, the asterisk is the last character but in “ Flat* White ”, the asterisk is in the middle.  
• Note the characters inside the two asterisks, ~* : it is necessary to put the ~ before the asterisk “*” in order for Excel to search for the asterisk “*” as a literal character, and not as a wildcard

Most of the time, the problem you will need to solve will be more complex than a simple application of a formula or function. If you want to save hours of research and frustration, try our live Excelchat service! Our Excel Experts are available 24/7 to answer any Excel question you may have. We guarantee a connection within 30 seconds and a customized solution within 20 minutes.