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How to use QUERY to sum by group in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:QUERY (Google Sheets SQL)Heads up: Excel and Google Sheets do this differently.
Excel
=SUMIF($A$2:$A$6,A2,$B$2:$B$6)Google Sheets
=QUERY(A2:B6,"SELECT A,SUM(B) GROUP BY A",1)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Region | Sales |
| North | 120 |
| South | 80 |
| North | 200 |
| South | 150 |
| East | 90 |
=SUMIF($A$2:$A$6,A2,$B$2:$B$6)→320
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Step by step
- 1In Google Sheets, enter =QUERY(A2:B6,"SELECT A,SUM(B) GROUP BY A",1) in an empty area. QUERY groups all rows by column A and sums column B for each group.
- 2The result is a compact summary table that updates automatically when source data changes.
- 3In Excel, use SUMIF for each category: =SUMIF($A$2:$A$6,"North",$B$2:$B$6). Or use a PivotTable for a full grouped summary.
- 4In Excel 365+, SUMIF combined with UNIQUE can replicate the dynamic grouped output.
Tips
- In Google Sheets QUERY, add ORDER BY SUM(B) DESC to sort the groups by total in descending order: SELECT A,SUM(B) GROUP BY A ORDER BY SUM(B) DESC.
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Frequently asked
Can QUERY count rows per group instead of summing?
Yes. Replace SUM(B) with COUNT(B) in the QUERY string: SELECT A,COUNT(B) GROUP BY A.
How do I sum by group with two grouping columns in QUERY?
Add the second column to both SELECT and GROUP BY: SELECT A,B,SUM(C) GROUP BY A,B.
More on QUERY (Google Sheets SQL)
See all →How-to
How to use QUERY to filter data
Use Google Sheets QUERY with a WHERE clause to filter rows dynamically — Excel users can use FILTER as the equivalent.
Error fixFix QUERY error
QUERY parse error in Google Sheets means the SQL-like query string has a syntax mistake. Find the exact error and fix it here.
How-toHow to use QUERY to group by multiple columns
Use QUERY GROUP BY with multiple columns in Google Sheets to create multi-level summaries. Excel alternative uses SUMIFS with multiple criteria ranges.
How-toHow to use QUERY with WHERE, AND, OR
Filter QUERY results in Google Sheets using WHERE with AND and OR conditions. Excel users can replicate this with FILTER using * for AND and + for OR.
How-toHow to create a running total with QUERY
Build a running total in Google Sheets by combining QUERY for ordering with ARRAYFORMULA and SUMIF. Excel alternative uses a simple SUMIF with a locked anchor row.
How-toHow to combine QUERY with IMPORTRANGE
Combine QUERY and IMPORTRANGE in Google Sheets to filter and aggregate data from another spreadsheet file. There is no Excel equivalent — use Power Query to connect workbooks instead.