Subtract numbers

Type =10-5 in a cell to display the result 5.

Worksheet example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help
Press CTRL+C.
In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.

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A
Data
15,000
9,000
-8,000
Formula	Description (Result)
=A2-A3	Subtracts 9,000 from 15,000 (6,000)
=SUM(A2:A4)	Adds all numbers in the list, including negative numbers (16,000)

Note Adding a negative number is the same as subtracting.

Function details