How to Consolidate Data from Multiple Sheets in Excel
You have the same table on twelve sheets — one per month — and you want the totals. A 3-D SUM adds by position, so the moment one sheet reorders its rows the numbers quietly go wrong. Here's the one-click way that adds by label instead.
Last updated: August 2026
| Jan & Feb sheets | Totals sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Widget · 100 / 120 | → | Widget · 220 |
| Gadget · 50 / 60 | → | Gadget · 110 |
| Sprocket · — / 30 | → | Sprocket · 30 |
Why 3-D SUM breaks
The classic trick is =SUM(Jan:Dec!B2), which adds cell B2 across every sheet. It works only while all sheets are identical in position. Sort one month's products differently, or add a new Sprocket row on just one sheet, and B2 now points at different products on different sheets — so the totals line up the wrong rows and no error is shown. Data ▸ Consolidate can align by label, but it's modal, easy to misconfigure, and awkward to repeat.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet's Consolidate Sheets
Run Consolidate Sheets and choose how to combine matching cells — sum, average, count, min, or max. It reads every sheet's header row and left-hand label column and aligns cells by label and header, not position, so rows in a different order — or a product that appears on only some sheets — still land in the right place. The single totals table is written to a new sheet. Pairs with Combine Multiple Sheets and Group & Summarize.
Frequently asked questions
What if a sheet orders its rows differently?
No problem — cells are matched by row label and column header, so the same product is added together wherever it sits.
How can it combine the cells?
Sum, average, count, minimum, or maximum across all the sheets.
What if one sheet has an extra product?
It's folded in — that label gets its own row in the totals, with values only from the sheets that had it.
Where does the result go?
To a new sheet, so your monthly tabs stay exactly as they are.
Related Excel guides
Consolidate your sheets in one click
Consolidate Sheets combines per-month or per-branch tables into one totals sheet — aligned by label, not position, so nothing lands in the wrong row.
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