Comments on: How to find all combinations of numbers that equal given sum in Excel

Finding all combinations of values that add up to a given sum is a common problem in data analysis. For example, you may want to know all possible combinations of items that can be purchased with a given budget, or all possible ways to allocate resources to meet certain requirements. Continue reading →

Comments page 2. Total comments: 118

  1. I have no background experience with anything like this. I would love to get this macro to work properly. I get to a point of running the findsumcombinations macro, but keep getting "need object" error 424. Then when I go and re type in the formula my entire excel freezes up. Any help would be appreciated.

    Thank you

    1. Hi! Regrettably, I was unable to replicate your issue, as I am unaware of the actions you take and the numbers you select. Please read carefully and follow the recommendations in the article above. Or describe the problem in detail.

  2. In addition to my last comment, I am using and trying to find a negative number (I'm trying to see why there's a discrepancy between my internal math and my bank account). In a tiny experiment, it seems that negative numbers throw everything off, no matter how simple the list of numbers (I had a list which included -7 and -3, with a desired number of -10, and I still received a #VALUE! error). What should I do?

    Thanks again!

  3. Hello,

    I followed all the steps correctly, to my knowledge, and received a "#VALUE!" error. The code I input into the cell was "=FindSumCombinations(A5:A194, A2)".

    What should I check to troubleshoot this?

    Thank you!

    1. Hi! A #VALUE! error means that no solution was found. Perhaps text values or empty cells were used. Do you really want to find all combinations of 189 numbers?

      1. Hi there, I also got the very same issue, but with strong possibility that some of the values are really close (less than 0,99 diff). but it only looks for exact matches as per example :
        -FindSumCombinations(A1-A25,B2) where B2 might be by 0,99 bigger or smaller than B2 value.

        I'll be more than thankful for everything there as I believe it will save me hundreds of hours of work during the year to come.

        1. Hi! I recommend using only integer numbers to find combinations, as Excel does not always work correctly with fractional part of a number. If you need to find a combination of numbers with two decimal digits, multiply them by 100 and then divide the numbers in the resulting combination by 100. If the numbers are the result of calculations, be sure to use rounding.

  4. Hi, I've been struggling with this and can't seem to get solution. I'll appreciate your assistance.
    I have a reference cell B1 to f1 with data 37, 65, 20, 8 and 24 in the cells respectively.
    How do I make excel do a two cell combination of all the 5 cells. Eg. B1+E1 which is 37+20 and then compare with the rest of the worksheet to find all two cells on a row with equal sum total of any of the combinations above. If found, set same border color for cells with equal sum total.
    I tried pairing but it only found cells that were close together. Eg. Cells B22 and C22 with sum total of 28.
    If possible, I can share my worksheet with you via email so you can see what I mean.
    Thanks for your effort

    1. Hi! You need to write a special VBA macro for your task. This goes beyond the advice we provide on this blog.

      1. I have written the vba macro but it's not working as intended.
        Thanks for your time anyway 🙂

  5. This was TREMENDOUSLY helpful and I learned something new today about the Solver add in. Thank you

  6. Hi,
    I've tried the solutions and don't seem to figure out how to make them work. With macro I get debugging popping up.
    I have a number of incoming invoices and data from bank, that has only total sums of those invoices and how many of them were matched to the sum. So I need to figure out what is what, seems that Solver should do the trick.. But it's running literally forever. I've added limitation based on the amount of invoices, didn't help. The amount of initial variables is below 70, it should be ok then..
    I had to restart the pc everytime to exit excel because it's not responsive and just running the solver, doesn't seem right at all :D

  7. How do I sort the list in excel to 0.01 miles - 10 miles, 10.01 miles - 20 miles, 20.01 miles - 30 miles, 100.01 miles - 110 miles, 120.01 miles - 130 miles, 110.01 miles - 120 miles instead of 0.01 miles - 10 miles, 10.01 miles - 20 miles,100.01 miles - 110 miles, 120.01 miles - 130 miles, 110.01 miles - 120 miles, 20.01 miles - 30 miles

    Thank you

    1. Hi! Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional information to understand what you need.

  8. I want a random combination of my sum but not all the combination one is enough. But I have ample data, so when I use your function my Excel freezes because it looks for all the combinations. How do I stop that?

  9. I wonder if we could allow repetition of numbers in the combination in order to make possible a better approach of the final sum? How would that be possible? For exemple, if we consider a set of numbers 1,2,3,4 and we want to look for combinations that sum up to 20 we must allow he numbers in the combination to be repeatable is this case included in this approach by SOLVE function?

    1. Hi! I think you can make repeats in your set of numbers. Then those repeats can be in the final result.

  10. Hi, my computer can't handle the large arrays I want to calculate. I also do not need combinations of >4-5 values to sum my desired value. Is there a way to edit this function to only search for a maximum set of values to sum to 1) match my needs better 2) to lessen the burden on my computer?

    Ex:
    (array: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15) (sum target: 24)
    desired yield: (15,9), (6,7,9), etc
    undesired/wasteful yields: (1,2,3,7,9)

    1. Hi! In order to select the part of the values you want, Excel must calculate all values. Therefore, your request is not possible.

  11. Hi, am trying to use the macro to work with dollar amounts (dollars and cents) and am getting a runtime error. Using whole integers works fine if the data entered does is not greater than .00, all other amounts will compile an error. Is there a way to alter the code to include decimals. For instance, search for $1043.02 from the following data.

    $20.67
    $129.61
    $193.26
    $74.34
    $66.61
    $188.67
    $125.96
    $132.79
    $169.81
    $99.73
    $95.80
    $339.79
    $410.21
    $293.02
    $142.90
    $298.89
    $262.48
    $1,611.81
    $384.78

    1. Hello! This question has been asked before, if you've read the comments. The function works with integers. You can multiply all your numbers by 100.

      1. Yes, indeed I did see that, but I was asking how to alter the code to avoid the workaround itself. When altering the search values and the target value by 100 factor, a run-time error 6 "overflow" results with the debug line pointing to "TargetSum = TextBox1.Value" The search seems to work find for smaller integers, but for the larger numbers error out. Otherwise this is great, because it seems to also take negative values into consideration, which is perfect for the scenario I am trying to use if the larger numbers work.

        1. To further explain, if you look at the first 5 values I provided and alter them to

          2067
          12961
          19326
          7434
          6661

          Their sum is 48449. When using this value in the target value box, the mentioned runtime error appears.

            1. Thanks for looking into this. I can't seem to get it to work while changing the code, perhaps I am not editing everything correctly. Could you upload a new sample workbook to work off of with the changes you've made? I appreciate your time!

              1. I assume general, currency, and number formatting for cells should work the same or is there one cell format we should be sticking to?

              3. Thank you! It seems to run in the background now but is freezing up my excel every time. I've tried with the previous example I gave earlier, as well as a sum of just 2 numbers to see if it was just a calculation/processing issue on my end with no luck - just crashes. I'm assuming the sample workbook works fine for you?

              4. Hi! The speed of Excel depends on such things as the formatting of your data, other processes running at the moment, available system resources, RAM, etc. We don't have any problems with this file.

  12. Hi! Thank you so much for the great work. Whenever I try to run the macro function (copied from the example file) I receive a "Run-time error 6: Overflow" message. Thanks again!

    1. Hi! Unfortunately, I can't see what you're doing or what data you're using. Try placing your data in a sample file and find the combination of numbers.

  13. Can you please change the code so the output are only groups of 5 integers which satisfy the same requirement?
    Thank you in advance.

  14. Hello, I am using the findsumcombinations function and it is rounding to the nearest dollar, when I need it to be exact on the penny.

    Thoughts on this?

    thank you!

  15. hello,

    we have steel coil slitting equipment. we are required to have minimum wastage from our slitting plan. lets keep that at 0-5mm from the coil width. suppose the coil width (which differs) here is 1219mm and considering the minimum wastage we have 1214mm remaining from which we can take as many slits as required from a list of slit sizes.
    e.g 121mm / 240mm / 35.70mm / 115mm / 95.4mm (with decimals)

    now i need a best combination list, multiples of each size allowed, where the total of the selected size should not exceed 1219-5=1214mm

    kindly advice how can this be achieved.

    1. Hi! Since your numbers can't give an exact sum of 1214, use Solver. You will be able to find the best combination of numbers that is close to 1214.

  16. Hello,

    I did a simple Bing search for "Find all combinations of a number..." and it led me to this post. Excellent work, I love the simplicity and easy instructions. I will dabble with the UDF in a bit, but for now, could you tell me how to do the above method and have the following additional information.

    Not only show a 1, but also append the times it needs to be multiplied after adding the other numbers in the array.

    For example

    Desired total would be 50
    Left array is 1 through 10
    The empty column results would show 1 x10 next to the 5
    The 1 indicates true, while the x(number) indicates multiples needed

    Of course, the 10 would be 0 in the right array because 5x10 already reaches the desired total.

    Please let me know if this makes sense.

    1. Hi! This custom function and macro do not assume that the numbers will be used more than once. Also, they show all possible combinations of numbers. For your case, it is better to use Solver.

  17. Hi there,
    First I would like to thank you very much for this great work,
    I was looking for this solution for a while since I work in accountancy and I struggle to find the possible solutions or combinations that add up to a given value say payment.
    I have one question to ask if you don't mind,
    in the VBA macro, I don't see anything to change like a range or a sheet name,
    My question is, does it work on any workbook as it is ?
    in other words, would it work if I copied it to my workbook with my tables and values or is there anything to modify ?
    Thanks again for your efforts
    Great job.
    May God bless you.

    1. Hi! Copy the code into your workbook as described in the article above. Remember to save it as an .xlsm
      The macro will work with your data.

  18. By the way great job. May God bless you.

  19. Hi. I am using findsumcombinations formula, even there should be more than 1 result, excel gives me only one of them. Is there any solution for that?

    1. Hi! Unfortunately, this information is not enough to give you any advice. What source data and what formula did you use?

      1. Just I wrote 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in each sells and my formula is "=FindSumCombinations". The sum should be 10. The only option excel gives is 1, 2, 3, 4. While we have 1+4+5 for example. It gives only one result.

        1. Look carefully at your formula. I'm sure you only used numbers 1,2,3,4. The formula FindSumCombinations with numbers 1,2,3,4,5 gives 3 results {1,2,3,4} {1,4,5} {2,3,5}

        2. 10 is in cell D10. The numbers 1,2,3,4,5 are in cell D12, D13, D14, D15, D16. And my formula is : =FindSumCombinations(D12:D16;D10)

          And the result is only "1,2,3,4"

  20. Hi Newbie here, May I know why after I press Alt + F8 and run the FindAllCombinations macro it show Run-time error '424' and ask for Debug. Did I skip a step

    1. Hi! I cannot see all of your actions. You may not have followed all of the instructions in the article above. Download the example file from the link at the end of the article.

  21. I am struggling with nimber with decimals. Like money amounts. How can I get it to work with decimals.

      1. When I am looking for an amount with a decimal point as 788.39
        And the numbers I'm working with is 45.35, 54.98, 526.35, 54.34, 98.36, 54.36, 59.47, 85.64, 98.63, 78.36 It gives me an error.

        But if i use 45.00, 54.00, 526.00, 54.00, 98.00, 54.00, 59.00, 85.00, 98.00, 78.00 Looking for 788.00 it will work.

        What do I need to format so when the number does have a decimal point it will work.

        Thank you very much for your help.

        1. It is designed for integers coz they are using Long data type

        2. Hi! I can't guess which error you are getting. Also note what decimal separator Windows uses. Also check if some number is written as text.

  22. Thank you for putting together this great tutorial and example. Out of the many out there, yours is most effective while also being easy to follow. Thank you! Also, I must say that you have the patience of saints to continue answering nearly the same exact questions from people who don't follow the tutorial and therefore cannot apply it to their specific situation. Thanks again for sharing your brilliance with the world!

  23. I need select 6 unique numbers from a range say (1 to 45) that the sum is as specified say 165
    What is the formulae for all possible combinations (I know it is 72,974, but I don't know how to get it)?
    How to generate all the possible 6 number combination.
    Thanks in advance
    Regards
    Steven

    1. Hi! You can use the function or macro from the article above, if your Excel has the technical capabilities to perform these calculations.

      1. Alexander,
        Thanks for your response, but the spread sheet uses all numbers required to get the sum.
        I need to specify the number of selected numbers say 6, from a pool of 45 to give the required sum, say 165
        Any Idea on the formula, for all possible combination of say 6 unique numbers from a specified range say 1 to 45, to give the specified sum, say 165?

        Regards, Steven

  24. Hi, may I ask if column A is combines data separate with comma and the value is 1,2,3 and column B is another cell with a combined date 7,8,9 . How can I come up with the formula to get the results of the first number show in column A to multiply the first number in column B and so on for example like (1*7)+(2*8)+(3*9)? Thanks.

  25. For a large data sets, Excel goes "Not responding" and I have observed that it uses only 2 thread of my 12 thread CPU, how can we tweak it to support multi threading.

      1. Hi Alexander,

        Thank you for your prompt response, even though it is enabled, excel still uses 2 threads.
        Also, how can we make changes to the formula if we wish to find the combinations using a set of specified number. For example, if we have 14, 80, 6, 60, 15, 25, 90, 3, 7 and we want to find all sets of 3 which would add upto 100

        1. Use the tools presented in this article to find all combinations of numbers and select the ones you want.

          1. I somehow managed to solve the set requirement. Would greatly appreciate if you could help with multi-threading challenge

  26. Suppose I have a list of range as follows:

    15
    25
    32
    53
    85
    45
    14
    46
    45
    32
    40
    85

    I wish to get the combination of all possible numbers which on adding gives me the value between 145 to 150 (inclusive both).

    There can be multiple combinations possible which gives me the value between 145 to 150 but find all of them manually is not so easy.

    Is there any way we can get my required result through Excel .

    Please tell me the way.

    1. Hi!
      Find all possible combinations for each of the numbers in the range you specify with a custom function or macro.

      1. Could you send me that micro code.

  27. How to find all combinations of numbers that equals (say, 25000) or falls between a range (say, 22,500-25,000) of given sum in Excel.

    Is it possible to find the sum of numbers that is within a range ?

    If yes please tell me how.

    1. Hi!
      Have you tried the ways described in this blog post? Please re-check the article above since it covers your case.

    2. To find all combinations of numbers that equal a given value, say 25000, use one of the methods described in this tutorial. For finding a sum that falls within a range, we don’t have a ready-made solution at the moment, sorry. Writing such code will take a while.
      To find the sum of numbers within a range, use the SUM function :)

Post a comment



Thank you for your comment!
When posting a question, please be very clear and concise. This will help us provide a quick and relevant solution to
your query. We cannot guarantee that we will answer every question, but we'll do our best :)