One of the popular uses of Excel is to maintain a list of events, appointments or other calendar related stuff. While Excel shines easily when you want to log this data, it has no quick way to visualize this information. But we can use little creativity, conditional formatting, few formulas & 3 lines of VBA code to create a slick, interactive calendar in Excel. Today, lets understand how to do this.
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Back to the interactive calendar
Coming back to our topic at hand – interactive calendar, what do we mean by this?
Well, something like below:

How to create an interactive calendar from a set of events
1. Collect all the event data in a table
Just enter event data in a table like below:

2. Set up a calendar in a separate rate
If your events span several months, then you can use formulas to generate calendar.
In my case, all the events (Masterclass sessions) are in May & June 2013. So I just entered date of May 1st in a cell, dragged it sideways and then re-arranged the cells to make it look like a calendar. At this stage, the calendar should look like this:

3. Name the calendar range
This is simple. Select all the cells in calendar range and give a name to it. I called mine “calendar”.
4. Assign a cell for identifying which date is selected
Select a blank cell in your workbook, give it a name like “selectedCell”. We will use this to identify which date is selected by user.
5. Write Worksheet_selectionchange() event
This will help us identify when user selects a cell in “calendar” range. The below 3 line VBA should do. Please attach it to the sheet where your calendar is.
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
If Not Application.Intersect(Target, Range("calendar")) Is Nothing Then
[selectedCell] = ActiveCell.Value
End If
End Sub
Tutorial: Showing details when user selects a cell
6. Set up the formulas to show details when a valid date is selected
Lets say, each event has 4 details associated with it – title, date, venue & description.
Now, we need to show details of the event when user selects a date in the calendar. Since the selected date is in “selectedCell”, we can use VLOOKUP, IF, IFERROR formulas to do this:
- Fetch event title in a cell if date selected has an event in it. Else keep it blank
-
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(selectedCell, table_of_events, event_title_column, false),"")
-
- Fetch rest of event details, but keep them blank if date has no events.
Lets say these 4 details are fetched to cells D1, D2, D3 & D4 cells.
7. In calendar sheet, add 4 text boxes and assign them to cells
Finally, in calendar sheet, add 4 text boxes. Assign them to D1, D2, D3 & D4 cells. Arrange and format them as you fancy.
Tip: to assign a cell to text box, just select the text box, go to formula bar and type =D1 press enter.
8. Set up conditional formatting to highlight selected dates
Finally, add a simple conditional formatting rule to highlight the selected dates in calendar. This is simple. Assuming calendar starts at cell A1,
- Select the calendar range
- Go to conditional formatting
- Add new rule
- Select rule type as “Use a formula to determine which cells to highlight”
- type the rule as =A1=selectedCell
- Set up formatting
PS: in my data above, I have used different formula as we need to highlight 2 dates of a Masterclass even when 1 is selected.
Tip: Introduction to conditional formatting.
9. Clean up and formatting
Clean up your worksheets and format the calendar so that it looks gorgeous. And you are done!

Download Interactive Calendar Example file
Click here to download interactive calendar example file and play with it to understand this better.
Examine the formulas in “Calcs” sheet & VBA code so that you can see how this is weaved.
Work with calendar data often, then you are in luck
If you use calendar data often and are looking for some inspiration, ideas & examples on how to represent it, then check out below examples:
- Employee vacation tracker & dashboard
- Creating perpetual calendar & event tracker in Excel
- Interactive pivot table calendar & chart in Excel
- Creating an interactive picture calendar
- Employee shift calendar template
- Annual goals tracker
Do you like the interactive calendar?
I often use interactive calendars in my dashboards & client projects. Since calendars are very natural way to understand events, they work really well.
What about you? Do you use calendars often? How do you like the above technique? Please share your thoughts & ideas using comments.
PS: And if you are waiting to become awesome in Excel, then wait no more. Book your spot in my upcoming Masterclass. Click here.












27 Responses to “Sum of Values Between 2 Dates [Excel Formulas]”
I would apply a filter and use function subtotal, with option 9. This way you can see multiple views based on the filter.
hey Chandoo, the solutions you proposed are very efficient, but if I wanted to be fancy I would do it this way .. the references are as your example workbook.
=SUM(INDIRECT("C"&(MATCH(F5,B5:B95)+4)):INDIRECT("C"&(MATCH(F6,B5:B95)+4)))
I like things simple:
=SUMIF(B5:B95,">="&F5,C5:C95)-SUMIF(B5:B95,">"&F6,C5:C95)
use something like: =SUM(OFFSET(B1,0,0,DATEDIF(A1,D1,"d")))
and have D1 be the date that I want to sum to.
In Excel 2003 (and earlier) I'd use an array formula to calculate either with nested if statements (as shown here) or with AND.
{=SUM(IF(B5:B95>F5,IF(B5:B95<F6,C5:C95,0),0))}
Note that I truly made this for BETWEEN the dates, not including the dates
I turned the data set into a table named Dailies.
I named the two limits StartDate and EndDate.
And used an array formula:
{=SUM((Dailies[Date]>=StartDate)*(Dailies[Date]<=EndDate)*Dailies[Sales])}
If I would still be using the old Excel I would do it as follows:
SUMIF($B$5:$B$95,"<="&H6,$C$5:$C$95)-SUMIF($B$5:$B$95,"<"&H5,$C$5:$C$95)
Works as simple as it is.
Regards
=sum(index(c:c,match(startdate,c:c,1)+1):index(c:c,match(enddate,c:c,1))
=sum(index(c:c,match(startdate,b:b,1)+1):index(c:c,match(enddate,b:b,1))
Great examples and thanks to Chandoo. You have simplified my work.
Hi! great tips I have found in your page, have you seen this
http://runakay.blogspot.com/2011/10/searching-in-multiple-excel-tabs.html
[...] I'm not sure I understand your question fully, but have a look at this: Sum of Values Between 2 Dates [Excel Formulas] | Chandoo.org - Learn Microsoft Excel Online [...]
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
=SUMIF(A2:A11;">="&B13;B2:B11)-SUMIF(A2:A11;"<"&A11;B2:B11)
awesome... thank yoo Chandoo!
which is most efficient and fast, if all are efficient ?
Thank you for this formula, I've just spent ages trying to find something to work on my data, I knew it would be possible! Don't care if others think there are easier/other ways to do it, you explained it so I understood it and could apply it to what I was doing so I'm happy!
The above said example is awesome for calculating values between dates,
can you pls let know how to calculate sale values if we have 10 sales boys for
ex: 1,rama
2,krishna
3,ashwin
4,naga
5,suresh
how much rama sale value between 1/jan/2015 to 10/jun/15
how much krishna sale value between 10/jan/2015 to 15/july/2015
i think you understood can you pls let me know the formula for how to calculate the sale between diffrent sale man sale value from master data file
Thanks,
Nagaraju
Hi
I have a list of people's names in column A, I have a list of dates in column B which records the dates they have been off sick, in column C I have either 1 if it is a full sick day or 0.5 if it is a half day.
What I would like to do is to add up the number of dates a specific person has been off within two dates.
For example, I want to look at my list of names and to find Joe Bloggs (column A), then add up all his sick days (column C). The start date will be in cell E1 and the end date will be in F1.
If this possible using SUMIFS?
List of names are in range A2:A100
List of dates in B2:B100
List of sick days (either 0.5 or 1 in C2:C100
The start date is in cell E2
The end date is in cell F2
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Yes, with the help of SUMIFS you can have the solution.
Note: you need have an extra col. D2 where you will input Name of the person.
=SUMIFS(C2:C100,A2:A100,D2,C2:C100,">="&E2,C2:C100,"<"&F2)
Col. A Col. B Col. C Col.D Col. E Col. F
Name Date Sales
ABC 28-Jun-11 1 MNO 28-Jun-11 25-Sep-11
XYZ 29-Jun-11 0.5
MNO 30-Jun-11 1
PQR 1-Jul-11 1
Typo ERROR / Correction in formula:
Yes, with the help of SUMIFS you can have the solution.
Note: you need have an extra col. D2 where you will input Name of the person.
=SUMIFS(C2:C100,A2:A100,D2,B2:B100,">="&E2,B2:B100,"<"&F2)
Hi
I have a list of people's names in column A, I have a list of dates in column B which records the dates they have been off sick, in column C I have either 1 if it is a full sick day or 0.5 if it is a half day.
What I would like to do is to add up the number of dates a specific person has been off within two dates.
For example, I want to look at my list of names and to find Joe Bloggs (column A), then add up all his sick days (column C). The start date will be in cell E1 and the end date will be in F1.
If this possible using SUMIFS?
List of names are in range A2:A100
List of dates in B2:B100
List of sick days (either 0.5 or 1 in C2:C100
The start date is in cell E2
The end date is in cell F2
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Viv
@Viv
Can you please post the question in the Chandoo.org Forums
http://forum.chandoo.org/
Please attach a file so that a specific answer can be delivered.
Thanks for this - it solved the problem that I was having. However can someone please explain to me why the "" needs to be around >= and <= as well as why we need to add & in order for the formula to work? Thanks in advance!
This formula works perfectly as well. Any ideas?: =SUM(INDEX(C5:C95,MATCH(H5,B5:B95,1)):INDEX(C5:C95,MATCH(H6,B5:B95,1)))
ikkeman had posted the same thing.
I am trying to sum total a range of cells between date ranges ie column n has $ amounts column d has the transaction dates ie 1/3/2015 or 25/3/2015 or 25/4/2015 column b has the text saying drp or distribution - reinv
In another cell I am trying to sum or total (in column n) with the value of a range of different dates (column d) that contain different text (column b) ie cell n48 is 50, n65 is 85, n165 is 36
with the dates ie cell d48 is 1/3/2015, d65 is 25/3/2015 and d165 is 25/4/2015
with different text that says drp or distribution - reinv ie cell b48 is drp, b65 is distribution - reinv, b165 is drp
If I wanted to sum the amounts between 1/3/2015 to 31/3/2015 with drp then the total would be 50. Also if I wanted to sum the amounts between 1/4/2015 to 30/4/2015 with drp the sum total would be 36 If I wanted to sum the amounts between 1/3/2015 to 31/3/2015 with drp and distribution - reinv the sum would be 115
What would the formula be for these different questions
hope you can help, it has been driving me nuts and cant work it out