How to find the total when you know the part and the percentage in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=B2/C2Divide the part by the percentage: =B2/C2. If 45 is 18% of the total, the total is 250.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
D2, filled down toD6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in D2, filled down to D6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
"45 is 18% of the total" means total × 0.18 = 45, so the total is 45 / 0.18 = 250. Dividing the part by its percentage always reverses "percent of".
=B2/C2Result250
B245The value in B2.
C218.0%The value in C2.
B2/C2250The / operator divides.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =B2/C2. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =B2*(1+C2) | 53.1, 168, 7.6875…Different result | Adding the percentage on top is the usual mistake. Gives 53.1 instead of 250 for the survey replies. |
Common mistakes
- A percentage of 0 means the part tells you nothing about the total, and the formula returns #DIV/0!.
- Make sure the percentage is the part's share of the total, not of something else, like the share of the remaining amount.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Find the total when you know the part and the percentage
D2, work out the total from the part and the percentage it represents, then fill down to D6.Questions
How do I find the price before a discount?
Divide by the share you paid: =sale_price/(1-discount).
How do I check the answer?
Multiply back: =D2*C2 should equal the part.
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.