# How to find the total when you know the part and the percentage in Excel

Divide the part by the percentage: `=B2/C2`. If 45 is 18% of the total, the total is 250.

**Excel:** `=B2/C2` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C | D |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Item | Part | Percent of total | Total |
| Survey replies | 45 | 0.18 |  |
| Deposit paid | 120 | 0.4 |  |
| Fee charged | 7.5 | 0.025 |  |
| Seats sold | 330 | 0.66 |  |
| Tasks done | 64 | 0.8 |  |

Formula in D2, filled to D6: `=B2/C2`

Result: 250; 300; 300; 500; 80

## 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".

## Other ways

- `=B2*(1+C2)`: 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.

## 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.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/find-the-whole-from-a-part-and-percentage