When copying or moving, Excel will change the cell address to keep it relative to it's original position. This is the way most users reference cells when working in a spreadsheet. The simplest cell reference is called a relative reference: A1. There are actually three kinds of cell references. And the formula in cell C3 will be =C2/$A$1, and so on.Īnd as we continue copying and pasting, A1 will never be changed. Then, when we copy the formula from cell A3 to cell B3, the formula is changed to =B2/$A$1 as shown in the worksheet's formula bar - which is what we want. So instead we use an absolute cell reference for cell A1 and write the formula as =A2/$A$1. If we copy this formula to cell B3, Excel will change the formula to =B2/B1, or display the #DIV/0! error if either cell is empty. The formula for the first column in cell A3 is =A2/A1. In the Excel spreadsheet below, we want to divide each number in Row 2 by the number in A1, and place the answers in Row 3. Below is a definition of absolute cell reference, and then a worksheet example. In those instances, use an absolute cell reference in your formula. There are circumstances when you don't want Excel to change some or all of the cell references in a formula when copying or moving it. That's good because tabulating column totals and row totals is probably the most common use of an Excel spreadsheet, so this default action makes us super productive.īut what if you want to copy or move a formula but DO NOT want Excel to automatically change the cell references each time? Typically that is what users want Excel to do when they are copying and pasting formulas in a spreadsheet.įor example, if we copy the formula in cell A3 (=A1+A2) and paste it into cell B3, Excel will change the formula to read =B1+B2, and so on for column C, D, etc. This is one of the most basic features of Excel that make it so powerful. And when when copying and pasting a formula, Excel will automatically change the row number and column letter based upon the address of the cell you are pasting the formula into. In fact, many users don't realize there is any other way to write a cell address. The majority of Excel users write cell addresses as relative references. The simplest cell reference is called a relative reference: A1Įxcel will change the row number and column letter when copying a pasting a formula A1, B3, this is called a relative reference.
When writing cell addresses in the simplest manner e.g. This is how Excel interprets the formula in cell A3: "Take the number in the cell in my column, but two rows above me, add it to the number in the cell in my row and one cell above me, and put the answer in this cell." Relative Cell Reference (If unfamiliar with writing math formulas, see Excel Math Basics). The formula in cell A3 also displays in the worksheet's formula bar: =A1+A2. Let's add the contents of cells A1 and A2, and put the sum in cell A3 - see the spreadsheet image below. To illustrate this, we need to look at a simple math formula. It looks at how the cells relate to each other, positionally, on the grid of rows and columns. How Excel Interprets Cell References in FormulasĮxcel interprets cell references in formulas in a ‘relational’ manner. But first let's see how Excel interprets these cell addresses.
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We'll show you why this happens and how to prevent it when needed. Now usually that's a really good thing, but sometimes it's not.
When you copy and paste a formula from one cell to another, Excel changes the cell references! Yup. Read our disclosure policy to learn more. ○ This tutorial contains affiliate links.