Referencing Cells in Formulas in Excel

Question

How do you reference cells in formulas in Excel?

Answer

You can include or reference other cells in a formula. When you do, the result of the formula depends on the values in the referenced cells and changes automatically when the values in the referenced cells change. This is extremely powerful in what-if scenarios. 

Column & Row Absolute 
 ($A$1) 
Column Absolute 
  ($A1) 
Row Absolute 
  (A$1) 
Nothing Absolute 
   (A1) 


To see how this works, enter 10 in cell A1. Now select cell A2 and type =A1*2, and press ENTER. The value in cell A2 is 20. If you change the value in cell A1 from 10 to any value, the value in cell A2 will also change. Cell references are especially helpful when you create complex formulas, or conduct what-if analysis. Pressing [F4] repeatedly over a reference (cell) will allow you to switch between making the column, the row, or nothing Absolute.

For more information about Formulas and Functions in Excel, please view the full tutorial from the CTL here: Excel Part 3

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Article ID: 7964
Created
Thu 12/29/22 2:17 PM
Modified
Fri 11/3/23 4:05 PM
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