Excel 2016 - Relative and Absolute Cell References

Introduction
• There are two types of cell references: relative and absolute. Relative and
absolute references behave differently when copied and filled to other
cells. Relative references change when a formula is copied to another cell.
Absolute references, on the other hand, remain constant no matter where
they are copied.
Relative references
• By default, all cell references are relative references. When copied across
multiple cells, they change based on the relative position of rows and
columns. For example, if you copy the formula =A1+B1 from row 1 to row
2, the formula will become =A2+B2. Relative references are especially
convenient whenever you need to repeat the same calculation across
multiple rows or columns.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
• In the following example, we want to create a formula that will multiply
each item's price by the quantity. Instead of creating a new formula for
each row, we can create a single formula in cell D4 and then copy it to the
other rows. We'll use relative references so the formula calculates the
total for each item correctly.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
1. Select the cell that will contain the formula. In our example, we'll select
cell D4.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
2. Enter the formula to calculate the desired value. In our example, we'll
type =B4*C4.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
3. Press Enter on your
keyboard. The formula
will be calculated, and
the result will be
displayed in the cell.
4. Locate the fill handle
in the bottom-right
corner of the desired
cell. In our example,
we'll locate the fill
handle for cell D4.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
5. Click and drag the fill handle over the cells you want to fill. In our example,
we'll select cells D5:D13.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
6. Release the mouse. The formula will be copied to the selected cells
with relative references, displaying the result in each cell.
To create and copy a formula using
relative references:
• You can double-click the filled cells to check their formulas for accuracy.
The relative cell references should be different for each cell, depending on
their rows.
Absolute references
• There may be times when you do not want a cell reference to change when
filling cells. Unlike relative references, absolute references do not change
when copied or filled. You can use an absolute reference to keep a row
and/or column constant.
Absolute references
• An absolute reference is designated in a formula by the addition of a dollar
sign ($) before the column and row. If it precedes the column or row (but
not both), it's known as a mixed reference.
Absolute references
• When writing a formula in Microsoft Excel, you can press the F4 key on
your keyboard to switch between relative, absolute, and mixed cell
references, as shown in the video below. This is an easy way to quickly
insert an absolute reference.
• Watch Video
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
• In the example below, we're going to use cell E2 (which contains the tax
rate at 7.5%) to calculate the sales tax for each item in column D. To
make sure the reference to the tax rate stays constant—even when the
formula is copied and filled to other cells—we'll need to make
cell $E$2 an absolute reference.
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
1. Select the cell that will contain the formula. In our example, we'll select
cell D4.
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
2. Enter the formula to calculate the desired value. In our example, we'll type
=(B4*C4)*$E$2, making $E$2 an absolute reference.
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
3. Press Enter on your
keyboard. The formula will
calculate, and the result
will display in the cell.
4. Locate the fill handle in
the bottom-right corner of
the desired cell. In our
example, we'll locate the
fill handle for cell D4.
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
5. Click and drag the fill handle over the cells you want to fill
(cells D5:D13 in our example).
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
6. Release the mouse. The
formula will be copied to
the selected cells with
an absolute reference, and
the values will be
calculated in each cell.
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
• You can double-click
the filled cells to check
their formulas for
accuracy. The absolute
reference should be the
same for each cell, while
the other references are
relative to the cell's row.
To create and copy a formula using
absolute references:
• Be sure to include the dollar
sign ($) whenever you're
making an absolute reference
across multiple cells. The
dollar signs were omitted in
the example below. This
caused Excel to interpret it as
a relative reference, producing
an incorrect result when
copied to other cells.
Using cell references with multiple
worksheets
• Excel allows you to refer to any cell on any worksheet, which can be
especially helpful if you want to reference a specific value from one
worksheet to another. To do this, you'll simply need to begin the cell
reference with the worksheet name followed by
an exclamation point (!). For example, if you wanted to reference
cell A1 on Sheet1, its cell reference would be Sheet1!A1.
• Note that if a worksheet name contains a space, you'll need to
include single quotation marks (' ') around the name. For example, if
you wanted to reference cell A1 on a worksheet named July Budget,
its cell reference would be 'July Budget'!A1.
To reference cells across worksheets:
• In our example below, we'll refer to a
cell with a calculated value between
two worksheets. This will allow us to
use the exact same value on two
different worksheets without rewriting
the formula or copying data.
• Locate the cell you want to reference,
and note its worksheet. In our
example, we want to reference
cell E14 on the Menu Order worksheet.
To reference cells across worksheets:
2. Navigate to the desired worksheet. In our example, we'll select
the Catering Invoice worksheet.
To reference cells across worksheets:
3. Locate and select the cell where you want the value to appear. In our
example, we'll select cell C4.
To reference cells across worksheets:
4. Type the equals sign (=), the sheet name followed by an exclamation
point (!), and the cell address. In our example, we'll type ='Menu Order'!E14.
To reference cells across worksheets:
• Press Enter on your keyboard. The value of the referenced cell will appear.
Now, if the value of cell E14 changes on the Menu Order worksheet, it will
be updated automatically on the Catering Invoice worksheet.
To reference cells across worksheets:
• If you enter a worksheet name incorrectly, the #REF! error will appear in
the cell. In our example below, we've mistyped the name of the worksheet.
To edit, ignore, or investigate the error, click the Error button beside the
cell and choose an option from the menu.