While working in Excel, it is essential to know whether a cell reference should stay absolute, relative reference Relative Reference In Excel, relative references are a type of cell reference that changes when the same formula is copied to different cells or worksheets. Let's say we have =B1+C1 in cell A1, and we copy this formula to cell B2 and it becomes C2+D2. With a single keystroke, the F4 key on your keyboard allows you to add both dollar signs.

The shortcut to absolute reference in excel is F4.

Key Points Related to Cell References of Excel.

Example #2–SUMIFS Formula Using Absolute and Mixed References.

Example #1–Multiplication Formula Using Absolute and Relative References.

How to Use Absolute References in Excel?.

See the below image to understand how to refer to different cells.

Select the cell and place an = or + sign and type the cell name which you want to refer.

Select the cell and place an = or + sign and click (select) on the cell you want to refer to.

The mostly used ones are mentioned below. There are multiple ways to create a cell reference in excel. Cell references can be in a particular cell or range in same worksheet, a cell/ range in a different worksheet or even to a cell/ range in a different workbook. In short cell reference means the cell to which another cell refers to or points to. What Is Cell Reference in ExcelĪ cell reference refers to a cell/ range of cells that refers/ tells excel where to look for the data.

Suggested Reading : Know about the terminology used in Excel. To begin with cell references in excel, we need to understand what a cell is and the notation/ language used in excel to identify a cell. Cell References combined with auto fill feature of excel help you to reduce/ eliminate the dirty manual work. Understanding Cell References in Excel is one of the important things to master excel and make the most out of spreadsheets.

Excel relative vs absolute reference