When a formula is copied to another cell the cell address adjusts automatically with the help of the feature of Excel?

Last update on May 27 2022 13:27:08 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

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.

Índice Show

Relative Cell References
Absolute Cell Reference
Mixed Reference
What is an Excel cell reference?
Excel relative cell reference (without $ sign)
Excel absolute cell reference (with $ sign)
Using relative and absolute cell references in one formula
Excel mixed cell reference
How to reference an entire column or row in Excel
How to switch between absolute, relative, and mixed references (F4 key)
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Relative Cell References

The default cell references are relative references. See the picture below.

When copied across multiple cells, they change based on the relative position of rows and columns. For example, if you copy the formula =C2*D2 from row 2 to row 3, the formula will become =C3*D3. Relative references are especially convenient whenever you need to repeat the same calculation across multiple rows or columns.

Press Enter key on the keyboard. The formula will be calculated, and the result will be displayed in the cell.

To create and copy a formula using relative references:

In the following example, we want to create a formula that will calculate the gross by multiplying the units with rate/unit. It is better to create a formula and copy the formula for each row rather than to create a formula for each row. Here in the example below we have written the formula in cell E2 and drag it below or double click the autofill option or copy it to the other rows. The cells will be relatively changed.

Here is the picture below after copying the formula for each of the rows.

Here in the picture below shows the formula in cell E7 is referencing the row 7, i.e. C7 * D7.

Absolute Cell Reference

Sometimes we need to copy a formula that, the content of some cell associated with this formulas must be fixed. In that condition, the relative cell references can be used. In this type of cell references, we can keep the row and/or column constant.

An absolute reference is designated in a formula by the addition of a dollar sign ($). It can precede the column reference or the row reference or both.

The table below shows that the usage of absolute cell reference.

Absolute Reference	Particular	Keys in the keyboard
$A$1	The column and the row do not change when copied.	Press F4.
A$1	The row does not change when copied.	Press F4 twice .
$A1	The column does not change when copied.	Press F4 three times .

You will generally use the $A$1 format when creating formulas that contain absolute references. The other two formats are used much less frequently.

When writing a formula, you can press the F4 key on your keyboard to switch between relative and absolute cell references. This is an easy way to quickly insert an absolute reference.

Create and copy a formula using absolute references:

If we want to calculate the commission for each row by 5% of gross, we have to use the absolute cell reference. By default the cell reference is relative and it makes changes the cell address at the time of copying the formula.

Here in the example below, we have written the formula in the cell F5. Here we see that the E5 is multiplying with $D$1, that means that every value of column E will be multiplied by the value of column D and row 1. The $ (dollar) sign have restricted to change the cell address. Press enter key to the cell F5 to see the result or to stay on that press Ctrl+enter

Now locate the fill handle in the cell where the formula has been written and press and hold the mouse key on the fill handle then drag upto the cell you desire to copy and release the mouse button. You can also double-click on the fill handle to copy the formula upto the cell automatically

Here is the picture below shows, after copies the formula for a number of rows.

Now you see, how the absolute cell reference works.

Mixed Reference

Sometimes we need such a combination of formulas that contain such a cell references the can be static for the rows or columns, i.e. a combination of relative and absolute references (mixed reference).

The below sheet shows that a company has set a target for the 1st. Qtr. for two product TV (LCD) and TV (LED) and also specified the achievable target for the months of the Qtr. and calculate the units to be achieved for the 3 months. Suppose the target is 75000 and 12000

See the following example, we want to get the number of units to be produced for January to get the setting target. Here in the sheet according to the condition we have multiplied B2 by B7.

And now, we need to copy the formula for the month of February, and here we see the cell references are relative and the result is incorrect. See the picture below.

To prevent this situation we have to use the mixed cell references. We have used $B2, that means if we copy the formula horizontally or vertically the column will be absolute and row will be relative. In the same way, we have used C$7, that means if we copy the formula horizontally or vertically the column will be relative but row will be static. Here is the picture below.

See the picture below for TV (LCD) for the month February.

See the picture below for TV (LED) for the month of January.

How using cell references with multiple worksheets ?

Excel allows cell references not only within one sheet of a workbook but also can update many sheets at a time with the changes of value of one cell of a sheet. To work with more sheets, the cell address denotes like the picture below.

Here is the picture below shows the active sheet master and another inactive sheet transaction. We want to write the formula in transaction sheet with the usage of cell reference of master sheet.

Here is the picture below. Here in the formula [master!$B2] indicating that, the sheet is 'master' and the cell address is $B2, that is in the sheet 'master' the column B is absolute and row is relative. In the formula [master!B$7] indicating that, the sheet is 'master' and the cell address is B$7, that is in the sheet 'master' the column is relative and row7 is absolute. In the formula [transaction!$B2] indicating that, the sheet is 'transaction' and the cell address is $B2, that is in the sheet 'transaction' the column B is absolute and row is relative.

Note that if a worksheet name contains a space, you will need to include single quotation marks (' ') around the name. For example 'Cell Reference'!|$F$2.

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When writing an Excel formula, $ in cell references confuses many users. But the explanation is very simple. The dollar sign in an Excel cell reference serves just one purpose - it tells Excel whether to change or not to change the reference when the formula is copied to other cells. And this short tutorial provides full details about this great feature.

The importance of Excel cell reference can hardly be overstated. Get the insight into the difference between absolute, relative and mixed references, and you are halfway to mastering the power and versatility of Excel formulas and functions.

All of you have probably seen the dollar sign ($) in Excel formulas and wondered what's that all about. Indeed, you can reference one and the same cell in four different ways, for example A1, $A$1, $A1, and A$1.

The dollar sign in an Excel cell reference affects just one thing - it instructs Excel how to treat the reference when the formula is moved or copied to other cells. In a nutshell, using the $ sign before the row and column coordinates makes an absolute cell reference that won't change. Without the $ sign, the reference is relative and it will change.

If you are writing a formula for a single cell, you can go with any reference type and get the formula right anyway. But if you intend to copy your formula to other cells, choosing the appropriate cell reference type is crucial. If you feel lucky, you can toss a coin :) If you want to be serious, then invest a few minutes in learning the ins-and-outs of absolute and relative cell references in Excel, and when to use which one.

What is an Excel cell reference?

To put it simply, a cell reference in Excel is a cell address. It tells Microsoft Excel where to look for the value you want to use in the formula.

For example, if you enter a simple formula =A1 in cell C1, Excel will pull a value from cell A1 into C1:

As already mentioned, as long as you write a formula for a single cell, you are free to use any reference type, with or without the dollar sign ($), the result will be the same:

But if you want to move or copy the formula across the worksheet, it's very important that you choose the right reference type for the formula to get copied correctly to other cells. The following sections provide the detailed explanation and formula examples for each cell reference type.

Note. Apart from the A1 reference style, where columns are defined by letters and rows by numbers, there also exist the R1C1 reference style where both rows and columns are identified by numbers (R1C1 designates row 1, column 1).

Because A1 is the default reference style in Excel and it is used most of the time, we will discuss only the A1 type references in this tutorial. If someone is currently using the R1C1 style, you can turn it off by clicking File > Options > Formulas, and then unchecking the R1C1 reference style box.

Excel relative cell reference (without $ sign)

A relative reference in Excel is a cell address without the $ sign in the row and column coordinates, like A1.

When a formula with relative cell references in copied to another cell, the reference changes based on a relative position of rows and columns. By default, all references in Excel are relative. The following example shows how relative references work.

Supposing you have the following formula in cell B1:

=A1*10

If you copy this formula to another row in the same column, say to cell B2, the formula will adjust for row 2 (A2*10) because Excel assumes you want to multiply a value in each row of column A by 10.

If you copy the formula with a relative cell reference to another column in the same row, Excel will change the column reference accordingly:

And if you copy or move an Excel formula with a relative cell reference to another row and another column, both column and row references will change:

As you see, using relative cell references in Excel formulas is a very convenient way to perform the same calculations across the entire worksheet. To better illustrate this, let's discuss a real-life example.

Using relative reference is Excel - formula example

Supposing you have a column of USD prices (column B) in your worksheet, and you want to convert them to EUR. Knowing the USD - EUR conversion rate (0.93 at the moment of writing), the formula for row 2, is as simple as =B2*0.93. Notice, that we are using an Excel relative cell reference, without the dollar sign.

Pressing the Enter key will get the formula calculated, and the result will immediately appear in the cell.

Tip. By default, all cell references in Excel are relative references. So, when writing a formula, you can add a relative reference by clicking the corresponding cell on the worksheet instead of typing a cell reference manually.

To copy the formula down the column, hover the mouse over the fill handle (a small square in the bottom-right corner of the selected cell). As you do this, the cursor will change to a thin black cross, and you hold and drag it over the cells you want to auto-fill.

That's it! The formula is copied to other cells with relative references that are adjusted properly for each individual cell. To make sure that a value in each cell is calculated correctly, select any of the cells and view the formula in the formula bar. In this example, I've selected cell C4, and see that the cell reference in the formula is relative to row 4, exactly as it should be:

Excel absolute cell reference (with $ sign)

An absolute reference in Excel is a cell address with the dollar sign ($) in the row or column coordinates, like $A$1.

The dollar sign fixes the reference to a given cell, so that it remains unchanged no matter where the formula moves. In other words, using $ in cell references allows you to copy the formula in Excel without changing references.

For example, if you have 10 in cell A1 and you use an absolute cell reference ($A$1), the formula =$A$1+5 will always return 15, no matter what other cells that formula is copied to. On the other hand, if you write the same formula with a relative cell reference (A1), and then copy it down to other cells in the column, a different value will be calculated for each row. The following image demonstrates the difference:

Note. Though we have been saying that an absolute reference in Excel never changes, in fact it does change when you add or remove rows and/or columns in your worksheet, and this changes the location of the referenced cell. In the above example, if we insert a new row at the top of the worksheet, Excel is smart enough to adjust the formula to reflect that change:

In real worksheets, it's a very rare case when you'd use only absolute references in your Excel formula. However, there are a lot of tasks that require using both absolute and relative references, as demonstrated in the following examples.

Using relative and absolute cell references in one formula

Quite often you may need a formula where some cell references are adjusted for the columns and rows where the formula is copied, while others remain fixed on specific cells. In other words, you have to use relative and absolute cell references in a single formula.

Example 1. Relative and absolute cell references for calculating numbers

In our previous example with USD and EUR prices, you may not want to hardcode the exchange rate in the formula. Instead, you can enter that number in some cell, say C1, and fix that cell reference in the formula by using the dollar sign ($) like shown in the following screenshot:

In this formula (B4*$C$1), there are two cell reference types:

B4 - relative cell reference that is adjusted for each row, and
$C$1 - absolute cell reference that never changes no matter where the formula is copied.

An advantage of this approach is that your users can calculate EUR prices based on a variable exchange rate without changing the formula. Once the conversion rate changes, all you have to do is to update the value in cell C1.

Example 2. Relative and absolute cell references for calculating dates

Another common use of absolute and relative cell references in a single formula is Calculating dates in Excel based on today's date.

Supposing you have a list of delivery dates in column B, and you input the current date in C1 by using the TODAY() function. What you want to know is in how many days each item ships, and you can calculate this out by using the following formula: =B4-$C$1

And again, we use two reference types in the formula:

Relative for the cell with the first delivery date (B4), because you want this cell reference to vary depending on the row where the formula resides.
Absolute for the cell with today's date ($C$1), because you want this cell reference to remain constant.

Wrapping up, whenever you want to create an Excel static cell reference that always refers to the same cell, be sure to include the dollar sign ($) in your formula to create an absolute reference in Excel.

Excel mixed cell reference

A mixed cell reference in Excel is a reference where either the column letter or a row number is fixed. For example, $A1 and A$1 are mixed references. But what does each mean? It's very simple.

As you remember, an Excel absolute reference contains 2 dollar signs ($) that lock both the column and the row. In a mixed cell reference, only one coordinate is fixed (absolute) and the other (relative) will change based on a relative position of the row or column:

Absolute column and relative row, like $A1. When a formula with this reference type is copied to other cells, the $ sign in front of the column letter locks the reference to the specified column so that it never changes. The relative row reference, without the dollar sign, varies depending on the row to which the formula is copied.
Relative column and absolute row, like A$1. In this reference type, it's the row's reference that won't change, and the column's reference will.

Below you will find an example of using both mixed cell reference types that will hopefully make things easier to understand.

Using a mixed reference in Excel - formula example

For this example, we will be using our currency conversion table again. But this time, we won't limit ourselves only to the USD - EUR conversion. What we are going to do is to convert the dollar prices to a number of other currencies, all with a single formula!

To begin with, let's enter the conversion rates in some row, say row 2, as shown in the screenshot below. And then, you write just one formula for the top-left cell (C5 in this example) to calculate the EUR price:

=$B5*C$2

Where $B5 is the dollar price in the same row, and C$2 is the USD - EUR conversion rate.

And now, copy the formula down to other cells in column C, and after that auto-fill other columns with the same formula by dragging the fill handle. As the result, you will have 3 different price columns calculated correctly based on the corresponding exchange rate in row 2 in the same column. To verify this, select any cell in the table and view the formula in the formula bar.

For example, let's select cell D7 (in the GBP column). What we see here is the formula =$B7*D$2 that takes a USD price in B7 and multiplies it by the value in D2, which is the USD-GBP conversion rate, just what the doctor ordered :)

And now, let's understand how it comes that Excel exactly knows which price to take and which exchange rate to multiply it by. As you may have guessed, it's the mixed cell references that do the trick ($B5*C$2).

$B5 - absolute column and relative row. Here you add the dollar sign ($) only before the column letter to anchor the reference to column A, so Excel always uses the original USD prices for all conversions. The row reference (without the $ sign) is not locked because you want to calculate the prices for each row individually.
C$2 - relative column and absolute row. Because all the exchange rates reside in row 2, you lock the row reference by putting the dollar sign ($) in front of the row number. And now, no matter what row you copy the formula to, Excel will always look for the exchange rate in row 2. And because the column reference is relative (without $ sign), it will get adjusted for the column to which the formula is copied.

How to reference an entire column or row in Excel

When you are working with an Excel worksheet that has a variable number of rows, you may want to refer to all of the cells within a specific column. To reference the whole column, just type a column letter twice and a colon in between, for example A:A.

A whole-column reference

As well as cell references, an entire column reference can be absolute and relative, for example:

Absolute column reference, like $A:$A
Relative column reference, like A:A

And again, you use the dollar sign ($) in an absolute column reference to lock it to a certain column, for the entire-column reference not to change when you copy a formula to other cells.

A relative column reference will change when the formula is copied or moved to other columns and will remain intact when you copy the formula to other cells within the same column.

A whole-row reference

To refer to the entire row, you use the same approach except that you type row numbers instead of column letters:

Absolute row reference, like $1:$1
Relative row reference, like 1:1

In theory, you can also create a mixed entire-column reference or mixed entire-row reference, like $A:A or $1:1, respectively. I say "in theory", because I cannot think of any practical application of such references, though Example 4 proves that formulas with such references work exactly as they are supposed to.

Example 1. Excel entire-column reference (absolute and relative)

Supposing you have some numbers in column B and you want to find out their total and average. The problem is that new rows are added to the table every week, so writing a usual SUM() or AVERAGE() formula for a fixed range of cells is not the way to go. Instead, you can reference the entire column B:

=SUM($B:$B) - use the dollar sign ($) to make an absolute whole-column reference that locks the formula to column B.

=SUM(B:B) - write the formula with no $ to make a relative whole-column reference that will get changed as you copy the formula to other columns.

Tip. When writing the formula, click the column letter to have the entire-column reference added to the formula. As is the case with cell references, Excel inserts a relative reference (with no $ sign) by default:

In the same fashion, we write a formula to calculate the average price in the whole column B:

=AVERAGE(B:B)

In this example, we are using a relative entire-column reference, so our formula gets adjusted properly when we copy it to other columns:

Note. When using an entire-column reference in your Excel formulas, never input the formula anywhere within the same column. For example, it might seem like a good idea to enter the formula =SUM(B:B) in one of the empty bottom-most cells in column B to have the total at the end of the same column. Don't do this! This would create a so-called circular reference and the formula would return 0.

Example 2. Excel entire-row reference (absolute and relative)

If the data in your Excel sheet is organized in rows rather than columns, then you can reference an entire row in your formula. For example, this is how we can calculate an average price in row 2:

=AVERAGE($2:$2) - an absolute whole-row reference is locked to a specific row by using the dollar sign ($).

=AVERAGE(2:2) - a relative whole-row reference will change when the formula is copied to other rows.

In this example, we need a relative entire-row reference because we have 3 rows of data and we want to calculate an average in each row by copying the same formula:

Example 3. How to refer to an entire column excluding the first few rows

This is a very topical problem, because quite often the first few row in a worksheet contain some introductory clause or explanatory information and you don't want to include them in your calculations. Regrettably, Excel does not allow references like B5:B that would include all the rows in column B beginning with row 5. If you try adding such a reference, your formula will most likely return the #NAME error.

Instead, you can specify a maximum row, so that your reference includes all possible rows in a given column. In Excel 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007, a maximum is 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns. Earlier Excel versions have a row maximum of 65,536 and column maximum of 256.

So, to find an average for each price column in the below table (columns B through D), you enter the following formula in cell F2, and then copy it to cells G2 and H2:

=AVERAGE(B5:B1048576)

If you are using the SUM function, you can also subtract the rows you want to exclude:

=SUM(B:B)-SUM(B1:B4)

Example 4. Using a mixed entire-column reference in Excel

As I mentioned a few paragraphs before, you can also make a mixed entire-column or entire-row reference in Excel:

Mixed column reference, like $A:A
Mixed row reference, like $1:1

Now, let's see what happens when you copy a formula with such references to other cells. Supposing you input the formula =SUM($B:B) in some cell, F2 in this example. When you copy the formula to the adjacent right-hand cell (G2), it changes to =SUM($B:C) because the first B is fixed with the $ sign, while the second isn't. As the result, the formula will add up all the numbers in columns B and C. Not sure if this has any practical value, but you may want to know how it works:

A word of caution! Don't use too many entire column/row references in a worksheet because they may slow down your Excel.

How to switch between absolute, relative, and mixed references (F4 key)

When you write an Excel formula, $ sign can of course be typed manually to change a relative cell reference to absolute or mixed. Or, you can hit the F4 key to speed things up. For the F4 shortcut to work, you have to be in formula edit mode:

Select the cell with the formula.
Enter Edit mode by pressing the F2 key, or double-click the cell.
Select the cell reference you want to change.
Press F4 to toggle between four cell reference types.

If you've selected a relative cell reference with no $ sign, like A1, repeatedly hitting the F4 key toggles between an absolute reference with both dollar signs like $A$1, absolute row A$1, absolute column $A1, and then back to the relative reference A1.

Note. If you press F4 without selecting any cell reference, the reference to the left of the mouse pointer will get selected automatically and changed to another reference type.

I hope now you fully understand what relative and absolute cell references are, and an Excel formula with $ signs is no longer a mystery. In the next few articles, we will continue learning various aspects of Excel cell references such as referencing another worksheet, 3d reference, structured reference, circular reference, and so on. In the meantime, I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!