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Excel Cell Reference

Cell references in Excel allow users to refer to specific cells. A cell reference combines the column letter and row number to uniquely identify each cell's location. For example, cell B10 refers to the cell in column B, row 10. There are two types of cell references - relative references, where the reference changes when copied or dragged to another cell, and absolute references, where the $ signs before the column/row make the reference constant. Calculating percentages in Excel involves dividing a value by the total value and expressing the result as a percentage out of 100.

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deokhye yi
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222 views

Excel Cell Reference

Cell references in Excel allow users to refer to specific cells. A cell reference combines the column letter and row number to uniquely identify each cell's location. For example, cell B10 refers to the cell in column B, row 10. There are two types of cell references - relative references, where the reference changes when copied or dragged to another cell, and absolute references, where the $ signs before the column/row make the reference constant. Calculating percentages in Excel involves dividing a value by the total value and expressing the result as a percentage out of 100.

Uploaded by

deokhye yi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to 

Cell References in Excel


What is a Cell Reference?
A Cell Reference in excel is the way to represent the identity and the
location of any cell with the help of combining Column Name and Row
Number on a worksheet. For example, if we say cell B10 then it expands as
Column B and 10th Row.

 Excel worksheet is made up of cells. Each cell has a cell reference


 Cell reference contains one or more letters or alphabet followed by
a number where the letter or alphabet indicates the column and the
number represents the row
 Each cell can be located or identified by its cell reference or address,
e.g., B5
 Each cell in an Excel worksheet has a unique address. The address of
each cell is defined by its location on the grid.  In the below-
mentioned screenshot, the address “B5” refers to the cell in the fifth
row of column B

Even if you enter the cell address directly in the grid or name
window and it will go to that cell location in the worksheet. Cell
references can refer to either one cell or a range of cells or even
entire rows and columns

When a cell reference refers to more than one cell, it is called


“range.” E.g., A1:A8 it indicates the first 8 cells in column A. Colon is
used in between

In Excel, there are two types of cell references. One is Absolute reference,
and the other is Relative reference.
Types of Cell Reference in Excel
1. Relative cell references: It does not contain dollar signs in a row or
column, e.g., A2. Relative cell reference type in excel changes
when a formula is copied or dragged to another cell; in Excel, cell
referencing is relative by default; it is the most commonly used cell
reference in the formula.
2. Absolute cell references: Absolute Cell Referencecontains dollar
signs attached to each letter or number in a reference, e.g., $B$4,
Here if we mention a dollar sign before the column and row
identifiers, it makes absolute or locks both the column and the row,
i.e., where Cell reference remains constant even if it copied or
dragged to another cell.
3. Mixed cell references in Excel: It contains dollar signs attached to
either the letter or the number in a reference. E.g., $B2 or B$4. It is a
combination of relative and absolute references.

Now let us discuss each of the cell references in detail –

Example #1 –  Excel Relative Cell Reference (without $


sign)
1. Suppose you have sales details for the month of January, as given in
the workbook Cell Reference.

2. There is Quantity sold in column C and Rate per KG in Column D. So


to arrive at the Total Amount, you will insert the formula in Cell E2 =
C2*D2.
3. After inserting the formula in E2, press the Enter key.
4. You will need to copy this formula in another row with the same
column, say, E2; it will automatically change the cell reference from
C2 to C3 because Excel assumes that you are multiplying the value in
column C with the value in Column D.
5. Using the Fill Handle, drag the same formula in cell E2 to E17.
So, as you can see, when using the relative cell reference, you can move the
formula in a cell to another cell, and the cell reference will change
automatically.

Example #2 –  Excel Relative Cell Reference (Without $


Sign)
We already know that the absolute cell reference is a cell address with a $
sign in a row or column coordinates. The $ sign locks the cell so that when
you copy the formula to another cell, the cell reference doesn’t change. So
using $ in cell reference allows you to copy the formula without changing
cell reference.
Suppose in the above example, the Rate per KG is given only in one cell, as
shown in the below screenshot. Thus, the Rate per KG is given only in one
cell instead of providing in each line.

Things to Remember About Cell Reference


in Excel
 The key which helps in inserting a $ sign in the formula is F4. When
you press F4 once, it locks the entire cell; when you press twice, it
locks the row only, and when you press F4 thrice, it locks the column
only.
 There is one more reference style in excel, which refers to a cell as
R1C1, where numbers identify both rows and columns.
 Don’t use too many row/column references in the excel worksheet, as
it may slow down your computer.
 We can also use a mix of Absolute and Relative cell references in one
formula depending on the situation.
Percentage of Total
To calculate the percentage of a total in Excel, execute the following steps.
1. Enter the formula shown below. This formula divides the value in cell A1 by the value in cell B1.
Simply use the forward slash (/) as the division operator. Don't forget, always start a formula with
an equal sign (=).

Calculating percentages in Excel is easy. Percentage simply means 'out of 100', so 72% is '72 out
of 100' and 4% is '4 out of 100', etc.

To calculate the percent of a total (i.e. calculate a percent


distribution), you can use a formula that simply divides a given
amount by the total.

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