Excel: Absolute reference - how it works

In order to link several cells with each other in Excel or to refer to another cell, you can work with references. The program distinguishes between absolute and relative references. In this article you will learn how to recognize these and how to define them yourself.

How to recognize an absolute reference in Excel

By default and without additional definition, references in Excel are relative references that are automatically changed by Excel when a formula is copied. In addition, there are also absolute references in Excel, which always refer to a specific cell and do not change even when editing the table.

1. Whether a reference is an absolute reference or not, you can recognize by the marking with a dollar sign.
2. If a dollar sign is inserted in a reference before specifying the row or column, it is an absolute reference, which is not changed even when copying the cell.
3. In addition, there are still mixed references in Excel, where either only the row specification or only the column specification is marked as absolute.
4. While a cell with the formula 1 is an absolute reference, "A1" and "" are mixed references, where the row or column may be changed.

How to change the reference type of a cell in Excel

If you want to change the reference type for an Excel cell from absolute to relative or vice versa, please select the corresponding cell first. Then select the reference you want to change in the edit bar and press the "F4 key" on your keyboard to change the reference type.