How to use Relative, Absolute, and Mixed References in Excel
You use a cell reference when you want to capture information that is contained within another cell or range of cells. For example, the following formula references cells A1 and A2, and will add their contents together to produce a result.
=SUM(A1+A2)
You can use the following types of cell references to achieve specific outcomes:
- By default, references in Excel are relative, which refers to the relative position of the cell. If you are typing a formula in cell A1 that involves cell A2, you are referencing the cell that is one cell below where you are typing. If you were to copy the formula into another cell, the reference would automatically perform the same relative action as in its previous location.
- You can also use an absolute reference, which does not change if you copy the formula into another cell. If you create a formula that refers to a cell using an absolute reference, that same cell will be referred to wherever the formula is used.
- Finally, you can use a mixed reference, which is a combination of the two.
Let’s look into these in more detail.