Cell references in Excel are like addresses that point to specific cells. Three types of Excel cell references are relative, absolute, and mixed, each with unique functions.

Cells in Excel are referred to using relative or absolute references. A formula with relative references changes when the cell's position does.

Q: My partner says there’s an F4 shortcut to creating absolute cell references in Excel formulas, but for the life of me I can’t make it work.

How to Format Relative References in Excel. Microsoft Excel relies on two fundamental reference types when addressing other cells. Absolute references -- which are denoted with a "$" -- lock a ...

Relative cell reference: When copied across multiple cells, the cell formula changes based on the relative position of rows and columns. For example, if you copy the formula =B3*C3 from row 3 to ...