Excel Formulas

Using cell references with multiple worksheets

Most spreadsheet programs allow you to refer to any cell on any worksheet, which can be especially helpful if you want to reference a specific value from one worksheet to another. To do this, you'll simply need to begin the cell reference with the worksheet name followed by an exclamation point (!). For example, if you wanted to reference cell A1 on Sheet1, its cell reference would be Sheet1!A1.

Note that if a worksheet name contains a space, you will need to include single quotation marks (' ') around the name. For example, if you wanted to reference cell A1 on a worksheet named July Budget, its cell reference would be 'July Budget'!A1.

To reference cells across worksheets:

In our example below, we'll refer to a cell with a calculated value between two worksheets. This will allow us to use the exact same value on two different worksheets without rewriting the formula or copying data between worksheets.

1. Locate the cell you wish to reference, and note its worksheet. In our example, we want to reference cell E14 on the Menu Order worksheet.
   
2. Navigate to the desired worksheet. In our example, we'll select the Catering Invoice worksheet.
   
3. The selected worksheet will appear.
4. Locate and select the cell where you want the value to appear. In our example, we'll select cell B2.
   
5. Type the equals sign (=), the sheet name followed by an exclamation point (!), and the cell address. In our example, we'll type ='Menu Order'!E14.
   
6. Press Enter on your keyboard. The value of the referenced cell will appear. If the value of cell E14 changes on the Menu Order worksheet, it will be updated automatically on the Catering Invoice worksheet.
   
   

If you rename your worksheet at a later point, the cell reference will be updated automatically to reflect the new worksheet name.