

The usefulness of Excel’s INDIRECT function is not just limited to building “dynamic” cell references. Similarly, when I use the formula AVERAGE ( INDIRECT( “C5:E5” ) ), the INDIRECT function returns a reference to the range C5:E5, and then passes this to Excel’s AVERAGE function. The SUM function, therefore, returns the sum of cells C4, D4, and E4, that is (4 + 8 + 9). When I use the formula SUM( INDIRECT( “C4:E4” ) ), the Indirect function returns a reference to the range C4:E4, and then passes this to Excel’s SUM function. Therefore, the Indirect formula returns the value from cell E3. When I use the formula INDIRECT(“E” & ROW() ), I used the EXCEL ROW function to return the reference to the current row number (i.e., 3), and used this to form part of the cell reference. When I give the formula Indirect(“D”&4), I will get 8. Let’s take a few examples to understand the merits of the INDIRECT function.


How is the INDIRECT function useful to Excel users? The INDIRECT function helps us put the address of one cell (A1 in our example) into another as a usual text string, and then get the value of the first cell by acknowledging the second. In the above example, the INDIRECT function converted a text string into a cell reference. Suppose A1 = 32 and using the INDIRECT function, we give reference A1 as shown below: Let’s understand the formula through an example.
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To learn more, launch our free Excel crash course now! If there is no number after the letter, then it means we are referring to the same row or column. For example, R2C1 refers to cell A2 which is in row 2, column 1 in a sheet. R1C1 style is completely opposite of A1 style. In this style, a column is followed by a row number. When a1 is FALSE, then ref_text is treated as an R1C1 reference.Ī1 style is the usual reference type in Excel. When a1 is TRUE or is omitted, then ref_text is interpreted as an A1-style cell reference. The type of reference, contained in the ref_text argument, is specified by a1. Ref_text is the reference supplied as text Similarly, references won’t change when we delete existing ones. One advantage of this function is that the indirect references won’t change even when new rows or columns are inserted in the worksheet. Due to this, we can change a cell reference within a formula without changing the formula itself. Basically, this function helps lock the specified cell in a formula. The INDIRECT function does not evaluate logical tests or conditions. In our example, we want to reference cell E14 on the Menu Order worksheet.The Excel INDIRECT Function returns a reference to a range. Locate the cell you want to reference, and note its worksheet. This will allow us to use the exact same value on two different worksheets without rewriting the formula or copying data. In our example below, we'll refer to a cell with a calculated value between two worksheets. For example, if you wanted to reference cell A1 on a worksheet named July Budget, its cell reference would be 'July Budget'!A1. Note that if a worksheet name contains a space, you'll need to include single quotation marks (' ') around the name. For example, if you wanted to reference cell A1 on Sheet1, its cell reference would be Sheet1!A1. To do this, you'll simply need to begin the cell reference with the worksheet name followed by an exclamation point (!). Using cell references with multiple worksheetsĮxcel allows 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.
