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Addressing cells and ranges

Addressing refers to how you reference cells or ranges for use in formulas and calculations.

A cell address uniquely identifies its location, formed from the column and row headers (e.g., C5). By default, the application uses the A1 style, where columns are labeled with letters and rows with numbers.

The R1C1 reference style is an alternative addressing method where both columns and rows are labeled with numbers (e.g., cell C5 becomes R5C3).

Switch the addressing style​

  1. Go to the View tab.
  2. Enable or disable the R1C1 reference style option.

A1 addressing style​

This is the default style:

  • Columns are labeled with letters (A, B, C, ...).
  • Rows are labeled with numbers (1, 2, 3, ...).
  • A cell address is a combination of the column letter and row number.

Examples: A1, C12, G37, ND185.

Reference types in A1 style​

Cell references in formulas can be one of three types:

  • Relative (e.g., A1): Change when a formula is copied or auto-filled. This is the default.

  • Absolute (e.g., $A$1): Do not change when copied. They fix the column and/or row, used for constants like an interest rate.

  • Mixed (e.g., A$1 or $A1): Combine absolute and relative addressing as shown above.

R1C1 addressing style​

In this style, both rows and columns are labeled with numbers.

A cell address is formed as R<n>C<m>, where:

  • R stands for Row, n is the row number.
  • C stands for Column, m is the column number.

Example: Cell D5 in A1 style is R5C4 in R1C1 style.

Reference types in R1C1 style​

Absolute reference: R5C4 (reference to the cell in row 5, column 4).

Relative references:

  • R[5]C[4] — 5 rows below and 4 columns to the right of the current cell.
  • R[-3]C[2] — 3 rows above and 2 columns to the right of the current cell.
  • R3C[2] — to row 3 and 2 columns to the right of the current cell.

When switching reference styles, the reference type (relative/absolute) is preserved.

Addressing cell ranges​

A range reference is defined by its opposite corners:

  • The starting cell is the upper-left corner.
  • The end cell is the lower-right corner.

Cells are separated by a colon (:).

Example: B4:D6 is the range from cell B4 to D6.

Addressing cells on other sheets​

To reference a cell or range from another sheet in the current file, use this format: '<sheet_name>'!<address>

Examples:

  • 'Sheet1'!D12 — cell D12 on the sheet named "Sheet1".
  • 'Sheet3'!D12:E16 — range D12:E16 on the sheet named "Sheet3"."