Introduction
When working in Excel, have you ever experienced a situation where you just wanted to copy a formula, but the columns or rows shifted unexpectedly?
“I just wanted to copy the calculation, but the reference cells moved on their own!”
This is a very common issue. In this article, I will carefully explain why cell references change automatically when copying formulas in Excel and provide concrete methods to prevent this misalignment.
Why Do Columns and Rows Shift?
In Excel, when you copy a cell normally, the cell references inside the formula shift automatically. This is caused by Excel’s default setting called “Relative Reference.”
Example
Suppose you have the following formula in a cell:
=W4
If you copy this to a cell to the right, it changes to something like:
=X4 (or =AA4 if copied multiple columns away)
This happens because Excel calculates “the reference cell located X columns away from the original cell” and reflects that relative position.
Solution: Fixing Cell References
To prevent this “shift,” you need to change the cell reference in the formula to an “Absolute Reference” or a “Mixed Reference.”
1. Absolute Reference (Fix both Column and Row)
=$W$4
By using this format, the reference cell remains W4 no matter which direction (up, down, left, or right) you copy it.
2. Fix Column Only (Does not move horizontally)
=$W4
In this format, the column remains W even if you copy it horizontally, but the row number will change if you copy it vertically.
3. Fix Row Only (Does not move vertically)
=W$4
In this format, the row remains 4 even if you copy it vertically, but the column letter will change if you copy it horizontally.
Useful Shortcut: Switching References with the F4 Key
If you want to fix a cell reference, you can easily set it using the F4 key.
- Click on the target cell reference while entering or editing the formula.
- Press the F4 key (on Windows).
The reference type switches in the following order:
W4 → $W$4 → W$4 → $W4 → W4
This allows you to quickly change the reference format without typing the $ symbol manually.
Summary
If cell references shift when copying formulas in Excel, you can solve the problem by changing the “Relative Reference” to an “Absolute Reference” or “Mixed Reference.”
- Relative Reference: Shifts according to the copy destination.
- Absolute Reference ($A$1): Fixed completely.
- Mixed Reference ($A1 or A$1): Fixes only the column or only the row.
Knowing this technique will significantly improve your work efficiency, especially when handling complex tables or large amounts of data.
