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Reference another sheet in Excel

The VAT rates are kept on the Settings sheet. In C2:C6, work out the VAT on each net amount at the standard VAT rate.

Type =B2*, click the Settings tab at the bottom, click the rate and press Enter: Excel writes Settings!B2 for you. Add $ before you fill down.

36 Use a rate from another sheet References to other sheets Core

invoice.xlsx
Ready

Click a cell while typing to insert it, drag to select a range, F4 adds $, Esc cancels.

Tap a cell while writing a formula to insert it, or slide across cells for a range. The strip above the keyboard has = ( ) : , $.

The References to other sheets guide

=B2*Settings!$B$2 multiplies B2 by cell B2 on the sheet called Settings. Keeping rates and other settings on their own sheet means you change them in one place and every formula follows.

CoreAbout 3 minutesBy Updated

The syntax

A reference to another sheet is the sheet name, an exclamation mark, then the cell: Settings!B2. If the name has a space or a symbol in it, Excel wraps it in single quotes: 'VAT rates'!B2.

Let Excel write it

  1. Start the formula in the cell you want: =B2*.
  2. Click the other sheet's tab at the bottom and click the cell.
  3. Press Enter. Excel writes the sheet name for you and takes you back.

Clicking avoids typos in the sheet name, which give #REF!.

Lock it before you fill down

A reference to another sheet slides when you fill down, like any other. Settings!B2 becomes Settings!B3 on the next row, which here is the reduced rate. Press F4 while the cursor is on the reference to make it Settings!$B$2.

Why keep rates on their own sheet

When the rate changes, you change one cell. A rate typed into each formula, like =B2*20%, has to be found and changed everywhere, and the one that gets missed is the one that causes the wrong invoice. The hard-coded values hunt is about exactly that.

Common mistakes

FAQ

How do I reference a cell in another sheet in Excel?
Write the sheet name, an exclamation mark and the cell: =Settings!B2. Or start the formula, click the other sheet's tab, click the cell and press Enter.
How do I reference a sheet name with spaces?
Put the name in single quotes: ='VAT rates'!B2. Excel adds the quotes itself if you click the cell instead of typing.
Why does my reference to another sheet change when I copy it?
It is a relative reference, so it moves with the formula. Lock it with $, =Settings!$B$2, before you fill down.
Why do I get #REF! with a reference to another sheet?
The sheet name is misspelled, or the sheet was deleted or renamed outside Excel's own rename. Click the cell instead of typing the name.

All challenges

  1. 01Starter, 3 min Add it upSUM
  2. 02Starter, 3 min Find the averageAVERAGE
  3. 03Starter, 3 min Smallest and largestMIN, MAX
  4. 04Starter, 3 min Count what's thereCOUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK
  5. 05Starter, 3 min Write once, fill downRelative references
  6. 06Core, 3 min Lock it with $Absolute references
  7. 07Starter, 3 min Percent of a totalPercentages
  8. 08Starter, 3 min Make the numbers readableNumber formats
  9. 09Core, 3 min Up or down by how much?Percent change
  10. 10Core, 3 min What you see vs what's storedROUND
  11. 11Core, 3 min The typical valueMEDIAN
  12. 12Core, 3 min Select to the end in one moveCtrl + Shift + arrow
  13. 13Starter, 3 min Sort without breaking rowsSort
  14. 14Starter, 3 min Filter to what mattersFilter
  15. 15Starter, 3 min Copy and paste a formulaCtrl+C, Ctrl+V
  16. 16Core, 3 min Paste values onlyPaste Special → Values
  17. 17Core, 3 min Highlight what's over targetConditional formatting
  18. 18Core, 3 min Spot the duplicatesDuplicate Values rule
  19. 19Core, 3 min Pass or fail?IF
  20. 20Core, 3 min Both or either?AND, OR
  21. 21Core, 3 min Exactly one of the twoXOR
  22. 22Core, 3 min Grade bands with nested IFNested IF
  23. 23Core, 3 min Count the ones that matchCOUNTIF
  24. 24Core, 3 min Add up the ones that matchSUMIF
  25. 25Core, 3 min Use a cell as the conditionCriteria in a cell
  26. 26Core, 3 min Partial matches with * and ?SUMIF, COUNTIF with wildcards
  27. 27Core, 3 min Count with two conditionsCOUNTIFS
  28. 28Core, 3 min Add up with two conditionsSUMIFS
  29. 29Core, 3 min Look it upVLOOKUP
  30. 30Core, 3 min Find the right bracketVLOOKUP approximate match
  31. 31Core, 3 min XLOOKUP, the modern wayXLOOKUP
  32. 32Core, 3 min Where is it in the list?MATCH
  33. 33Advanced, 3 min INDEX and MATCH togetherINDEX + MATCH
  34. 34Advanced, 3 min Lock just the row or the columnMixed references
  35. 35Advanced, 3 min Growth per year (CAGR)CAGR with ^
  36. 36Core, 3 min Use a rate from another sheetReferences to other sheets
  37. 37Core, 3 min Catch the error, not the bugIFERROR
  38. 38Core, 3 min Which invoices are missing?Compare two lists
  39. 39Core, 3 min Reconcile the ledger with the bankXLOOKUP or VLOOKUP + IFNA
  40. 40Core, 3 min Join text together&, CONCAT, PROPER
  41. 41Core, 3 min Split first and last namesLEFT, MID + FIND
  42. 42Core, 3 min Stray spaces that break a countTRIM
  43. 43Core, 3 min Flag the bad entriesTRIM, LEN, EXACT
  44. 44Advanced, 3 min Clean a bank descriptionTEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, PROPER
  45. 45Core, 3 min Mistake hunt: #N/A everywhereFixing #N/A
  46. 46Core, 3 min Mistake hunt: hard-coded numbersReferences instead of typed numbers
  47. 47Core, 3 min Mistake hunt: numbers stored as textNumbers stored as text
  48. 48Core, 3 min One of each, then the totalsUNIQUE
  49. 49Core, 3 min Your first pivot tablePivot tables
  50. 50Advanced, 3 min Which category went up most?SUMIFS, change, lookup
  51. 51Core, 3 min How many days late?Date arithmetic
  52. 52Core, 3 min Turn text into real datesDATEVALUE
  53. 53Advanced, 3 min Month ends and working daysEOMONTH, NETWORKDAYS
  54. 54Core, 3 min Renewal datesEDATE
  55. 55Core, 3 min Days overdue and aging bandsDate difference, aging bands
  56. 56Core, 3 min How many late orders?Pick the tool
  57. 57Core, 3 min Sales per repPick the tool
  58. 58Core, 3 min Whose part is it?Pick the tool
  59. 59Core, 3 min Who gets the bonus?Pick the tool
  60. 60Core, 3 min Each region's sharePick the tool
  61. 61Advanced, 3 min Case: the supplier reportCase, five steps
  62. 62Advanced, 3 min Case: the monthly budgetCase, five steps
  63. 63Advanced, 3 min Case: the reorder listCase, five steps

The whole course, in order.

The challenges teach one move each. The course puts them in order and makes you do each one twice, the second time on data you haven't seen.

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