In Excel and other spreadsheets, an absolute cell reference identifies the location a cell or group of cells.
Cell references are used in formulas, functions, charts , and other Excel commands.
An absolute cell reference consists of the column letter and row number surrounded by dollar signs ( $ ).
An example of an absolute cell reference would be $C$4, $G$15, or $A$345.
Note: An easy way to add the dollar signs to a cell reference is to click on a cell reference and then press the F4 key on the keyboard.
An absolute cell reference is used when you want a cell reference to stay fixed on a specific cell.
This means that as a formula or function is copied and pasted to other cells, the cell references in the formula or function do not change.
By contrast, most cell references in a spreadsheet are relative cell references, which change when copied and pasted to other cells.
More information can be found under Cell Reference and Relative Cell Reference.
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