Relative vs. Absolute Cell References

When you are working with cell references you need to understand that there are two kinds of cell references will make a difference in how your formulas work. The relative cell reference means that a group of cells and the references they have to other cells will maintain their cell formulas if you move them to a different location.

In this example the formula that creates sums in B9 and C9 are relative to the rest of the cells. If you move this entire group of cells to a new location, they still maintain the formulas because they are relative to each other. Look at the example below, moved to different cells but the formula still creates a sum of the cells.

When you write relative cell references, you simply write the row and column, D4 for example. When you see this you know that if you move a group of cells your formulas will be relative and work in different locations in your sheet. Now if you use absolute cell references, which have the $ added to indicate that they are absolute, $D$4 for example, then you know that these cells will only reference a specific cell. If you move a group of cells the formula will not work because it specifically references a location in the sheet. This may be very helpful when you have created a sheet that uses automatic fill for example. You need the fill function to work the same each time.