Move or copy a formula

Microsoft Office Excel 2003

  • Select the cell that contains the formula.
  • Verify that the cell references used in the formula will produce the result you want. Switch to the type of reference you need. To move a formula, use an absolute reference.

    ShowHow?

    1. Select the cell that contains the formula.
    2. In the formula bar Formula bar, select the reference you want to change.
    3. Press F4 to toggle through the combinations. The "Changes To" column reflects how a reference type updates if a formula containing the reference is copied two cells down and two cells to the right.

    Formula being copied

    Formula being copied

    Reference (Description) Changes to
    $A$1 (absolute column and absolute row) $A$1
    A$1 (relative column and absolute row) C$1
    $A1 (absolute column and relative row) $A3
    A1 (relative column and relative row) C3
  • On the Edit menu, click Copy.
  • Select the cell you want to copy it to.
  • To copy the formula and any formatting, on the Edit menu, click Paste.
  • To copy the formula only, on the Edit menu, click Paste Special, and then click Formulas.
  • ShowTips

    • You can also copy formulas into adjacent cells by using the fill handle Fill handle. Select the cell that contains the formula, and then drag the fill handle over the range you want to fill.

    • You can also move formulas by dragging the border of the selected cell to the upper-left cell of the paste area. Any existing data is replaced.