Easy methods to Change Excel References from Absolute to Relative

Many document developers (especially business owners) fall into situations where large amounts of simple, tedious work needs to be completed. This includes a wide range of potential problems but one of the most prevalent is the need to refine an Excel spreadsheet for cell references. This is very common when large spreadsheets of information need to be correctly altered. It is also common for students who wish to change lab reports or other Excel spreadsheets. While checking a spreadsheet for cell references is an easy task, the repetition and monotony can quickly wear on an individual. There's always the standard method of Excel spreadsheet clean up. This calls for opening the spreadsheet and combing through it. Then start going through the spreadsheet and searching for how the references are entered. If a cell needs to subtract the value of cell B1 from cell A1 then the formula would be entered as (= A1 – B1). If this formula needs to always use cell A1, then it would be changed to show (= $A$1 – B1). This method is incredibly inefficient and a massive waste of your time. Excel also has an integrated ‘Filter' option to allow for spreadsheet clean up. To use this feature, first select any cells you want to check for duplicate information. Then, select the ‘Data' tab in the ribbon bar at the top of the Excel window. Choose the ‘Filter' option and then choose ‘Advanced Filter'. Then, use the options available inside the Advanced Filter box to specify finding any cells using a ‘$' as an absolute reference. However, this only works in the event of changing an absolute reference to a relative reference. A massive productivity boost can be found through a simple stop at www.hothotsoftware.com. Just searching for ‘How to Change References of Multiple Excel Cells' results in a program specifically written to meet your Excel file needs. The program is actually written to work within the Excel spreadsheet program itself, also known as a plugin. This means that upon opening Microsoft Excel, you will notice an additional tab in the ribbon bar across the top of the window. This new tab will say ‘Change Reference Type'. This tab consists of a traditional user interface that allows even a basic computer user to understand and master the software in a short amount of time. From here, any number of cells within the spreadsheet may be chosen. Then, click the ‘Change Reference Type' tab. This will bring up a box with two different options for text alterations in the cells. These alterations include absolute cell references and relative cell references. The right side of the box allows for the changes to be applied to the selected cells, whole spreadsheet, or whole Excel workbook. To find out more about boosting your document efficiency, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ust8cyJUgew#t=116. Cell references can be vitally important and they must be inputted correctly. Don't waste your time and worry about making a mistake. Let this software handle it for you and put your mind at ease.