Reference Previous Cell

TTEMAN

New Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2002
Messages
11
Hi Everyone, whatever cell i use for a formula how do i tell it to look at the cell before it.
example, =sum(b1-a1)this is OK
but i want to replace 'a1' with
'the cell before the one i am putting in the formula'
you know it is a1 so do i but i dont want to reference it that way, just tell it to look at the previous cell. can this be done please, regards john

_________________
Many Thanks To All You Helpers
This message was edited by TTEMAN on 2002-02-26 08:15
 

Excel Facts

Back into an answer in Excel
Use Data, What-If Analysis, Goal Seek to find the correct input cell value to reach a desired result
That's the point of Absolute and Relative references. For example, if you put in A2

=A1

and in B2

=$B$1

and drag them down, you should see in A3

=A2

and in B3

=$B$1

So, if you need a formula to look at the formula above it and you're "standing" in C3459, then just use

=C3458

and drag it down !
 
Upvote 0
actually, that is exactly what you are doing already. B1-A1 is saying take cell B1 and subtract the cell before it in the same row.
 
Upvote 0

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