Normally, Excel uses the A1 cell reference style which uses letters for column headings and numbers for row headings. However, if you notice there are numbers on both the row headings and column headings, thatâs the R1C1 cell reference style. No worries. Itâs easy to change it back.
To change from the R1C1 cell reference style back to to the A1 style, we will change a setting in the options. Click the âFileâ tab.
On the backstage screen, click âOptionsâ in the list of items on the left.
On the âExcel Optionsâ dialog box, click âFormulasâ in the list of items on the left.
In the âWorking with formulasâ section, select the âR1C1 reference styleâ check box so there is NO check mark in the box.
Click âOKâ to accept the change and close the âExcel Optionsâ dialog box.
The columns should now have letters in the column headings.
When you change the cell reference style, itâs changed for all the worksheets in the current workbook. If you save the workbook with this change, any other workbooks you open or new ones you create will use the same cell reference style. If you close the workbook after making this change and you havenât made any other changes, you will NOT be prompted to save your changes.
Notice that the drop-down list to the left of the formula bar shows which cell reference style is being used. It may seem like you can change the cell reference style using this drop-down list, but we discovered that for some reason it doesnât work.
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