0
0
Excelspreadsheet~8 mins

Mixed references ($A1, A$1) in Excel - Dashboard Guide

Choose your learning style9 modes available
LearnWhyDeepSheetTryChallengeScenarioRecallDash
Dashboard Mode - Mixed references ($A1, A$1)
Goal

Understand how mixed cell references work in Excel formulas and see how they help when copying formulas across rows and columns.

Sample Data
ABC
1102030
251525
3246
Dashboard Components
  • KPI Card 1: =A$1+B$1 in cell D2
    Shows sum of row 1 values from columns A and B, with row fixed (1) but columns relative.
    Result in D2: 10 + 20 = 30
  • KPI Card 2: =$A1+$B1 in cell D2
    Shows sum of column A and B values from current row, with columns fixed but row relative.
    Result in D2: 10 + 20 = 30
  • Table: Copy formula =A$1+B$1 from D2 across D2:F4
    Shows how row is fixed but columns change when copied.
    Example: In E2 formula becomes =B$1+C$1 (20 + 30 = 50)
  • Table: Copy formula =$A1+$B1 from D2 across D2:F4
    Shows how columns are fixed but rows change when copied.
    Example: In D3 formula becomes =$A2+$B2 (5 + 15 = 20)
Dashboard Layout
+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
|      KPI Card 1      |      KPI Card 2      |                      |
|  (D2: =A$1+B$1)      |  (D2: =$A1+$B1)      |                      |
+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      |                      |                      |
|  Table: Formulas with mixed references (D2:F4)                  |
|  Left: =A$1+B$1 copied across columns and rows                  |
|  Right: =$A1+$B1 copied across columns and rows                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Interactivity

There are no filters or slicers in this simple dashboard. The main interaction is copying formulas across cells to see how mixed references behave differently depending on which part is fixed.

Self Check

If you copy the formula =A$1+B$1 from D2 to E3, what is the formula in E3 and what is the result?

Answer: Formula in E3 is =B$1+C$1. It adds values in row 1, columns B and C: 20 + 30 = 50.

If you copy the formula =$A1+$B1 from D2 to F4, what is the formula in F4 and what is the result?

Answer: Formula in F4 is =$A3+$B3. It adds values in row 3, columns A and B: 2 + 4 = 6.

Key Result
Shows how mixed references ($A1 and A$1) behave when formulas are copied across rows and columns in Excel.