Trace where data comes from in your formulas

Have you ever written a formula that references multiple sheets in your Excel workbook and found it impossible to find which cells you were referencing?

With the Trace Precedents command you will be able to find the cells that your formulas refer to in 3 clicks, I show you below. 👇👇

1. Select the cell with the formula you want to analyze and click the Trace Precedents button in the Formulas group on the ribbon:

2. A dotted arrow will appear pointing to the cell with the formula you want to analyze, as seen in the image on the right:

3. Double-click the dotted line. You will be able to see the list of all the cell ranges in the different sheets that are being used in that formula:

4. Double-click on any of the ranges in the list and Excel will automatically take you to the sheet and show you the selected range.

Remember: If you want to remove the dotted line arrows, just click the Remove Arrows button in the Formulas group on the ribbon:

This is a good strategy when you have Excel workbooks with many sheets, or large sheets with many columns, which helps you navigate through data quickly.

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