How to display formulas in Excel
How to show formulas in Excel: One of the most powerful features of Excel is its ability to perform automatic calculations using formulas. However, sometimes it can be useful show the formulas instead of the results. This can be especially useful for debug bugs in formulas or to share a file with other users who want to understand the process behind the numbers. In this article, we will explore different methods to show formulas in excel, both temporarily and permanently.
Show formulas in Excel: As we mentioned earlier, displaying formulas in Excel can be helpful in identifying and correcting errors. Additionally, when working on more complex spreadsheets, show the formulasit can be useful as a learning tool to better understand how calculations are being performed. Fortunately, Excel offers several options for displaying formulas temporarily or permanently.
Show formulas temporarily: If you only want to see the formulas in an Excel spreadsheet temporarily, you can use the “Show formulas” option within the program. To do this, you simply have to press the key combination Ctrl+` (the key to the left of the number 1 on the keyboard, also known as grave accent). This will change the display of cell results to the formulas currently used.
Show formulas permanent way: If you prefer display formulas permanently Instead of seeing results in cells, Excel gives you the option to change settings in the program. To do this, go to the “Formulas” tab in the toolbar Excel and select “Show formulas”. This will cause all cells to display the formulas they contain, rather than the results.
In summary show formulas in Excel can be extremely useful for debugging errors and better understanding how spreadsheets work. Whether temporarily or permanently, Excel has options that allow you to view the formulas used instead of the results. Explore these features and take full advantage of Excel's ability to work with formulas.
1. Options to display formulas in Excel
In Excel, it is possible to display the formulas used in a spreadsheet, which can be useful to understand how calculations are being performed and check their accuracy. There are different methods to display formulas in Excel, depending on your needs and preferences:
Option 1: Show formulas using the keyboard shortcut
A quick way to display formulas in Excel is by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + . This turns all cells in the spreadsheet into editing mode, displaying the formulas instead of the results. This shortcut can also be used to return to the normal view of displaying results.
Option 2: Show formulas using theinspection panel
Another way to display formulas in Excel is by using the inspection panel. To access this option, select the cell or cell range that contain the formulas you want to display. Then, go to the “Formulas” tab in the toolbar and click on »Formula inspection». This will open the inspection panel in the right side of the window, where you can see the formulas used in the selected cells.
Option 3: Show formulas using the formula bar display
An easier and more permanent way to display formulas in Excel is by using the formula bar display. To enable this option, go to the “File” tab in the toolbar and select “Options”. Then, in the Excel options window, go to the “Formulas” section and check the “Formula Bar” box. Once enabled, the formula bar will appear at the top of the Excel window, showing formulas instead of results when selecting a cell.
2. Enable the display of formulas in Excel
In Excel, formulas are an essential part of performing calculations and achieving accurate results. However, when working with a complex spreadsheet, it can be difficult to keep track of all the formulas used. Luckily, Excel offers a function that allows us to show formulas instead of results, making it easy to review and debug the spreadsheet. Next, we'll show you how to enable this feature in Excel.
Step 1: Access the Excel options
To begin, we must open Excel and go to the “File” tab in the top toolbar. Next, we select “Options” from the drop-down menu. This will open a new window with Excel options.
Step 2: Configure display options
Within the options window, we select the “Advanced” tab in the left column. Here we will find a list of Excel settings. We look for the “Show” section and mark the checkbox that says “Formulas instead of results”. By doing this, Excel will show all formulas in cells instead of results. We can also select or deselect additional display options depending on our preferences.
Once we have made these changes, we click the “OK” button to save the settings. From now on, we will be able to see all the formulas in the Excel spreadsheet. This feature is especially useful when working on complex spreadsheets or when you need to review or debug the formulas used. Take advantage of this tool to make your work with Excel more efficient and accurate!
3. Hide selected formulas in a spreadsheet
A very useful function inExcel is . This can be especially useful when we want to show the results of formulas without revealing the logic behind them. Next, we will show you how to make This process in a simple and efficient way.
First, we select the cells containing the formulas that we want to hide. You can this by clicking and dragging the cursor over the desired cells or by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on each of them. Once selected, right-click any selected cell and select the Format Cells option from the context menu.
In the “Format Cells” window, select the “Protection” tab and Check the “Hidden” box. Then, click the “OK” button to apply the changes. Now the selected formulas will be hidden. Note that this will not affect the results of the formulas, it will just hide them visually.
4. Use keyboard shortcuts to quickly display formulas
in Excel can be an efficient way to optimize your work. With just a few key presses, you can reveal the formulas behind the data in a specific cell. This allows you to check and correct possible errors more quickly, without having to go through each cell individually. Plus, using keyboard shortcuts gives you a smoother, more agile experience when working with formulas in Excel. .
The most commonly used key combination to display formulas in Excel is Ctrl + `. When you press this combination, cells containing formulas will display the formula instead of the result. This can be especially useful when you need to check how a specific result is calculated or if you need to make adjustments to an existing formula. You can return to the normal result by pressing again Ctrl + `.
In addition to the Ctrl + ` combination, there are other keyboard shortcuts useful for quickly displaying formulas in Excel. For example, if you select a cell that contains a formula and press F2, Excel will display the formula directly in the formula bar. This allows you to edit or verify it without having to switch to the full formula view. Another useful combination is Ctrl + Shift + `, which applies bold formatting to cells that contain formulas and displays the formula in the active cell.
In conclusion, Excel allows you to save time and effort. Whether you're reviewing a complex template or working in a sheet For detailed calculations, these shortcuts will help you view and edit formulas efficiently. Remember to practice these shortcuts to become familiar with them and improve your productivity in Excel. Take advantage of these tools to maximize your workflow and ensure that your formulas are correctly implemented in your spreadsheets.
5. Show formulas in individual cells or the entire spreadsheet
There are several ways to display formulas in an Excel spreadsheet, either in individual cells or across the entire sheet. This can be useful to verify the accuracy of the formulas used or to understand how a specific calculation is performed. Below are different methods to display formulas in Excel:
1. Show formulas in an individual cell: To see the formula used in a particular cell, simply click on that cell and look at the formula bar at the top of the spreadsheet. There you will be able to see the complete formula used in that cell. This is especially useful when you want to verify or modify a specific formula in the spreadsheet.
2. Show formulas on the entire sheet: If you need to see all the formulas used in a spreadsheet instead of cell by cell, you can use a key combination to show them all at the same time. Just press Ctrl + Shift + ` (the grave accent key). When you do this, Excel will display all the formulas instead of the calculation results. This feature is especially useful when you want to quickly audit or review all the formulas in a complex spreadsheet.
3. Setting options for displaying formulas: In addition to the options mentioned above, Excel offers a number of additional settings for displaying formulas. These options are located on the "Formulas" tab on the toolbar and provide different ways to view and verify the formulas used in a spreadsheet. It is important to explore these options and select those that are most relevant to your specific needs.
6. Use the formula check function to easily detect errors
The formula verification function in Excel is a very useful tool to detect errors in our spreadsheets quickly and easily. This function allows us to verify if the formulas that we have used are written correctly and if they are giving the expected results. It is an especially useful tool when we are working with complex formulas or when we are reviewing a spreadsheet with many interdependent formulas.
To use the formula verification function in Excel, we simply must select the cell where the formula we want to verify is located. Then, we go to the “Formulas” tab in the menu bar and click “Check Formula”. Excel will highlight the cell resulting from the formula in blue and show us a message indicating if the formula is correct or if it contains an error. Additionally, if the formula has an error, Excel will provide us with a brief description of the problem and offer us options to solve it.
It is important to note that the formula checking function in Excel not only helps us detect errors in our formulas, but also allows us to save time. Instead of having to manually review each formula in our spreadsheet, we can use this feature to quickly identify and quickly correct any errors. It is also useful when we work collaboratively with other users, as it helps us ensure that the formulas used in the spreadsheet are correct and consistent.
In short, the formula checking feature in Excel is a must-have tool for any user who works with spreadsheets and formulas. It allows us to detect errors quickly and easily, saving us time and guaranteeing the accuracy of our calculations. Don't forget to use this feature in your spreadsheets to make sure all your formulas are written correctly and working correctly.
7. Know the advantages and disadvantages of showing formulas in Excel
For those who work with Excel, it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages to displayformulas in aspreadsheet.
Advantages of displaying formulas in Excel:
1 Greater transparency: By displaying the formulas, you can easily see how each value is calculated in the spreadsheet. This helps identify any errors or discrepancies in the results.
2. Time saving: By viewing formulas, users can quickly understand how calculations are performed without having to analyze each cell individually. This saves time and increases efficiency in data handling.
3. Ease of learning: Showing formulas in Excel is also beneficial for beginners, as it allows them to better understand how formulas work and how cells relate to each other.
Disadvantages of displaying formulas in Excel:
1. Confusion in the cells: Constantly displaying formulas can create visual overload on the spreadsheet, making it difficult to read and understand the data. It can be overwhelming especially when many complex formulas are used.
2. Risk of errors: If an incorrect formula is displayed in Excel, there is a risk that other users will copy it and spread errors throughout the spreadsheet. This can lead to inaccurate results and wasted time detecting and correcting errors.
3. Confidentiality and security: If formulas contain sensitive information or important financial calculations, displaying them may expose sensitive data to unauthorized users. It is necessary to carefully evaluate which formulas are displayed and establish appropriate security measures to protect the information.
In conclusion, display formulas in Excel has its advantages and disadvantages. It is important to evaluate the situation and purpose of the Excel file before deciding whether displaying formulas is beneficial or not. If this is a file for personal or educational use, it may be useful to display them to understand how the formulas work. However, if it is a confidential file or shared with Other users, it is recommended to hide the formulas to avoid errors and protect the information. The final decision depends on the needs and preferences of each user.