When a cell with formulas is copied and pasted elsewhere in the Excel spreadsheet, Excel will adjust relative references like A1 to take into account the offset in terms of rows and columns. This A1 reference can become C5 in the formula for instance, if you have pasted the formula 3 rows below and 4 columns to the right.
In some cases, you may want to paste the formulas exactly, as if they were absolute references like $A$1, but without having to change the formula to transform relative references into absolute references. This is where this feature can come in handy. To use it:
- Click Paste exact formula from the Power-user ribbon in Excel.
- In the first dialog that opens, select the initial range to copy and click OK.
- In the second dialog that opens, select the destination range (they must have the same size), and click OK.
- The formula will be pasted without changing the cell references, even if they are relative references.
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