How to Format Relative References in Excel. Microsoft Excel relies on two fundamental reference types when addressing other cells. Absolute references -- which are denoted with a "$" -- lock a ...

Cells in Excel are referred to using relative or absolute references. A formula with relative references changes when the cell's position does.

Absolute and relative references in Excel formulas are two ways to refer to cells in your spreadsheet. They both have their purpose, and sometimes you may find yourself using them interchangeably.