Aug 6, 2024 · Things to Remember Assign a Dollar Sign ($) before the row and the column number to lock a cell. Use the F4 hotkey to lock a cell instantly. Pressing F4 cycles between …

Apr 22, 2024 · To lock a cell reference in Excel, simply press the F4 key after selecting the cell or typing the cell reference in a formula. This will add dollar signs ($) to the cell reference, making …

Jul 23, 2025 · Place the cursor at the end of B1 which is entered in the formula shown in the cell "C4" in the below image. Press "F4". You can confirm that the reference to the cell "B1" is …

Jul 19, 2024 · Use keyboard shortcuts (F4 in Windows) to quickly add $ signs to your cell references. Test your locked formulas in a few different cells to ensure they behave as …

Aug 2, 2025 · Using the $ sign can help when locking cell references and formatting dates and numbers. By using Ctrl shortcuts like Ctrl+Shift+3 for formatting numbers as currency and …

Begin by entering edit mode in the cell: press F2 or click the formula bar, then click directly on the cell reference you want to lock. With the cursor on that reference, press F4 (Windows) or …

Aug 15, 2025 · Learn how to use the dollar sign ($) shortcut in Excel to fix cell references and ensure error-free calculations—plus how Excelmatic simplifies this process with AI.

When you're writing a formula, simply press F4 after selecting a cell or with your cursor placed within a cell reference to toggle between the four states: Press F4 once: Turns a relative …

To lock a cell in Excel (to switch from a relative to an absolute reference) add a dollar sign ($) before cells references. To do so, just add the $ symbol directly in the formula.