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How to Reference a Cell on Another Sheet in Excel

Tap a step to see it in order.

  1. Click the cell where the result should appear

    Click the cell where you want the value from another sheet to show up.

  2. Type "=" and click the other sheet's tab

    Type an equals sign, then click the tab of the sheet that holds the value you want to pull in.

  3. Click the cell you want to reference

    On that sheet, click the cell that holds the value you need, then press Enter.

  4. Check the formula format

    The result cell now holds a formula shaped like "=SheetName!CellAddress" -- whenever the source cell changes, this cell updates automatically.

  5. Why it is worth doing

    When monthly data is split across several sheets, referencing the source instead of copying and pasting values means your summary sheet always reflects the latest numbers automatically.

Stop copying and pasting the same numbers every month

If you keep separate sheets for each month or each category and manually copy totals into a summary sheet, that summary goes stale the moment the source data changes. Building a live cross-sheet reference instead means the summary updates itself the moment anything upstream changes, with zero extra work on your part.

It also works across multiple sheets at once

A single formula can pull from several sheets in one calculation -- for example, a SUM formula written across a 3-D reference like "=SUM(Jan:Dec!B2)" adds up the same cell from every sheet between January and December, which is a natural next step once basic cross-sheet references feel comfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a sheet name has a space in it?

Excel automatically wraps sheet names that contain a space in single quotes, so the formula shows something like "='Jan Sales'!A1". If you are typing the reference by hand, keep that same format.

Can I reference a sheet in a different workbook file?

Yes. With both files open, follow the same steps and click the sheet and cell in the other file -- Excel builds a formula that includes the file name so it keeps pointing to the correct source.