Define and use names in formulas

By using names, you can make your formulas much easier to understand and maintain. You can define a name for a cell range, function, constant, or table. Once you adopt the practice of using names in your workbook, you can easily update, audit, and manage these names.

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Windows macOS Web

Name a cell

Select a cell.
In the Name Box, type a name.
Press Enter.

To reference this value in another table, type th equal sign (=) and the Name, then select Enter.

Define names from a selected range

Select the range you want to name, including the row or column labels.
Select Formulas > Create from Selection.
In the Create Names from Selection dialog box, designate the location that contains the labels by selecting the Top row, Left column, Bottom row, or Right column check box.
Select OK.

Excel names the cells based on the labels in the range you designated.

Use names in formulas

Select a cell and enter a formula.
Place the cursor where you want to use the name in that formula.
Type the first letter of the name, and select the name from the list that appears.

Or, select Formulas > Use in Formula and select the name you want to use.
Press Enter.

Manage names in your workbook with Name Manager

On the ribbon, go to Formulas > Name Manager. You can then create, edit, delete, and find all the names used in the workbook.

Name a cell

Select a cell.
In the Name Box, type a name.
Press Enter.

Define names from a selected range

Select the range you want to name, including the row or column labels.
Select Formulas > Create from Selection.
In the Create Names from Selection dialog box, designate the location that contains the labels by selecting the Top row,Left column, Bottom row, or Right column check box.
Select OK.

Excel names the cells based on the labels in the range you designated.

Use names in formulas

Select a cell and enter a formula.
Place the cursor where you want to use the name in that formula.
Type the first letter of the name, and select the name from the list that appears.

Or, select Formulas > Use in Formula and select the name you want to use.
Press Enter.

Manage names in your workbook with Name Manager

On the Ribbon, go to Formulas > Defined Names > Name Manager. You can then create, edit, delete, and find all the names used in the workbook.

In Excel for the web, you can use the named ranges you've defined in Excel for Windows or Mac. Select a name from the Name Box to go to the range's location, or use the Named Range in a formula.

For now, creating a new Named Range in Excel for the web is not available.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in Communities.

Define and use names in formulas

Name a cell

Define names from a selected range

Use names in formulas

Manage names in your workbook with Name Manager

Name a cell

Define names from a selected range

Use names in formulas

Manage names in your workbook with Name Manager

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