Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Shortcut for Viewing Formulas.

Shortcut for Viewing Formulas

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated March 14, 2015)

You probably already know how to display the formulas in cells rather than the results of those formulas, right? If you're like most people, you follow these steps:

  1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 and Excel 2013 display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Click Advanced at the left of the dialog box.
  3. Scroll down until you see the Display Options for this Worksheet section. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Display Options for a worksheet.

  4. Make sure the Show Formulas in Cells Instead of their Calculated Result check box is selected.
  5. Click OK.

A much faster way to get the same result is to simply press Ctrl+`. (That's hold down the Ctrl key while you press the accent grave, which is the backwards apostrophe just to the left of the 1 key and above the Tab key.) The shortcut is a toggle, which means that you can press it repeatedly to switch between the display of formulas and results.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6198) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Shortcut for Viewing Formulas.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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