Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Watching Cell Values.

Watching Cell Values

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 16, 2024)

There's a nifty feature in Excel that allows you to keep an eye on the value of certain cells. This is really handy in large worksheets. Let's say that you have a large worksheet, and you want to track the results at two or three cells all over the worksheet. Follow these steps:

  1. Select the cell (or cells) you want to watch.
  2. Display the Formulas tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click Watch Window in the Formula Auditing group. Excel displays the Watch Window.
  4. Within the Watch Window click Add Watch. Excel displays the Add Watch dialog box, with the addresses of the selected cells already filled in.
  5. Click Add. The cells are added to the list of cells in the Watch Window.

You can add additional cells by selecting those cells and then clicking the Add Watch button in the Watch Window.

If you close the Watch Window, you can later display it again by clicking Watch Window on the Formulas tab of the ribbon. You can also delete cells from the Watch Window by selecting the entry and clicking Delete Watch.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6225) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Watching Cell Values.

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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