Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 26, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
You can use the tools on the Formulas tab of the ribbon (in the Formula Auditing group) to determine relationships between cells in your worksheet. For instance, you might want to determine which cells refer to a value in a particular cell. All you need to do is select the cell in question and then click on the Trace Dependents tool. If there are any other cells that refer to the selected cell in a formula, Excel draws arrows between the cells. This allows you to graphically see the relationship between cells.
If you click on the Trace Dependents tool again, Excel displays not just the direct dependents, but the first level of indirect dependents as well. Clicking your mouse on the Remove Arrows tool removes one of the levels of auditing arrows. If you only want to remove some of the arrows, click the down-arrow to the right of the Remove Arrows tool to see your options.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8626) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Tracing Dependent Cells.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
Do you have a worksheet from which you need to print only portions of the data available? There are two ways you can ...
Discover MoreYou've reviewed the changes that were made to your workbook using the Highlight Changes tool. Now you need to remove the ...
Discover MoreThe Trace Precedents auditing tool can be quite helpful in seeing which cells "feed into" a particular formula. The ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-08-26 11:16:09
J. Woolley
For more on this subject, see https://excelribbon.tips.net/T008271_Accessing_Dependent_and_Precedent_Information.html
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments