**Why is Excel showing formula and not value?**
It can be frustrating when you open an Excel file and instead of seeing the calculated values, all you see are the formulas. There are several reasons why Excel may display formulas instead of the expected results. In this article, we will address this question directly and explore some common causes, as well as how to resolve the issue.
One of the main causes for Excel showing formulas and not values is due to the display settings being set to show formulas. This may occur if you accidentally enable the “Show Formulas” option, which is a useful feature for scrutinizing formulas but not for general use. Therefore, the first step to resolving this issue is to disable this feature.
To turn off the Show Formulas option and display the calculated values again, follow these steps:
1. Press the “Ctrl” + “`” (grave accent) keys simultaneously. This shortcut toggles between showing values and showing formulas.
2. Alternatively, you can manually navigate to the “Formulas” tab in the Excel ribbon, locate the “Formula Auditing” section, and click on the “Show Formulas” button to deactivate it.
Now that we have addressed the main question, let’s dive into some additional FAQs related to this topic:
FAQs:
1. How can I make Excel calculate formulas automatically?
Ensure that the “Automatic Calculation” setting is enabled. You can find this option under the “Formulas” tab > “Calculation Options” > “Automatic.”
2. Why are formulas not updating automatically?
When Excel is set to the manual calculation mode, formulas won’t update automatically. To change this, navigate to “Formulas” > “Calculation Options” > “Automatic.”
3. Why are external references not updating?
If the linked workbook containing external references has been moved or renamed, Excel may display formulas instead of values. Update the file path or name of the linked workbook to resolve the problem.
4. Why am I seeing only a portion of the formula?
If the formula bar is not wide enough to display the entire formula, you will see a truncated version. To see the complete formula, either widen the formula bar or double-click within the formula bar to activate the full-size editor.
5. How can I convert formulas to values permanently?
Select the cells containing formulas, right-click and choose “Copy.” Then, use the “Paste Special” function (right-click again) and select the “Values” option to paste the calculated values without the formulas.
6. Why are my cell references changing unexpectedly?
This may happen due to the accidental use of relative references instead of absolute references. To prevent cell references from changing as you copy or move formulas, use the “$” symbol to make the references absolute.
7. Why is my date formula showing as a serial number?
When you see a date formula displayed as a serial number, it means the cell is formatted as a number instead of a date. Change the cell’s formatting to a date format to display it correctly.
8. How can I protect formulas from accidental modification?
To safeguard your formulas from being altered or deleted accidentally, you can protect your worksheet or specific cells containing formulas. Right-click the sheet tab, choose “Protect Sheet,” and set the desired protection options.
9. Why are my formulas showing as text?
If you see formulas displayed as plain text, it means the cell is formatted with the “Text” format. Change the cell’s formatting to “General” or the appropriate format for the expected result.
10. Why are my conditional formatting rules not working?
If formulas used for conditional formatting are not updating correctly, check whether the formula references are correct and ensure that the formatting rules are applied to the appropriate range of cells.
11. Why are my circular references not calculating?
Excel may not calculate circular references by default. To enable iterative calculation and allow circular references, go to “File” > “Options” > “Formulas” and check the “Enable iterative calculation” box.
12. Why are my formulas returning errors?
Formulas can display errors if there are issues with the formula syntax, incorrect references, or if the formula is attempting an impossible calculation. Double-check your formulas for errors and make necessary corrections.
In conclusion, Excel occasionally shows formulas instead of values due to various settings, such as the “Show Formulas” option and automatic calculation settings. By following the steps provided, you can easily resolve this issue and ensure that the expected values are displayed within your Excel worksheets.