How To Show Formulas in Microsoft Excel

How To Show Formulas in Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is one of the best computer tools available today. It can be used to perform simple math equations, or you can build complicated multi-tab spreadsheets that show every math and dollar amount you can imagine. Sometimes, you want a clean spreadsheet just showing the numbers and the answers. But, other times you might want to show your work and show the formulas you used in your calculations.

There are just a few steps to follow if you need to show your formulas while using Microsoft Excel. Building in formulas is one of the best features of Excel, so you might as well know how to showcase them! Once you learn how to show formulas in Excel, it’s a skill that is so easy you’ll never forget it.

Save time in Excel by displaying formulas

How can you easily view calculations so you can audit them? Use a simple SUM function to show all the information you want. This will allow you to display the logic you are looking for. Use Show Formulas, which is under the Formulas tab under the Formula auditing group. The Formula auditing group is up on the top of your spreadsheet in the header row. Clicking Show Formulas will show all the formulas, which will help you validate your calculations, ensuring there are no miscalculations. You can show the formula in one cell or across the entire spreadsheet if you desire.

Keyboard Shortcuts

There is more than one way to show formulas in Microsoft Excel, and if you prefer to use keyboard shortcuts than use mouse clicks, you can also use “CNTRL ~” as a way to show formulas. All you need to do is click in the cell where you want to show a formula and use that shortcut. You can also click and highlight multiple cells at once if you are looking to show a formula in more than one cell in Excel. You never even have to take your hands off the keyboard and you can easily show all the formulas you want in Microsoft Excel. It couldn’t get much easier than that!

Benefits of Showing Formulas

Spreadsheets can have hundreds of thousands of rows, and sometimes you want to be able to see the math and formula behind the numbers. This will serve you well if you are ever being audited or need to show your work. If your work is ever being audited, now you can show the proof behind the math. Think of showing formulas as a way of proving to your math teacher how you came up with your answer.

The nice thing about showing formulas is you can just easily hide them again. If you want to just showcase them during an audit, you can follow the same procedures to hide them again and just have a clean spreadsheet showing. Since it’s so easy to show and hide formulas, once you learn the trick, you’ll probably find yourself using it all the time!!

Need more help?

While showing formulas is relatively easy, Excel itself can be overwhelming at times. Reach out and contact us today for any help with Microsoft Excel! It can be confusing, but our team can walk you through all the tips and tricks you need to be successful! We can help you with everything from a basic math equation to pivot tables and complicated spreadsheets. The nice thing about Excel is that once you learn the shortcuts and tricks, you can pretty easily master Excel. You will save yourself time and improve your efficiency just by getting to know some tricks with Excel.