MS Excel Handling Circular References
You've entered a formula, but it’s not working. Instead, you’ve got this message about a “circular reference.” Millions of people have the same problem and it happens because your formula is trying to calculate itself. Here's what it looks like:
The formula =D1+D2+D3 breaks because it lives in cell D3, and it’s trying to calculate itself. To fix the problem, you can move the formula to another cell. Press Ctrl+X to cut the formula, select another cell, and press Ctrl+V to paste it.
Tips:
- At times, you may want to use circular references because they cause your functions to iterate. If this is the case, jump down to Learn more about iterative calculation.
- Also, to learn more about writing formulas, see Overview of formulas in Excel.
Another common mistake is using a function that includes a reference to itself; for example, cell F3 contains =SUM(A3:F3).
See the video below for tips of fixing these....
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