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Excel

CELL function in Excel

Returns information about the formatting, location, or contents of a cellThis function is not available in Excel for the web.

=CELL(info_type, [reference])

CELL syntax and parameters

Two arguments, one required.

  • info_typestringRequired

    A text value that specifies what type of cell information you want to return. The following list shows the possible values of the Info_type argument and the corresponding results.

  • referencerangeOptional

    The cell that you want information about.If omitted, the information specified in the info_type argument is returned for cell selected at the time of calculation. If the reference argument is a range of cells, the CELL function returns the information for active cell in the selected range.Important: Although technically reference is optional, including it in your formula is encouraged, unless you understand the effect its absence has on your formula result and want that effect in place. Omitting the reference argument does not reliably produce information about a specific cell, for the following reasons:In automatic calculation mode, when a cell is modified by a user the calculation may be triggered before or after the selection has progressed, depending on the platform you're using for Excel. For example, Excel for Windows currently triggers calculation before selection changes, but Excel for the web triggers it afterward.When Co-Authoring with another user who makes an edit, this function will report your active cell rather than the editor's.Any recalculation, for instance pressing F9, will cause the function to return a new result even though no cell edit has occurred.

CELL examples

Formulas you'll actually reuse.

  1. The address of the biggest value in a column:

    =CELL("address", INDEX(B2:B50, MATCH(MAX(B2:B50), B2:B50, 0)))

    Result"$B$17"

  2. Same trick, but just the row number for a jump link:

    =CELL("row", INDEX(B2:B50, MATCH(MAX(B2:B50), B2:B50, 0)))

    Result17

CELL in Google Sheets

Same name — your formula ports as-is.

Try CELL in the playground

Edit the example — nothing to install.

Preloaded with the CELL formula from Example 1 — change anything and watch it respond.

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Related functions

More ways Excel gets this done.