Cells in Excel are referred to using relative or absolute references. A formula with relative references changes when the cell's position does.

Q: My partner says there’s an F4 shortcut to creating absolute cell references in Excel formulas, but for the life of me I can’t make it work.

In such a situation, you can use what's called an absolute reference in Excel, which won't change when you drag or copy it from cell to cell. To create one, precede the row letter and column ...

Is there a way to hold down shift/ctrl, etc to make a cell reference an absolute reference when entering a formula instead of having to go back and enter $?

Mastering Excel's dollar sign for absolute references enhances spreadsheet skills and productivity.