CELL

• How to use CELL formula?
• Examples of using CELL formula
• CELL formula not working?
• Similar formulas to CELL

Usage

Use the CELL formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters:

=CELL(info_type, reference)

1. info_type (required):
   A text value that specifies what type of information you want to retrieve. This can be any of the following: 'address', 'col', 'color', 'contents', 'filename', 'format', 'prefix', 'protect', 'row', 'type', or 'width'.
2. reference (required):
   The cell or range of cells from which to retrieve the information. This can be a cell reference (e.g. A1) or a range reference (e.g. A1:C4).

Examples

Retrieve the address of a cell

By specifying "address" as the info_type argument, you can retrieve the address of a cell. This can be useful in constructing dynamic cell references.

Get the contents of a cell

By specifying "contents" as the info_type argument, you can retrieve the contents of a cell. This can be useful in conditional formatting and data validation rules.

Find the type of data in a cell

By specifying "type" as the info_type argument, you can retrieve the type of data in a cell. This can be useful in data analysis and manipulation.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect info_type

Users may use an incorrect or unsupported info_type, which will result in an error. Double-check the list of supported info_types and make sure to use the correct one.

Invalid reference

If the reference provided is not a valid cell reference, the formula will return an error. Make sure the reference is correct and refers to a valid cell.

Missing arguments

If either the info_type or reference arguments are missing, the formula will return an error. Make sure to provide both arguments.

Incorrect syntax

Make sure to follow the correct syntax for the CELL formula. Any errors in the syntax will result in an error.

Incompatible info_type

Some info_types are not compatible with certain cell types. For example, the 'contents' info_type will return an error if used on a cell with a formula. Double-check the compatibility of the info_type and cell type.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to CELL or are often used with it in a formula:

• ADDRESS

  The ADDRESS formula in Google Sheets returns a cell reference as a string, given the row and column numbers. It can also return an absolute or relative reference, and can include sheet name in the reference. This formula is most commonly used to create dynamic references in other formulas or to create a cell reference based on certain criteria.

• COLUMN

  The COLUMN formula returns the column number of a given cell reference. It is most commonly used as a helper function for other formulas that require the column number as an argument.

• ROW

  The ROW formula returns the row number of a specified cell reference. If no cell reference is provided, it returns the row number of the cell in which the formula is entered. This formula is most commonly used for data analysis and manipulation.

• INDEX

  The INDEX formula in Google Sheets is used to return a value or reference of a cell at the intersection of a specified row and column in a given range. The formula is commonly used to lookup and retrieve values from a table or range of cells.

• OFFSET

  The OFFSET formula in Google Sheets returns a cell or range of cells that is a specified number of rows and columns from a starting cell reference. This formula is most commonly used to create dynamic ranges that can expand or contract as data is added or removed from a sheet.

Learn More

You can learn more about the CELL Google Sheets function on Google Support.