Reference Another Sheet in Excel (and another workbook)

To use a value from another sheet, put the sheet name and an exclamation mark in front of the cell.

The formula

=Sheet2!B5

With a space or special character in the name, add single quotes:

='Sales 2026'!B5

Easiest way: click, don’t type

1. In the cell, type =.
2. Click the other sheet’s tab.
3. Click the cell you want.
4. Press Enter. Excel writes the reference and takes you back.

Works inside formulas too: =SUM( then click across to the other sheet and select the range.

Same cell on many sheets (3-D sum)

Sheets Jan to Dec, each with a total in B10:

=SUM(Jan:Dec!B10)

Adds B10 from every sheet between Jan and Dec in tab order. Add a sheet inside that range and it is included.

Sheet name in a cell

To choose the sheet from a cell, use INDIRECT: =INDIRECT("'"&A2&"'!B10").

Another workbook

='[Budget.xlsx]Sheet1'!$B$5

Click method works here too — open both files first. When the source file is closed Excel shows the full path. Edit links: Data › Edit Links.

Lookups across sheets

=XLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A:A,Prices!B:B) — see XLOOKUP.

#REF! after deleting a sheet

The formula lost its target. Undo (Ctrl+Z), or point the formula at the new location.