fbpx
Search
Close this search box.

Use apply names to create readable formulas [quick tip]

Share

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

We all know that using named ranges is a good practice. So you went ahead and created names for every value in your complex workbook. But now, what about those formulas which still refer to cells by their addresses? Here is a quick tip to make your formulas readable by replacing cell addresses with the names in one go.

Use Apply Names feature.

apply-names-in-excel-demoHere is how.

  1. Select the cells containing formulas
  2. Go to Formulas > Define Name > Apply Names
  3. Hold Shift and select all the names
  4. Click OK
  5. Your formulas will now have names instead of cell references

See the demo aside to understand it.

 

Do you use apply names feature?

Most of the times, I create names first and then write formulas. But as models or workbooks evolve, I often have to apply names. In all such cases, I use “Apply Names” feature as it is faster and easier.

What about you? Do you use apply names feature? Please share your experiences and tips in the comments section.

Want more tips? Check out our Quick Tips page for many more interesting, simple & powerful Excel tips.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Share this tip with your colleagues

Excel and Power BI tips - Chandoo.org Newsletter

Get FREE Excel + Power BI Tips

Simple, fun and useful emails, once per week.

Learn & be awesome.

Welcome to Chandoo.org

Thank you so much for visiting. My aim is to make you awesome in Excel & Power BI. I do this by sharing videos, tips, examples and downloads on this website. There are more than 1,000 pages with all things Excel, Power BI, Dashboards & VBA here. Go ahead and spend few minutes to be AWESOME.

Read my storyFREE Excel tips book

Excel School made me great at work.
5/5

– Brenda

Excel formula list - 100+ examples and howto guide for you

From simple to complex, there is a formula for every occasion. Check out the list now.

Calendars, invoices, trackers and much more. All free, fun and fantastic.

Advanced Pivot Table tricks

Power Query, Data model, DAX, Filters, Slicers, Conditional formats and beautiful charts. It's all here.

Still on fence about Power BI? In this getting started guide, learn what is Power BI, how to get it and how to create your first report from scratch.

letter grades from test scores in Excel

How to convert test scores to letter grades in Excel?

We can use Excel’s LOOKUP function to quickly convert exam or test scores to letter grades like A+ or F. In this article, let me explain the process and necessary formulas. I will also share a technique to calculate letter grades from test scores using percentiles.

5 Responses to “Use apply names to create readable formulas [quick tip]”

  1. wookiee says:

    that's a nifty trick. thanks for sharing!

  2. Dr. Demento says:

    Ctrl-Shift-F3 allows you to create names based on values in a col/row of choice(s).

  3. Sally says:

    Wow - I love this. Will definately be using it

  4. John says:

    Hi Chandoo, you are excel-made-easy. i love your website and i come there for excel tips. Thanks

  5. Sergey says:

    For a large list of names, is there a way to select a range (or entire list), instead of clicking each one individually?

    PS Thank you for all your work on this site!

Leave a Reply