In this article, we have explained about how to find and fix the circular reference error in Excel. So, without skipping a single keep reading this tutorial till the end.
But before moving ahead, let’s discuss something about circular reference error.
What is Circular Reference Error in MS Excel?
A circular reference error in Microsoft Excel usually occurs when the formula refers to its own cell or a range of cells that includes a cell containing the formula.
It creates the circular loop where a formula depends on its own result, leading to an infinite chain of the calculations that couldn’t be resolved.
For example, if cell A1 contains the formula “=A2+1” and cell A2 contains the formula “=A1+1”, this creates a circular reference error because the value of each cell depends on the value of the other.
Circular reference errors can often cause slows down an Excel or even crashes, so it’s very important to avoid such errors. To resolve the circular reference error in Excel, you can either remove a formula that creates a circular reference or you can modify it to break a circular loop.
You may also use an Excel iteration feature to allow for the limited number of iterations in a formula that would otherwise result in the circular reference.
How to Find Circular Reference in Excel?
In order to find the circular reference in MS Excel, you need to check out below given steps:
- Enable Iteration: Go to “File” > “Options” > “Formulas“. Check the “Enable iterative calculation” option, and set the maximum number of iterations and maximum change that you want to allow OK.
2. Find the Circular Reference: Click on the “Formulas” tab in the ribbon, and then click on the “Error Checking” button in the “Formula Auditing” group. In the drop-down menu, select “Circular References“.
3. View the Circular Reference: A dialog box will appear, displaying the cells involved in the circular reference. You can click on each cell to see the formula that creates the circular reference.
4. Troubleshoot the Circular Reference: Once you’ve identified the cells involved in the circular reference, you can troubleshoot the issue by modifying the formulas in cell or using the iteration feature in Excel.
It’s important to keep in mind that circular references can cause performance issues and slow down your spreadsheet, so it’s always a good idea to try to avoid them when possible.
By using the Error Checking feature in Excel, you can quickly locate and resolve circular references to keep your spreadsheet running smoothly.
How to Fix Circular Reference Error in Excel?
In order to fix Excel circular reference error, you need to follow out the below guided steps:
- Identify the source of the circular reference: Start by locating the cells that are involved in the circular reference. This can usually be done by using the “Evaluate Formula” feature in Excel, which allows you to step through the calculations one by one and see where the circular reference occurs.
- Break the circular reference: There are several ways to break a circular reference and resolve the error, including:
- Modifying the formula to break the circular loop
- Removing the formula that creates the circular reference
- Using the iteration feature in Excel to allow for a limited number of iterations
- Modify the formula: If the circular reference is caused by a formula that depends on its own result, you can modify the formula to break the circular loop. For example, you can change the formula to use an IF statement to return a result only under certain conditions.
- Remove the formula: If you don’t need the formula, you can simply remove it. This will resolve the circular reference error and prevent Excel from slowing down or crashing.
- Use the iteration feature: If the circular reference is necessary but limited to a certain number of iterations, you can use the iteration feature in Excel. This allows you to specify the maximum number of iterations that Excel should perform, preventing the circular reference from continuing indefinitely.
It’s important to keep in mind that circular references can cause performance issues and slow down your spreadsheet, so it’s always a good idea to try to avoid them when possible.
Time to Conclude
In this article, I have tried my best to provide you each and every information regarding circular reference error in Excel.
As you can see, in order to fix the Excel circular reference error, firstly you need to find the error by following the above listed steps.
Afterwards, you can simply fix the issue by applying the given fixes.
Thanks for reading this post….