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.

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

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 ...

Each cell in a worksheet has a unique reference that describes its position – for example A1. In a spreadsheet, there are two types of cell reference – 'relative cell reference' and 'absolute ...

Another reader recommended using the F4 function key to toggle between making a cell reference relative and absolute. Either double-click on the cell or press F2 to edit the cell; then hit F4.

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

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 $?