Formulas Not Updating Automatically in Excel
As you can see in the image below, the Formulas typed in column E are correct. However, the formulas are not producing any results and they are just being displayed as Text strings.
This unexpected behavior where users find the formula not working in Excel and being displayed in the form of text string is usually due to the following reasons. So let us go ahead and take a look at how to fix the problem of Formulas not updating in Excel.
1. Disable Show Formulas
The “Show Formulas” feature in Microsoft Excel allows you to see all the Formulas used in a Worksheet, so that you can review and correct them as required. This feature works like a toggle, when it is switched ON it displays the actual Formulas used in the cells and when switched OFF it displays the calculation results produced by the Formulas. It is likely that you may have accidentally switched on the Formula Mode, resulting in Formulas being displayed in the Worksheet. The most common reason for Show Formulas being accidentally enabled in Excel is due to users typing Control `, which is actually a Keyboard Shortcut for Show Formula. To disable Show Formulas, click on the Formula tab in the top ribbon menu and then click on Show Formulas option in Formula Audition section.
Now, you should be able to see a regular worksheet with no formulas being visible in the cells.
2. Calculations Set to Manual
Another reason for Formulas not updating automatically in Excel is due to the calculation option for the Worksheet being set to Manual Mode. To fix this, click on the Formulas tab > Calculation Options > and then click on Automatic in the drop-down menu.
Once the Worksheet is set to Automatic mode, you will see Formulas updating automatically and producing results as soon as you type them.
3. Excel Treating Formula as Text
If you find that only a single Formula or Formulas in a few cells are not working, it is likely that Excel is treating formula in this particular Cell or group of Cells as Text. When Excel thinks that a Formula is Text, it simply displays the Formula that you type in the Cells and does not try to evaluate the Formula. There could be many reasons for Excel treating Formula as text. So let us go ahead and rule out many of these reasons.
3.1. Formula Enclosed in Quotes
Make sure that the Formula is not enclosed in quote marks (” “). In case the Formula is enclosed in quote marks, Excel will treat the Formula as a Text string. This problem usually occurs when users copy Formulas from websites that make use of quote marks (” “) to draw attention to the Formula. Click on the Cell containing the Formula and see if the Formula is enclosed in Quotes.
Simply, remove the quote marks and you will see the Formula showing results. Note: You are allowed to use quotes inside the formulas, but not to enclose the Formula in quotes.
3.2. No Equal Sign in Formula
When you manually type a Formula in Excel, the Formula should always begin with an Equal sign (=).
If you forget to begin your formula without an Equal (=) sign, Excel won’t be able to sense that you are actually typing a Formula.
3.3. Space Before Equal Sign
Another common reason for Formula not working in Excel is due to the presence of a Space before the Equal (=) sign. As you can see in the image below, Formula starting with a space before the equal sign is being treated as text by Excel.
To fix this issue, click in the Cell containing Formula > click in the Formula bar and remove the Space before the Equal sign.
3.4. Cell Format Set to Text
If everything about the Formula appears right and yet the Formula is not working, it is likely that the Cell containing the formula is in Text Format. Right-click on the Cell containing the Formula and click on Format Cells… option in the drop-down menu.
On the Format Cells screen, set the format to General or a particular Number Format in which you want to display the result produced by the formula and click OK.
After changing the Format, click into the Formula bar and hit the Enter key on the keyboard of your computer.
You should now see the Formula updating automatically and producing the desired result.
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