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How to Display an Excel Formula Result in a Different Cell
Question details
The user wants to display the calculated result of a formula in one cell while showing the actual formula text in another cell.
- Product
- Excel / WPS Spreadsheet
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating instructional spreadsheets or troubleshooting where both the formula text and its evaluated result need to be visible simultaneously.
- Observed behavior
- By default, a cell containing a formula only shows the calculated result, hiding the formula text unless the cell is actively selected or the Show Formulas mode is enabled.
Identify the cell where your formula is currently stored and determine which cell should display the calculated result and which should display the formula text.
Use Cell Referencing to Mirror the Result
Link a destination cell directly to the cell containing the active formula to display its result.
This method is best when your original cell contains a working formula and you simply want to display its outcome in another location.
Assume your working formula is entered in cell B2 and is calculating normally.
Click on the cell where you want the duplicated result to appear (for example, cell C2).
Type =B2 in the destination cell and press Enter. This cell will now continuously mirror the calculated result of the original formula.
Use the FORMULATEXT Function to Show Formula Syntax
Keep the formula calculating in its original cell and use a function in another cell to extract and display the formula text.
Easily Manage Formulas and Results in WPS Office
WPS Spreadsheet provides robust formula auditing tools and full support for functions like FORMULATEXT, making it simple to document and display formulas alongside their results.
- 1. Open your workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the document containing your data.
- 2. Enter your formula: Input your calculation in the desired cell to get the result.
- 3. Display the formula text: In a nearby cell, type =FORMULATEXT(your_cell) to show the formula syntax alongside the result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I type a formula as text and have another cell calculate it?
By default, standard spreadsheet applications do not have a built-in function to evaluate a plain text string as a functional formula (like an EVALUATE function) without utilizing macros or VBA scripts.
Why does my cell reference show the formula text instead of the result?
If you reference a cell and see the formula text instead of the result, the destination cell might be formatted as 'Text'. Select the cell, change the number format to 'General' in the Home tab, and press Enter to refresh it.
How do I show formulas in all cells at once?
You can toggle the display of all formulas in the entire worksheet by pressing the shortcut 'Ctrl + ` ' (grave accent) or by navigating to the Formulas tab and clicking the 'Show Formulas' button.
