{"id":4614,"date":"2025-03-30T02:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T06:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/?p=4614"},"modified":"2025-08-06T19:10:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T23:10:40","slug":"excel-named-ranges-for-formulas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/archives\/2025\/03\/30\/excel-named-ranges-for-formulas\/","title":{"rendered":"Create Excel Named Ranges for Easy Formulas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To make your Excel formulas easier to read and manage, you can create <strong>Excel named ranges<\/strong>. In the video and steps below, I show how to name a range of cells in Excel, and the simple steps to use that name in a formula.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Video: Create an Excel Named Range<\/h2>\n<p>In this short video, I show how to name a range of cells in Excel, and then use that name in a formula.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Name a Range of Cells in Excel\" width=\"840\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iAE9a0uRtpM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Table of Contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#step-1\">Step 1: Select Cells to Name<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#step-2\">Step 2: Name Selected Cells<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#step-3\">Step 3: Confirm the Name<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#step-4\">Step 4: Use Named Range in Formula<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#why\">Why Use Named Ranges?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"step-1\">Step 1: Select Cells You Want to Name<\/h2>\n<p>First, open your Excel worksheet.<\/p>\n<p>Then, choose the cells that you want to name.<\/p>\n<p>In this example, I have a list of quantities, so I selected those numbers, in cells B2:B7.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 227px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namedrange01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;\" title=\"select worksheet cells to name the range\" src=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namedrange01_thumb.png\" alt=\"select worksheet cells to name the range\" width=\"227\" height=\"243\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">select worksheet cells to name the range<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"step-2\">Step 2: Name Selected Cells<\/h2>\n<p>After selecting the cells, click in the Excel name box, just to the left of the formula bar.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Next, type a one-word name for your selected range of cells.\n<ul>\n<li>For this example, I named the range <strong>Quantity<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Then, to complete the name, press the <strong>Enter<\/strong> key.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u26a0 Important<\/strong>: If you forget to press Enter, the name <strong>will not be stored<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 231px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namedrange02.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;\" title=\"type one-word name in Excel name box\" src=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namedrange02_thumb.png\" alt=\"type one-word name in Excel name box\" width=\"231\" height=\"282\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">type one-word name in Excel name box<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"step-3\">Step 3: Confirm the Name<\/h2>\n<p>Now, if you click on the name box again, you&#8217;ll see your new name in the dropdown list!<\/p>\n<p>This means it&#8217;s ready to use.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namebox01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;\" title=\"named range in Excel name box\" src=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namebox01_thumb.png\" alt=\"named range in Excel name box\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">named range in Excel name box<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"step-4\">Step 4: Use Named Range in Formula<\/h2>\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s use our named range in a formula. To get the sum of the named range, type the following in a cell:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>=SUM(quantity)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Start with an equal sign, type <strong>SUM<\/strong>, and then type the name <strong>quantity<\/strong> inside the brackets.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Note: You can use upper or lower case<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Press <strong>Enter<\/strong>, and you&#8217;ll see the total of the numbers in your named range!<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 346px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namebox04.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;\" title=\"Use named range in SUM formula\" src=\"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/namebox04_thumb.png\" alt=\"Use named range in SUM formula\" width=\"346\" height=\"253\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Use named range in SUM formula<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"why\">Why Use Named Ranges?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clarity:<\/strong> Named ranges make your formulas easier to read.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Convenience:<\/strong> You can use the name instead of cell references.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consistency:<\/strong> Helps avoid errors in large spreadsheets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"faq\">FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>How can I delete a named range?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You can manage named ranges by going to the Formulas tab and clicking the Name Manager command. From there, you can delete or edit named ranges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Can I change the name of a named range?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Yes, you can go to the Name Manager, click on the name, type a new name, and click the OK button.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Get the Excel file<\/h2>\n<p>For more tips on using Excel named ranges, and to get the Excel file, go to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contextures.com\/xlnames01.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Excel named ranges<\/a> page on my Contextures site.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"links\">Related Links<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.contextures.com\/xlexceltable01.html\">Named Excel Tables<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.contextures.com\/excelnamesmacros.html\">Excel Names Macros<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To make your Excel formulas easier to read and manage, you can create Excel named ranges. In the video and steps below, I show how to name a range of cells in Excel, and the simple steps to use that name in a formula.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-excel-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4614"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4671,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4614\/revisions\/4671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exceltheatre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}