In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to define names in Excel for individual cells or ranges. Named ranges help you write cleaner formulas, avoid errors, and improve spreadsheet navigation.
Assigning names to Excel cells or ranges is better than using traditional cell references like A1 or B2. Named ranges like Sales2024 or Revenue_Q1 make your formulas easier to read and maintain. It looks also much more professional. Cell named Sales or range of cells named Sales_Atlanta are certainly a lot easier to remember and identify than the corresponding cell addresses A1 or A2:B20.
You can use defined name in formulas and functions instead of cell addresses. When you move a cell or range of cells possessing different place name in the worksheet, Excel automatically updates all the necessary formulas and references.
Defining name of cells (or range of cells)
To define a named range manually, select the cell or range you want to name.
Go to Ribbon. Click the Formulas tab. Next go to Defined names section. Click Define Name.
Dialog box appears. Fill it in. Specify the name for the defined name in the Name field.
In the Refers to field, specify the cell, range of cells, formula, or constant value that you want to refer to using the defined name.
Your name is defined. You can see it here.
You can also define name in other way. Use this method to define name of ranges. Header will become names of range.
Create from Selection
In Microsoft Excel, you can use the Create from Selection feature to create defined names for a range of cells. This is a quick and easy way to create defined names for your worksheet. Here’s how you can use Create from Selection to create defined names in Excel:
Select range of cells you want to name (with header!).
Go to Ribbon. Click the Formulas tab. Next go to Defined names section. Click Create from Selection button.
In the Create Names from Selection dialog box, select the location of the labels or headings for the defined names. For example, if your labels or headings are in the first row, select Top row.
Click a proper check box.
Name is defined.
Excel will create defined names based on the labels or headings in the selected range of cells. For example, if the first row of your selected range of cells contains headings such as Name, Sales, and Profit, Excel will create defined names Name, Sales, and Profit for the corresponding columns in the selected range of cells.
Before using named ranges, your formula might have looked like this: =SUM(A1:B2). Now, you can write =SUM(Sales_Q1) — which is easier to understand and manage.
Now, you can use such formulas: =SUM(ExampleName,BestExcelTutorialExample). Excel stores all your defined names and offers them as suggestions via AutoComplete when writing formulas — just like it does with built-in functions.
Named ranges make your Excel functions cleaner and easier to use. With just a few clicks, you can reference key data using names instead of confusing cell references.
You can also edit, delete, or manage defined names in Excel. To edit a defined name, right-click the name in the Name box and select Edit Name. To delete a defined name, right-click the name in the Name box and select Delete. To manage defined names, go to the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, and click Name Manager.
