
To add a precedent tracer arrow, click on a cell. Remember, Excel will show you all cells that feed into the one you have clicked. If you select Remove Arrows, it will remove both Dependent and Precedent arrows. To remove a dependent tracer arrow, go to Remove Arrows in the Auditing group under the Formulas tab and click the downward arrow beside it. From the dropdown menu, choose Remove Dependent Arrows. We can now see all the cells that are dependent on cell B3. Since we created this worksheet, we know that there are formulas who rely on the data in cell B3 to perform their calculations. Instead, let's click on cell B3, then click Trace Dependents. Go to the Auditing section, and click Trace Dependents.Īs you can see, we get a message that there are not any formulas that refer to the active cell. To do this, we are going to go to the Formulas tab. We want to find out which cells are dependent on G4.
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We are going to first cover how to add dependent tracer arrows, followed by precedent tracer arrows, as well as how to remove them. The arrow ends in the cell you selected.Īdding and removing tracer arrows is easier than it may sound.

Precedent tracer arrows work in the opposite way. They show you what cells feed into the cell you have selected. The cell where the arrow starts is the first cell that feeds into the cell you selected. They show you the cells that come AFTER the cell you have selected and our dependent on the data from the cell you have selected. In Excel 2016, there are two different types of tracer arrows.ĭependent tracer arrows show you which cells are dependent upon the value in the cell you have selected.

Tracer arrows show you how data in one cell is connected to data on other cells. Tracer arrows allow you to trace problems in a worksheet. If there are errors in formulas or things are not working as they should within your worksheet, tracer arrows can help you find the problem. They do so by helping you trace "the path" of your data.

If you have a lot of data contained in your worksheets and workbooks, it can be a chore to go back and isolate each error, then take steps to fix it. Finding and fixing errors could wind up being just as time consuming as entering and calculating the data. At least, it would be if Excel 2016 did not offer you the tools you need to help you efficiently audit and troubleshoot your workbooks and data. With all the functions and formulas Excel 2016 allows you to use in worksheets and workbooks, there is little doubt that you are going to have some errors.
