How to Fix “Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet” Error in Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool that enables users to perform a variety of tasks, including data entry, calculation, and analysis. It features an array of functions and formulas that make it easy to perform complex calculations and manipulate data. The program also has a user-friendly interface and supports a wide range of file formats, making it easy to import and export data. Excel is often used in business, finance, and academic settings for tasks such as creating financial models, tracking budgets, and analyzing data. It is also widely used in the scientific and research communities for data analysis and visualization.

In this tutorial we will learn how to fix the “Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet” error in Microsoft Excel. “Excel found a problem with one or more formula references in this worksheet” is an error message that can occur when Excel is unable to resolve a reference in a formula, which can cause the formula to return an incorrect result or even break the calculation entirely. There are several reasons why this error message can occur.

Method 1 : Use Error Checking Function

Step 1 – Go to the Formula Tab

• Go to the Formula Tab in the menu bar.

Step 2 – Click on the Error checking button 

• Click on the Error Checking button in the Formula Auditing section.
• Error Checking dialog box will appear, it will show the cell reference and the formula in that cell containing error.

Step 3 – Click on Edit in Formula Bar and Replace the Wrong Cell Reference

• Click on the “Edit in Formula Bar” option in the Error Checking dialog box.
• Fix the error by replacing the wrong cell reference in the formula bar.
• After replacing the wrong cell reference, click on the Resume option in the Error Checking dialog box.
• Repeat this step till a dialog box “The error check is complete for the entire sheet” appears. 

Method 2 : Check the External Links

Step 1 – Go to the Data Tab

• Go to the Data Tab in the menu bar.

Step 2 – Click on the Edit Links button

• Click on the Edit Links button in the Queries & Connections section.

Step 3 – Click on the Update values option and Select the Source File 

• Click on the Update values option and select the source file of the link in the Update Values dialog box.
• After selecting the source file click on the Ok button in the dialog box.
• The status of that external link will change from unknown to OK.
• Repeat this step for each external link and Click on the close button in the Edit links Dialog box.

Step 4 – Check if the Errors have been fixed

• The errors would have been fixed and the cells with errors will now be showing the values.