In Excel, if you want to reference a cell (such as C2) in a formula while maintaining a fixed row (2) but allowing the column to change as you copy the formula across different columns, you should use an absolute reference for the row and a relative reference for the column.
To do this, you would write the reference as follows:
C$2
In this case:
- The dollar sign ($) before the row number (2) makes the row reference absolute, meaning that it will not change when you copy the formula to other rows.
- The absence of a dollar sign before the column letter (C) makes the column reference relative, meaning that it will change when you copy the formula to other columns.
So, if you have a formula in D1 that references C$2, and you copy it to E1, the reference will automatically adjust to D$2. If you copy it to D2, the reference will stay as C$2.