Return values from the row above to the current row

calendar_today Asked Aug 23, 2010
thumb_up 41 upvotes
history Updated April 16, 2026

Question posted 2010 · +16 upvotes

I am trying to do simple thing: I just need to set some cells to values that are on the previous rows. I have tried =A(Row()-1) but it does not work.

Accepted answer +41 upvotes

To solve this problem in Excel, usually I would just type in the literal row number of the cell above, e.g., if I’m typing in Cell A7, I would use the formula =A6. Then if I copied that formula to other cells, they would also use the row of the previous cell.

Another option is to use Indirect(), which resolves the literal statement inside to be a formula. You could use something like:

=INDIRECT("A" & ROW() - 1)

The above formula will resolve to the value of the cell in column A and the row that is one less than that of the cell which contains the formula.

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