Is there a way to hold down shift/ctrl, etc to make a cell reference an absolute reference when entering a formula instead of having to go back and enter $?

Absolute Reference in Excel In some cases, you don't want every reference in an Excel formula to update when you copy the formula to new cells.

Q: My partner says there’s an F4 shortcut to creating absolute cell references in Excel formulas, but for the life of me I can’t make it work.

Cells in Excel are referred to using relative or absolute references. A formula with relative references changes when the cell's position does.

There are a great many keyboard shortcuts you can use to work with Excel more efficiently. For a handy reference to all of them, some which work in other Office programs, Microsoft offers these ...

Mastering Excel's dollar sign for absolute references enhances spreadsheet skills and productivity.