How to use the OFFSET function in Excel

This article describes how to use the OFFSET function to return the value of a cell that is a specified number of rows and columns away from a cell or range of cells that you referenced in an adjacent range.

Enter the following data into a blank Excel worksheet. You will use this data for all sample formulas in this article.

Enter the following formulas into cell E2 (or any available blank cell):

• C2 - The referenced cell.
• 2 - Indicates the number of rows to move. Positive numbers mean move down, and negative numbers mean move up.
• -1 - Indicates the number of columns to move. Positive numbers mean move to the right, and negative numbers mean move to the left.
• 1 (second last value) - (Optional.) Indicates how many rows of data to return. This number must be a positive number.
• 1 (last value) - (Optional.) Indicates how many columns of data to return. This number must be a positive number.

Examples:

When you use this formula, the OFFSET function returns the value of the cell that is located two rows down (2) and 1 row to the left (-1) of cell C2 (which is cell B4). The value in cell B4 is "101". Therefore, the formula returns "101".