Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Tracing Precedent Cells.
Excel allows you to display precedent cells in much the same way as you do dependent cells, as described in the previous tip. All you need to do is select the cell whose precedents you want to see, and then click the Trace Precedents tool on the Auditing toolbar. Excel graphically displays arrows that show the relationship between the selected cell and any other cells in the worksheet. If you click on the tool again, the next level of precedent cells are displayed.
Precedent arrows are removed either by clicking on the Remove Precedent Arrows tool or by clicking on the Remove All Arrows tool.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2245) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Tracing Precedent Cells.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
Excel provides some great tools that can help you see the relationships between the formulas in your worksheets. These ...
Discover MoreWhen you starting linking information from one workbook to another, those workbooks become dependent on each other. ...
Discover MoreThe auditing tools provided in Excel can provide some very helpful information about how your formulas and data are ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2014-06-25 08:21:05
I am on a large spreadsheet and I want to leave trace Precedents on even after I save my work. Is this possible?
Thank you
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: 
Comments