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How to Use Google Sheets to Copy a Formula Down an Entire Column in 2024

Copy a Formula Down an Entire Column in 2024

A formula has to be copied down to the final row of the Google Spreadsheet that you are working in. Copy a Formula Down an Entire Column in 2024. Additionally, the formula must be uploaded automatically to the Google Sheet whenever a new row is added.

There are several approaches to resolving this issue.

Copy a Formula Down an Entire Column in 2024

The fill handle in Google Sheets is the simplest way to copy down formulae. Once your formula is written in the spreadsheet’s first row, click the mouse pointer to the formula cell’s lower right corner.

You may drag the fill handle, represented by a black + sign, to the final row on the sheet when the cursor changes. In addition to copying the formulae to every neighboring cell, the fill handle also replicates the visual formatting.

Select the cell with formatting and use Ctrl+C to copy the formulae to the clipboard if you need to transfer them across cells without any formatting. Next, pick Paste Special and Paste Formula only from the context menu when you right-click on the range where the formula has to be applied.

Use Google Sheets to Apply Formula to the Entire Column

Array Formulas are a more effective alternative than copy-paste if you have hundreds of rows in a Google Spreadsheet and you want to apply the same formula to all rows of a specific column.

Select the column’s first cell and enter the formula as before. But this time, we’ll use the B2:B notation to define the full column as a parameter rather than just one cell (starting at cell B2 and going all the way down to the last row of column B).

Then hit Ctrl+Shift+Enter, or Cmd+Shift+Enter on Mac, and Google Sheets will automatically wrap your formula with ARRAYFORMULA function.

As a result, using just one cell, we could apply the formula to the full spreadsheet column. Because array formulas analyze several rows at once, they are more efficient. They are also simpler to maintain because editing the formula simply requires changing one cell.

One problem with the aforementioned formulas is that they apply to each and every row in the column, when you just want to add formulas to data-containing rows and ignore the blank ones.

This may be achieved by modifying our ARRAYFORMULA to include an IF clause that prevents the formula from applying to any blank rows.

  • If the cell that is being referred is empty, ISBLANK(A1) returns TRUE.
  • LEN(A1) <> 0 – Returns FALSE otherwise, and TRUE if the specified cell is not empty.

Inside column headers, use array formulas

In the earlier instances, the formulae were only introduced to the first row of the dataset and the content of the column headers (such as Tax, Total Amount) was pre-populated.

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Our formula may be further refined so that it can be used on the column header itself. If the index of the current row is 1, determined using the ROW() function, the formula outputs the column title else it does the computation using the formula.

How to Use ARRAYFORMULA’s VLOOKUP Function

ARRAYFORMULA and VLOOKUP may be used together to swiftly search across a whole column.

Let’s say you have a “Fruits” sheet with column A listing the names of the fruits and column B listing the costs associated with them. Fruit names are listed in column A of the second sheet, quantity is listed in column B, and you must compute the order amount in column C.

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To put it simply, output the column title in plain text if the current cell’s row is 1. Use a VLOOKUP to retrieve the item’s price from the Fruits sheet if the row is larger than 1 and column A of the current row is not empty. The value should then appear in cell C after multiplying that price by the quantity in cell B.

Use the IMPORTRANGE() method and the ID of the other Google Sheet if your VLOOKUP range is located in a different Google Spreadsheet.

FAQ

Ques: How do I copy a formula in Google Sheets?

Ans: To copy a formula, select the cell containing the formula, drag the fill handle down the column, or use the AutoFill feature. Ensure you understand relative and absolute cell references for accurate copying.

Ques: Can I use keyboard shortcuts to copy formulas?

Ans: Yes, improve your efficiency by utilizing keyboard shortcuts. Learn the combinations for copying formulas seamlessly in Google Sheets.

Ques: What should I do if I encounter formula errors?

Ans: Identify the error message, troubleshoot accordingly, and ensure your formula considers potential changes in data for consistent results.

Ques: Are there any collaborative features for formula editing?

Ans: Absolutely! Google Sheets offers collaborative editing, allowing multiple users to edit and copy formulas simultaneously.

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