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How to get the address of active cell in Excel?

Author: Siluvia Last Modified: 2024-08-22

While using the Microsoft Excel, you can easily get the location of currently selected cell in the Name Box which lists on the left of the Formula Bar. But if the cell is named, you can’t examine its location based on the displaying on the Name Box. And if you want to directly show the full address of the active cell, or display the address of active cell in a specified cell, what would you do? In this tutorial, we will show you how to easily get the address of the active cell with formula and VBA methods.

Get address of active cell with Formula
Get address of active cell with VBA code
Display the address of active cell in a specified cell with VBA code
Dynamically display the address of active cell with an amazing tool


Get address of active cell with Formula

In this section, we will provide you a formula of easily getting the address of active cell.

1. Select a cell to make it active.

2. Enter the below formula into it and then press the Enter key.

=ADDRESS(ROW(),COLUMN())

Get address of active cell with Formula

Then you can see the address of the current selected cell is displaying in the cell immediately.

Note: If you go to select a different cell, the address would not change automatically. For getting a dynamic address while selecting different cells, please apply the below methods.

Dynamically display the address of active cell:

The Enhanced Edit Bar utility of Kutools for Excel helps to display the address of active cell dynamically in worksheet in Excel. Besides, you can view and edit the seleced cell content directly in the window as the below demo shown.
Download and try it now! (30-day free trail)


Get address of active cell with VBA code

You can also get the address of active cell with VBA code. Please do as follows.

1. Press the Alt + F11 simultaneously to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, double click the name of current using worksheet in the left pane to open the Code editor, then copy and paste the below VBA code into the Code editor.

VBA code: Get address of active cell

Sub selectRange()
	MsgBox ActiveCell.Address
End Sub

copy and paste the code and run it

3. Then click the Run button to run the code.

4. Then a dialog box will pop up with the address of the active cell listed inside.

a dialog box will pop up with the address of the active cell


Display the address of active cell in a specified cell with VBA code

In another situation, you would like the address of active cell be displayed in a specified cell. Every time when you move from one cell to another, the cell address will be automatically changed and displayed in the specified cell. Please do as follows.

1. Please open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window by pressing Alt + F11 at the same time.

2. Double click the sheet name in the left pane to open the code editor, then copy and paste the below code into it.

VBA code: display the address of active cell in a specified cell

Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
	Range("A1").Value = ActiveCell.Address
End Sub

Note: A1 is the cell where you want to put the active cell address, you can change it to the specified cell for your own needs.

copy and paste the code into the module

3. Then click File > Close and Return to Microsoft Excel to exit the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

Close the code window and Return to Microsoft Excel

You can see the address of active cell displays on the cell A1, and the address will change automatically based on the changing of the active cell. See screenshot:

the address of active cell displays on a specific cell


Dynamically display the address of active cell with an amazing tool

If you want to dynamically display the address of active cell in worksheet, I highly recommend the Enhanced Edit Bar tool of Kutools for Excel. Let's see how this tool can dynamically display the address of active cell in worksheet.

Kutools for Excel offers over 300 advanced features to streamline complex tasks, boosting creativity and efficiency. Enhanced with AI capabilities, Kutools automates tasks with precision, making data management effortless. Detailed information of Kutools for Excel...         Free trial...

Before applying Kutools for Excel, please download and install it firstly.

1. Click Kutools > Show & Hide > Enhanced Edit Bar to enable the feature.

click Enhanced Edit Bar to enable the feature

From now on, every time you click a cell, the Enhanced Edit Bar window will pop up. And the address of the ative cell will be displayed on the bottom of the window.
Tips: You can directly view and edit the cell content directly in the window.

  If you want to have a free trial (30-day) of this utility, please click to download it, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.


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