How to lock all cell references in formulas at once in Excel?

Normally, you need to lock all cell references to make them absolute in order to prevent cell references changed with formulas. This article shows you methods to achieve it.

Lock all cell references in formulas at once with VBA code
Easily lock all cell references in formulas at once with Kutools for Excel

Lock all cell references in formulas at once with VBA code

You can run the following VBA code to lock all cell references in formulas at once in a selected range. Please do as follows.

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

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, click Insert > Module. Then copy and paste the below VBA code into the Module window.

VBA code: Lock all cell references in formulas at once

Sub test()
    Dim xRg As Range
    Dim xTxt As String
    Dim xCell As Range
    On Error Resume Next
    If ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.Count > 1 Then
      xTxt = ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.AddressLocal
    Else
      xTxt = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.AddressLocal
    End If
    Set xRg = Application.InputBox("Select range:", "Kutools for Excel", xTxt, , , , , 8)
    If xRg Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
    For Each xCell In xRg
        xCell.Formula = Application.ConvertFormula(xCell.Formula, xlA1, , xlAbsolute)
    Next
End Sub

3. Press the F5 key to run the code, then a Kutools for Excel dialog box pops up, please select the cell range with formulas you need to lock the references inside, and finally click the OK button. See screenshot:

Then all cell references are locked in selected formula cells at once. See screenshot:

Easily lock all cell references in formulas at once with Kutools for Excel

The Convert Refers utility of Kutools for Excel helps you quickly lock all cell references in formulas at once with several clicks.

1. Select the formula cells you need to lock, then click Kutools > More > Convert Refers. 

2. In the Convert Formula References dialog box, select the To absolute option in the Convert formula references section, and then click the OK button.

Then all cell references are locked (converted to absolute references) in selected formula cells at once. See screenshot:

Easily lock all cell references in formulas at once with Kutools for Excel

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