microsoft excel cannot calculate a formula. there is a circular reference in an open workbook, but the references that cause it cannot be listed for you.

Question

I have tried everything I can think of. Can you please help with the following error message:

microsoft excel cannot calculate a formula. there is a circular reference in an open workbook, but the references that cause it cannot be listed for you. Try editing the last formula you entered or removing it with the undo command

Answer 1

Hello,

I was having the same issue and went through all the steps and checked everything.  Then, I reread the article, and it said something about displaying circular references in the toolbar in the bottom left corner.  I looked and it displayed "Circular Reference E134."  I went to the cell and sure enough it was there!  I deleted the formula and then went through each tab (I had copied this sheet for months) and found the circular references and deleted them.  It was made most likely when I was clicking and dragging things.  I got so used to just clicking "Okay" that I stopped worrying about it...sometimes....hope this helps.

Answer 2

I apparently have more than one circular reference, so it doesn’t list any cells. Is there still a way to find the cells with a circular reference?

Answer 3

Hi, That was cool. I was having a nightmare with this error message. And under the formulas tab, error checking there were no references. Thanks for solving this nightmare. Sanjeev.