As you work with data in Excel, you’ll likely find yourself using data in many different categories. Values exist in ranges, and you may want to identify these ranges by name. Fortunately, that’s quite easy to do in Excel. Let’s learn how to use Define Name in Microsoft Excel.
How to Use Define Name in Excel
Naming ranges in Excel helps streamline your formulas. Instead of selecting the entire range and placing it in the formula, you can simply use the name of your choice. To use Define Name and give your range a name of its own, begin by clicking and dragging your cursor to select the cell range that you want to name. In this example, the range is C1:C5.
Then, find the Formulas tab and click on it. Formulas sits on Excel’s ribbon at the top of your screen. Here, you’ll see a variety of options. The one you’re looking for is the Define Name button near the center.
Click on it, and Excel will open the Define Name menu. Here, you can choose from pre-selected names already found inside your workbook. Or you can type in your own custom name in the box on the right side. Go ahead and type in a name, like Revenue, then click OK.
Excel will define a name for the selected range. To put it to use, click into an empty cell. Imagine that you want to sum the values in the named range. To do so, you can simply type the following formula:
=SUM(REVENUE)
Hit Enter on your keyboard, and Excel will sum the values. Since the range is named, Excel knows where to look based on the name. You can avoid clicking and dragging to select the range with this technique.
As you can see, Define Name in Excel is a quick and easy way to classify, name, and work with data ranges.
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