Excel columns show numbers instead of letters: how to switch back

Switch R1C1 off

In R1C1 style, both rows and columns are numbered, so the cell you know as C2 is called R2C3: row 2, column 3. It's a real Excel feature, not damage or a virus, and switching it off is safe.

1. Go to File > Options (on some screens, File > More > Options).
2. Click Formulas on the left.
3. Under Working with formulas, untick R1C1 reference style.
4. Click OK. Headings and formulas switch back straight away.

On a Mac

On Excel for Mac the setting is in Excel > Preferences (Settings in newer macOS versions) > General: untick Use R1C1 reference style. The effect is the same: letters return to the column headings and formulas show A1 references.

Why it switched on, and why it comes back

The reference style is saved with each workbook, and Excel takes it from the first workbook you open in a session. So if a colleague, an old system export or a template saved a file in R1C1 style, opening that file first can switch your Excel to numbers, and every workbook you open after it shows numbers too.

A macro can also switch it: some VBA code sets Application.ReferenceStyle to xlR1C1 because R1C1 formulas are easier to write in code, and doesn't set it back. If the numbers keep returning, look for a file you open first thing every day, open it, untick the setting and save it.

How to read an R1C1 formula

If you need to work with it for a moment, the table above translates the common patterns. A number without brackets is a fixed position, like $ in A1 style: R2C3 is $C$2. A number in square brackets is an offset from the cell holding the formula: R[-1]C is one row up in the same column, RC[-2] is two columns to the left in the same row. Negative goes up or left, positive goes down or right.

Take D2, which multiplies quantity by price. In A1 style it shows =B2*C2. In R1C1 it shows =RC[-2]*RC[-1]: same row, two columns left, times same row, one column left.

That's why some people like R1C1: when you copy the formula down to D3, D4 and D5, the R1C1 text is identical in every row. A formula that looks different from its neighbours stands out, which is handy for auditing. For everyday work, A1 style with $ for fixed references is what most people use; see absolute references.

Finding a column number while you're in A1 style

Sometimes you need the number of a column, for example the column number a VLOOKUP asks for, or to read a macro written in R1C1. COLUMN returns it for any cell, so you don't have to count letters.