Fix #REF! errors in Excel and find every broken reference

A #REF! error appears when a formula refers to a cell, row, column or sheet that was deleted, or when a copied formula points outside the sheet. The formula text itself now contains #REF!, so it can never recover on its own.

Why it matters

• Totals that include a #REF! cell return #REF! too — or are silently skipped if wrapped in IFERROR.
• Deleted helper sheets often take references in other sheets with them.

How to find it manually in Excel

1. Press Ctrl + F, search for #REF! with "Look in: Formulas".
2. Use Go To Special → Formulas → Errors to select error results.

How DraftReview detects it

Every formula is parsed; any formula whose text contains #REF! outside of a string literal is reported with the full formula.

How to fix it

1. Use Undo if the deletion just happened.
2. Otherwise rebuild the reference to the correct cell or sheet, then check everything that depends on it.

Related checks

• Hard-coded numbers in formula columns
• Inconsistent formulas
• Formula error values