What F4 Does in Excel (Windows and Mac)

F4 in Excel does two useful things, depending on what you are doing. While you edit a formula, it adds $ signs to a cell reference so the reference stays fixed when you copy. When you are not editing, it repeats your last action on Windows. This guide covers both jobs, the Mac equivalents, and why F4 sometimes seems to do nothing on a laptop.

What does F4 do in Excel?#

F4 behaves differently depending on whether a cell is in edit mode:

Edit mode means you can see a blinking cursor inside the cell or the formula bar, after typing =, pressing F2 or double-clicking a cell.

How F4 adds $ signs to references#

While you edit a formula, put the cursor in or next to a reference and press F4. Each press moves to the next type:

Here is the classic use. Prices are in B2:B4 and one tax rate of 20% is in E1. In C2, type =B2*E1. Before you press Enter, click on E1 in the formula and press F4 once:

=B2*$E$1

Press Enter and the result is 10 (50 × 0.2). Fill the formula down with Ctrl+D (⌘D on a Mac), and C3 becomes =B3*$E$1 (7) and C4 becomes =B4*$E$1 (16). B2 moved, but E1 stayed fixed. Without the $ signs, C3 would point to E2, which is empty, and return 0.

To see why this matters, read the guide to Excel cell references. The two-press and three-press forms are mixed references, which lock only the row or only the column; see how to copy a formula without changing references for related tricks.

How to change every reference at once#

F4 changes only the reference at the cursor. To change several at once, select them in the formula bar first.

1. Click the cell, then click in the formula bar.
2. Select the whole formula text, or just the part with the references you want to change.
3. Press F4. Every reference in the selection moves to the next type together.

This is handy for a formula like =SUMIF(A2:A20,G2,C2:C20) when you want to lock both ranges before filling down. Select the text from A2 to C20, press F4, then remove the $ signs from G2 if it should stay relative.

How F4 repeats your last action#

When you are not editing a cell, F4 repeats the last thing you did. It works for many formatting and editing actions:

• Insert a row: insert one row, then click elsewhere and press F4 to insert another.
• Delete a column: delete one, select the next and press F4.
• Apply formatting: fill one cell yellow, then select another cell and press F4.

On Windows, Ctrl+Y does the same thing when there is nothing to redo. On a Mac, use ⌘Y. Not every action can be repeated. If F4 does nothing, use the ribbon or the action's own shortcut again. The guide to editing cells, undo and redo explains how repeat fits with undo and redo, and how to insert and delete rows and columns has the shortcuts that pair well with F4.

Why is F4 not working?#

If F4 does nothing, or changes your screen brightness, one of these is usually the cause:

• Laptop function keys. Many laptops use the top row for brightness, volume or other features. Hold Fn and press F4, or turn on Fn Lock (often Fn+Esc, but it varies by brand).
• Mac function keys. Hold fn, use ⌘T, or tick "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" in macOS keyboard settings.
• Not in edit mode. F4 only toggles references while you are editing. Press F2 first, or click in the formula bar.
• Cursor not on a reference. If the cursor is on a function name or a number, F4 has nothing to change.
• Nothing to repeat. Outside edit mode, F4 needs a repeatable last action.

F4 in a job test#

Excel tests often include a task that only works if one cell is locked, such as a commission rate, an exchange rate or a tax rate in a single cell. The fastest route is to type the formula, press F4 on the fixed reference, and fill down. Then click the last cell in the column and read its formula. If the fixed reference still points to the rate cell, you got it right. That one check catches the most common reference mistake before you hand in your answers.

Other F4 shortcuts to know#

F4 combines with other keys, and two of them close things:

Shift+F4 is useful after you search for a word with Ctrl+F: close the dialog and press Shift+F4 to jump to each next match. The guide to Find and Replace in Excel covers the full search options.

Practise it#

F4 saves time only once it is a habit. Try the tax exercise on this page, then open the relative vs absolute references lesson to fill a formula down, watch it break, and fix it with $ and F4 in a live spreadsheet. For the editing side, the edit, clear and undo lesson has you fix cells, cancel edits and undo mistakes. Each step is checked instantly.