OFFSET Function

The OFFSET function is one of the lookup and reference functions. It is used to return a reference to a cell displaced from the specified cell (or the upper-left cell in the range of cells) to a certain number of rows and columns.

Syntax

OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, [height], [width])

The OFFSET function has the following arguments:

Argument	Description
reference	A reference to an initial cell or range of cells.
rows	A number of rows, up or down, that you want the upper-left cell in the returned reference to refer to. Positive numbers mean the result will shift below the initial cell. Negative values mean it will shift above the initial cell.
cols	A number of columns, to the left or right, that you want the upper-left cell in the returned reference to refer to. Positive numbers mean the result will shift to the right of the initial cell. Negative values mean it will shift to the left of the initial cell.
height	A number of rows in the returned reference. The value must be a positive number. It's an optional argument. If it is omitted, the function will assume it to be equal to the initial range height.
width	A number of columns in the returned reference. The value must be a positive number. It's an optional argument. If it is omitted, the function will assume it to be equal to the initial range width.

Notes

Please note that this is an array formula. To learn more, please read the Insert array formulas article.

How to apply the OFFSET function.

Examples

The figure below displays the result returned by the OFFSET function.

Return to previous page