Data manipulation and arithmetic operations are the main key features of Microsoft Excel. You can implement different perspectives, such as data charts and pivot tables, with the help of this app.
Even so, sometimes, when processing a data-sheet in Excel, you can see the “There are one or more circular references” message on your screen. To remove this message from your excel sheet, you must find the circular reference and fix them.
Locating a circular reference on MS Excel is an easy process. In this article, I will show you how you can quickly find a circular reference with the Error Checking option and remove them.
Don’t skip any part of this article if you want in-depth knowledge about circular references.
Let’s start!
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What is a Circular Reference in MS Excel?
As the name suggests, a circular reference is a formula connected to its own cells and calculates the same data repeatedly. A circular reference is a calculation circle that creates an infinite loop with its cells, and your spreadsheet processing capability will decrease due to it.
Two types of circular references can occur on your Excel sheet: Direct Circular Reference and Indirect Circular Reference. For your understanding, I am defining them below.
Direct Circular Reference
The Direct Circular Reference can appear when the last cell is connected to its own cells with a formula. In the Picture, you can see that cells A1 to A8 are selected in my Excel sheet, and when the formula is in operation, it creates an infinite loop. 
As a result, the Circular Reference message appears on my screen. This type of linear reference cell formation is known as Direct Circular Reference.
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Indirect Circular Reference
The Indirect Circular Reference on MS Excel occurs when different cells are connected with a formula and create a formation problem. The picture shows that D2, C9, and F6 cells are breaking the formula formation; as a result, the Indirect Circular Reference message pops up. 
How to Find a Circular Reference in MS Excel
When a circular reference problem message appears on your screen, you must find the source cell and fix its problem. Let’s sort out how you can locate Circular Reference.
Here are the steps to find a circular reference in MS Excel:
- Write down your specific chart or table on MS Excel and when the error message emerges.
- Select the MS Excel chart.
- Move to the Formulas section.
- Expand the Error Checking menu.
- Choose and click on the Circular References option.
Now you can see that all the Circular Reference is highlighted. Also, you can find the Circular reference in the status bar of an Excel sheet. To remove the reference, you must select and input the exact cell limit into the formula.
Read along because, in the next heading, I demonstrate how you can fix a circular reference in Microsoft excel.
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How to Remove a Circular Reference from MS Excel
Suppose your colleague gives you an Excel sheet, and upon opening the Excel sheet, you find that there is some Circular Reference problem on that spreadsheet.
In the previous section, I covered how to find a circular reference in Excel. But in this segment, I will show you how to remove that circular reference issue from your sheet.
Here are the steps to remove a circular reference from MS Excel:
1. Remove a Circular Reference from MS Excel
If you face the circular reference problem, you will definitely feel irritated. Don’t worry; track down the instructions below to remove a circular reference from your Excel sheet.
Here are the steps to remove a circular reference from Excel:
- Find the cells from the Excel sheet where the Circular Reference occurred.
- Look closely and Locate the problem. In the picture, you can see that the circular reference occurred in the A8 When I select that cell, I find that the summation limit is incorrect as it shows the sum from cell A2 to A8, but the limit should be A1 to A7.
- Highlight & Change the Formula Limit. I changed my Excel sheet’s limit from =SUM(A2:A8) to =SUM(A2:A7).
- Hit the Enter key.
Immediately you will see that your circular reference message is gone. But if you have several circulation reference problems, you can follow the process mentioned above to remove them.
2. Enable or Disable the Circular Reference Option
You can easily enable or disable this Circular Reference feature with some modifications on Excel. Let’s find out how to change Excel settings so that the circular reference message does not pop out.
Here are the steps to enable or disable the circular reference option on Excel:
- Open the MS Excel spreadsheet.
- Navigate to the File section.
- Select the More > Options menu.
- Move to the Formulas section.
- Check the Enable Iterative Calculation checkbox.
- Choose 1 for the Maximum Iterations box, which will run the formula calculation once. The number you input into the Iterations box can create that many circulation loops.
- Click on the OK button to keep the changes.
You will not see any Circular Reference message because your calculation will run only once. Additionally, read the next heading if you want to see the Circular Reference box with an indication sign.
How to Create Trace Precedent Sign to See the Circular Reference in Excel
With the help of the Trace Precedents feature, you can see the sign for circular reference in MS Excel. Let’s see how to select the Trace Precedents option to create a visual signal in Excel.
Here are the steps to create a Trace Precedent to see the Circular Reference in Excel:
- Open the MS Excel Spreadsheet on your device.
- Click on the Cell, which makes the Circular Reference problem.
- Move to the Formula section.
- Click on the Trace Precedents option.
Now you will see a Blue arrow descending from cell A2 to A8, meaning you have selected the wrong cell number in the formula. Choose the appropriate cell number if you want to remove that irritating circular reference message.
Hope this article helped you enormously to understand the Circular References function. Read on to find out what types of questions people frequently ask about this topic.
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FAQs
How do you remove a hidden link from MS Excel?
To remove a hidden link from MS Excel, select all the cells with Ctrl+A buttons, then Right-Click and choose the Remove Hyperlink option.
What is an embedded object in MS Excel?
The objects you add to your Excel sheet from another software like PDF, MS Word, or Other software is called the Embedded object in Microsoft Excel.
Can I insert an MS Excel sheet into an MS Word document?
Yes, you can insert an Excel sheet into an MS Word document. You just need to Copy your specific spreadsheet portion using the CTRL+A keys. Then Paste the selected section into your desired MS Word file with CTRL+V buttons.
Final Thoughts
MS Excel is a fantastic app that can process a lot of data within a short time. But when the Circular Reference Message error appears on your screen, you will be irritated.
Stay calm because finding the Circular Reference function in the Excel sheet is simple. Just Move to the Formulas section and select the Error Checking option.
After finding the circular reference, you must change the Cell Formula Limit to solve that issue. But you already know that because, in this article, I briefly define what circular reference is and how you can fix that.
It’s time to say goodbye. If you have any questions regarding this article, let me know in the comment section.
