ADDRESS Function in Excel: Build a Cell Address as Text

⏱ 1 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

LookupLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Related functions

ADDRESS returns a cell reference as text from row and column numbers — often combined with MATCH to report “where” something is.

Syntax

=ADDRESS(row_num, column_num, [abs_num], [a1], [sheet_text])
Argument What it means
abs_num 1 absolute ($A$1), 4 relative (A1).

Examples

Example 1

=ADDRESS(MATCH(MAX(E:E),E:E,0), 5, 4)

The cell holding the maximum, e.g. E142.

INDIRECT · MATCH · CELL

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