Interactive Excel error lab.
Pick #REF!, #VALUE!, #DIV/0!, #SPILL!, or #CALC!. Inspect the broken sheet, copy the fix, then send the example to the formula fixer.
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#REF!
Broken column index after the table shrank
#REF! means Excel is pointing at a cell, column, or sheet that no longer exists. In this sample, VLOOKUP asks for column 3 inside a two-column table, so the reference is already invalid.
Sample broken formula
=VLOOKUP(A2,A:B,3,FALSE)Paste-ready fix
=XLOOKUP(A2,A:A,B:B)Point at the return column directly. XLOOKUP does not use a numeric column index that can go stale.
The fixer opens with this broken formula, #REF!, and the expected result already filled in. Open this station.
Five errors, one worksheet
The written error guides stay in place for search and deep reading. Use this lab when you want a sample you can click, copy, and hand to the fixer.
Error lab FAQ
How is the error lab different from the Excel error guides?
The guides explain each error in writing. The lab is a worksheet you can click: a broken sample, a paste-ready fix, and a button that loads that example into the formula fixer.
Which Excel errors can I load into the fixer?
The lab covers #REF!, #VALUE!, #DIV/0!, #SPILL!, and #CALC!. Each station sends the broken formula, the exact error, and the expected result.
Does sending an example run the fixer automatically?
No. The formula fixer opens already filled in. Review the fields, then submit when you want a correction.