Why does Excel add @ to my formula?
Excel formula
=B2:B7*C2:C7@ keeps an older formula returning one value instead of spilling. Remove it to get every result: =B2:B7*C2:C7 spills a line total for each row.
- Result on the example
- a 6-row list that spills from D2 in
D2 - Works in
- Excel 2021, 2024 and Microsoft 365
- Google Sheets
- Different formula, see below
See it work
The formula is already in D2. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
@ is the implicit intersection operator: it tells Excel to use only the value from the formula's own row. Excel adds it to formulas written in older versions, which expected one value, so they keep returning one value. Without it, =B2:B7*C2:C7 spills one line total per row from a single cell.
=B2:B7*C2:C7Result{6 rows × 1 col} 15, 37.45, 129.8, 13.5, …
B2:B76 rows × 1 col: 12, 5, 2, 30, …A range: 6 cells in one column.
C2:C76 rows × 1 col: $1.25, $7.49, $64.90, $0.45, …A range: 6 cells in one column.
B2:B7*C2:C7{6 rows × 1 col} 15, 37.45, 129.8, 13.5, …The * operator multiplies.
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets needs a different formula: =ARRAYFORMULA(B2:B7*C2:C7). On the same data it gives the same result. Here it is running in Google Sheets mode.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =IF(B2:B7="","",B2:B7*C2:C7) | spills 6 × 1 | Leaves rows without a quantity blank. |
Common mistakes
- Removing @ can produce #SPILL! if the cells below aren't empty. Clear them first.
[@Qty]in an Excel Table is different: it means "this row's Qty" and should stay.- If the file must work in Excel 2019 or earlier too, keep the @ (or one formula per row), since older versions can't spill.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Why does Excel add @ to my formula
D2, write one formula without @ that returns quantity times price for every row of B2:C7.Questions
Is it safe to delete the @?
Yes, when you want all the results and there is room for them to spill. Otherwise leave it: the formula then works as it always did.
Does Google Sheets use @?
No. Google Sheets uses ARRAYFORMULA to return a whole range from one formula.
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.