In Excel: select the range, type a name like SalesData in the Name Box (left of the formula bar) and press Enter, then use =SUM(SalesData) in place of =SUM(B2:B100).
Select the cell or range you want to name.
Use Formulas ▸ Define Name, or type the name in the Name Box (left of the formula bar) and press Enter.
Or select a range with header labels and use Formulas ▸ Create from Selection to name it from the headers.
Use the name in formulas, e.g. =SUM(SalesData).
Open Name Manager (Ctrl+F3) to edit or delete names.
What this does
A named range is a human-readable label for a cell or range. Once defined, you can use the name in any formula instead of cell references, so =SUM(SalesData) reads more clearly than =SUM(B2:B100) and survives when rows move. Names are workbook-scoped by default. The same idea underpins a lot of everyday Excel work, so the few minutes spent getting it right here pay back across every sheet you build afterwards. Treat it as a pattern, not a one-off, and it stops being something you look up and starts being something you reach for. The difference between a quick fix and a sheet you can trust is the extra minute you spend validating “named range formula”. Start on a copy or a tiny sample, keep the affected named range visible, and compare the result with the tool above before you touch the real workbook. When a formula is involved, keep the inputs labelled beside it, reference cells instead of typing values, and apply number formatting only after the result checks out. The point is a workflow that saves repeating the same clicks every week, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.
A worked example
Select B2:B100, click the Name Box at the left of the formula bar, type SalesData and press Enter. Now =SUM(SalesData) totals the column and reads as plain English instead of =SUM(B2:B100). Named ranges make formulas readable and self-documenting, so a sheet someone else built is easy to follow and safe to edit. If there is any chance you will reuse this, drop it into a small template tab right now: a labelled input area on the left and the formula beside it, checked once against the tool above. Next time the same question comes up, the answer is a single paste away instead of a rebuild from memory.
In Google Sheets
Everything above works in Google Sheets too. Excel and Sheets share the formula syntax used here; only the surrounding menus are arranged differently. That portability is deliberate — learn it once and it follows you between the two tools and across Windows and Mac. Nothing on this page is behind a login: the tool runs entirely in your browser, the formula is shown in full with one-click copy, and the steps work the same on Windows and Mac. That is the whole promise here — the exact answer, a way to prove it on your own numbers, and just enough context to make it stick. Here is the takeaway for “named range formula”: copy the answer if you are busy, but if you have a spare few minutes, rebuild the example in Excel yourself with the tool above open beside it. That single pass — type it, run it, watch the result move when you change an input — is what turns a formula you found into a technique you trust. Keep your inputs labelled and referenced, never hard-coded, and the same sheet stays correct and auditable as it grows. Done that way, you will not need to look this up again, and you will be the person others ask.
Common mistakes
- Using spaces in a name (not allowed — use SalesData or Sales_Data).
- Starting a name with a number (names must start with a letter or underscore).
- Choosing a name that looks like a cell reference such as
A1orQ3. - Forgetting that a workbook-scoped name must be unique across the whole workbook.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a named range?
Select the range, then use Formulas ▸ Define Name or type a name in the Name Box and press Enter.
Where is the Name Box?
It is the small box at the left end of the formula bar that shows the current cell address.
How do I edit or delete a named range?
Open Name Manager with Ctrl+F3, then edit or delete any name there.
Can I do this in Google Sheets?
Yes. Use Data ▸ Named ranges to define and manage names.
Other ways people ask this
On the way here you may have searched this as “named ranges in excel”, “named range excel”, “excel remove named range” and “deleting a named range in excel” — it is all the same task, and this page is the single, complete answer to it.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “named ranges in excel”, “named range excel”, “excel remove named range” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.