How to trace dependents in Google Sheets

Why use Select Special in Google Sheets

When working with complex spreadsheets, it’s important to know which cells depend on the values of other cells. This is essential to audit formulas, troubleshoot issues, and understand how data flows through your spreadsheet.

Select Special for Google Sheets helps you quickly find and select dependents — cells that rely on the values of other cells in their formulas.

What are dependents

Dependents are cells that use other cells’ values in their formula. For example, if cell C3 contains the formula =B2 * 2, then C3 is a dependent of B2.

Tip

Dependents are the opposite of precedents.

Precedents are cells are cells that you reference in a formula — the inputs. For example, if cell C3 contains the formula =B2 * 2, then B2 is a precedent. See How to trace precedents in Google Sheets.

Why trace dependents

Tracing dependents in Google Sheets helps you:

• Understand how changes to one cell affect other cells.
• Debug formula errors faster by tracing how data flows.
• Audit your spreadsheet for accuracy.

How to trace dependents with Select Special

Tip

If you haven’t installed the Select Special add-on yet, follow this installation guide.

1. Select the source cell

Click the cell whose dependents you want to trace in Google Sheets. This is the cell that other formulas reference.

2. Choose the level of dependents

Decide how many levels of dependents to select:

• First level: Select only cells that directly reference the cell you chose in their formulas.
• All levels: Select all dependent cells, even if the connection goes through several other cells. For example, if you select C3, and D4 uses C3, and E5 uses D4, both D4 and E5 will be selected.

3. Select dependents

Click Select at the bottom of the add-on. It will find and select the dependents based on the chosen scope.