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
.
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
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
, andD4
usesC3
, andE5
usesD4
, bothD4
andE5
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.