This is great for simply understanding how a formula works or for finding out the positioning of a #REF! error – especially over an area containing multiple cells. This toggles the display of the current worksheet, allowing you to switch views between cell values and cell formulas. The quickest way to evaluate a formula in Excel is to press CTRL + ~ (tilde). In Excel there are typically many ways to perform the same task, so it should be no surprise that there are multiple ways to evaluate formulas. What many people don’t know, however, is that F9 can also be used to understand and debug formulas. Evaluating an Excel Formula with “Edit” Mode and the F9 KeyĪlmost everybody knows that pressing the F9 key in Excel recalculates all of the worksheets within all of the workbooks that a user has open.