Microsoft Excel - Column Labels Are Numbers Instead of Letters

Microsoft Excel can be configured to display column labels as numbers instead of letters. This feature is called "R1C1 Reference Style", and though it can be useful, it can also be confusing if inadvertently enabled.

This document contains instructions for disabling the "R1C1 Reference Style" feature in the following versions of Microsoft Office:

Office 2008/2011 (Mac)

  1. Click on the Excel menu at the top of the screen and select Preferences.

    From the top left menu, Excel and Preferences (third down) are highlighted.

  2. Click on General.

    Under Authoring, General is the first option and is highlighted.

  3. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.

  4. Click OK at the bottom.

    Uncheck the "Use R1C1 reference style" box and the Ok button at the bottom right.

Office 2010/2013 (Win)

  1. Click on the File tab at the top of the screen and select Options.

    In the top left menu, File and Options (second from the bottom) are highlighted.

  2. Click Formulas.

  3. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.

  4. Click OK at the bottom of the window.

    Under working with formulas, uncheck R1C1 reference style and select Ok in the bottom right.

Office 2007 (Win)

  1. Click on the Office button in the top left hand corner.

  2. Click on Excel Options.

    The Windows symbol in the top left is selected with the Excel Options button in the bottom right of the tab highlighted.

  3. Select the Formulas tab on the left.

  4. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.

  5. Click OK at the bottom.

    Under working with formulas, uncheck R1C1 reference style and select Ok in the bottom right.

Office 2003 (Win)

  1. Click on the Tools menu.

  2. Choose Options.

  3. Click on the General tab.

  4. Uncheck R1C1 Reference Style.


Keywords:
excel xp 2001 2002 2003 2007 2008 column label number letter r1c1 format display header reference 
Doc ID:
781
Owned by:
Help Desk KB Team in DoIT Help Desk
Created:
2000-11-21
Updated:
2026-07-07
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk