Excel’s INFO and CELL functions tell you what’s happening under the hood

Excel has plenty of built-in functions for calculations, but some of the most useful ones don't crunch numbers at all—they reveal information about your spreadsheet itself. The INFO and CELL functions are two of these gems that tell you things like which operating system you're running, where a file is saved, or what format a cell uses.

If you've ever needed to troubleshoot a spreadsheet issue, track down formatting problems, or simply make your workbooks more dynamic, these functions can help. They're not flashy, and you won't find them topping lists of must-know Excel formulas, but they offer a level of control that's useful once you know they exist.

The INFO function reveals Excel and system details

Get system info without digging through menus

The INFO function pulls metadata about your Excel environment. That includes things like which version you're running, where your files are saved, and how many worksheets are in the active workbook. It's a simple function that takes only one argument, but it can return a surprising amount of helpful information.

It uses the following syntax:

=INFO(type_text)

The type_text argument specifies the information to return. Here's what you can ask for:

• "directory": Returns the full path of the current directory or folder where Excel is looking for files.
• "numfile": Shows the number of active worksheets in all open workbooks.
• "origin": Returns the cell reference of the top-left visible cell in the window, formatted as an absolute reference with a dollar sign prefix. This is primarily relevant for Lotus 1-2-3 compatibility and isn't commonly used anymore.
• "osversion": Displays the current operating system version running on your computer. You might see something like "Windows (64-bit) NT 10.00" if you're on Windows 11 or Windows 10.
• "recalc": Tells you the current recalculation mode—either "Automatic" or "Manual." This is helpful when troubleshooting slow spreadsheets or checking if formulas are set to update automatically.
• "release": Returns the version of Excel you're using. The output appears to be a version number, such as "16.0" for Microsoft 365 or Excel 2019.
• "system": Shows the name of the operating environment. On Windows, this returns "pcdos". On Mac, it returns "mac". It's an older function meant for compatibility, but it still works.

Let's say you want to check which version of Excel someone is using before they run a macro that relies on newer features. You could use the following formula in a cell, and it'll display the version number:

=INFO("release")

If the result is below a certain threshold, you can display a warning message using an IF statement.

Another example—if you're sharing a workbook with a team and need to confirm everyone has automatic recalculation turned on, you can use:

=INFO("recalc")

Pair that with conditional formatting, and you can flag any workbook where it's set to manual.

The INFO function isn't something you'll use in every spreadsheet, but when you need to pull system or environment details without leaving Excel, it's precisely what you need.

The CELL function shows you what's inside your cells

Check formatting and properties with a single formula

While INFO tells you about your Excel environment, CELL digs into individual cells and returns details about their formatting, location, and content. It's handy when you need to check cell properties programmatically or troubleshoot formatting inconsistencies across a large dataset.

The syntax looks like this:

=CELL(info_type, [reference])

The info_type argument is a text string that specifies the type of information you want. The optional reference argument points to the cell you want to inspect. Excel uses the last cell that was changed if you leave it out.

Here's what you can retrieve with CELL:

• "address": Returns the cell reference as text, including the sheet name. For example, if you're inspecting cell B5 on Sheet1, it returns "$B$5".
• "col": Gives you the column number of the referenced cell. Column A is 1, column B is 2, and so on. This is helpful when you need to work with column positions in formulas.
• "color": Returns 1 if the cell is formatted with a color for negative values, and 0 otherwise. This only works with cells that have been manually formatted—not with conditional formatting.
• "contents": Displays the value in the cell. If it's a formula, it returns the result, not the formula itself.
• "filename": Shows the full path and filename of the workbook, including the sheet name. If the workbook hasn't been saved yet, it returns an empty string.
• "format": Returns a text code that represents the number format applied to the cell. For example, "G" means General, "F0" is a number with no decimal places, and "D1" is a date format like dd-mm-yy.
• "parentheses": Returns 1 if the cell is formatted to display positive or all values with parentheses, otherwise 0.
• "prefix": Shows the alignment prefix—an apostrophe for left-aligned text, a quotation mark for right-aligned, a caret for centered, and a backslash for fill-aligned. If the cell contains a number, it returns an empty string.
• "protect": Returns 1 if the cell is locked, and 0 if it's unlocked. This is useful when auditing which cells are editable in a protected sheet.
• "row": Gives you the row number of the referenced cell. Similar to "col", but for rows.
• "type": Returns "b" if the cell is blank, "l" if it contains text, and "v" if it contains any other value, like numbers or logical values.
• "width": Shows the column width rounded to the nearest integer. Excel also appends "{Default}" if the column is using the default width.

Let's say you're working with a shared spreadsheet where different people have inconsistently formatted dates. You can use:

=CELL("format", A2)

It will check what number format is applied. If the result is something like "D4", you know it's a date format. If it's "G", it's still formatted as General and needs fixing.

For instance, if you want to build a dynamic reference that tells you which sheet a formula is on, you can use:

=CELL("filename", A1)

The result includes the full file path and sheet name, which you can extract using text functions like MID and FIND.

You can also use CELL to check if someone accidentally unlocked cells that should be protected. For instance, the following formula returns 0 if the cell is unlocked, which you can flag with conditional formatting:

=CELL("protect", B2)

The CELL function doesn't update automatically unless the workbook recalculates. If you change a cell's formatting and the CELL result doesn't update, press Ctrl + Alt + F9 to force a complete recalculation.

Practical ways to use INFO and CELL in your spreadsheets

From troubleshooting to automation, these functions actually solve problems

Now that you know what these functions can do, let's put them to work. If you're troubleshooting a spreadsheet that isn't calculating correctly, =INFO("recalc") tells you immediately whether automatic calculation is turned on. Wrap it in an IF statement like the following and you've got a built-in alert:

=IF(INFO("recalc")="Manual", "Check calculation mode", "Yes, all good!")

CELL is handy for formatting audits. Let's say you have a column of dates, but some are formatted as text. You can use the following formula and drag it down:

=CELL("type", A4)

Any cell that returns "l" instead of "v" is text and needs to be fixed.

You can also build smarter spreadsheets that adapt based on cell properties. If you're creating a template that others will use, you can check whether someone accidentally unlocked a formula cell:

=CELL("protect", B5)

Combine that with conditional formatting, and you can highlight cells that shouldn't be editable.

These functions give you more control

INFO and CELL do things most people handle manually

Most people rely on manual checks or VBA to inspect spreadsheet properties, but INFO and CELL handle this without any coding. They're built into most versions of Excel, require no add-ins, and work in formulas you can copy across entire datasets.

If you're managing shared workbooks or building templates for others, these functions let you automate checks that would otherwise require constant manual review. Pair them with conditional formatting or data validation, and you can catch issues before they become problems. They won't replace advanced auditing tools, but for quick diagnostics and dynamic references, they're hard to beat.