INDIRECT
Supported, behaves as documentedCategory: Lookup and reference · Last tested 2026-07-04
Support matrix
| Engine | Documented | Live-tested | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| Google Sheets | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| LibreOffice Calc | Yes | Yes (24.2.7.2, 2026-07-04) | Supported, behaves as documented |
Executed test cases
LibreOffice Calc 24.2.7.2 (tested 2026-07-04)
| Formula | Description | Result | Expected | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =INDIRECT("A1") | Basic ref_text naming a cell literally | 42 | 42 | Matched |
| =INDIRECT("A"&2) | ref_text built dynamically by concatenating column letter and a row number | 99 | 99 | Matched |
| =INDIRECT("NotACell!!") | A ref_text string that isn't a valid cell reference in either A1 or R1C1 style -> #REF! | #REF! | #REF! https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/indirect-function-474b3a3a-8a26-4f44-b491-92b6306fa261 -- documents that an invalid ref_text returns the #REF! error value |
Matched |
| =INDIRECT("R2C1",FALSE) | a1=FALSE switches ref_text parsing to R1C1 notation; R2C1 means row 2, column 1 = A2 | 7 | 7 | Matched |
| =INDIRECT("Z50") | Referencing a genuinely blank cell returns 0, matching normal cell-reference behavior in a numeric context | 0 | 0 | Matched |
Docs & syntax
- Excel: official documentation
- Google Sheets: official documentation
- LibreOffice Calc: official documentation