Circular references
Circular references in Excel occur when a formula refers back to its own cell, either directly or indirectly, creating a loop. While this feature can be used intentionally for specific advanced calculations, it often leads to issues that can complicate your work.
What is a circular reference
A circular reference refers to a formula, that visits its own or another cell more than once in its chain of calculations, creating an infinite loop which slows down your spreadsheet significantly.
Iterative calculation, friend or foe?
Among the infinite number of settings in Excel, one innocent looking option fundamentally changes the way Excel calculates formula results. It goes by the name Iterative calculation.