Watch Window in Excel – Keep Track of Important Cells

Assume a target where you need to track the changes in the value of a particular cell. The cell of interest is hundreds of rows below (N300 and N500 for example). We want to see the effect of changing E50 and G50 on N300 and N500. Or we could want to keep an eye on their formulas. Do we keep scrolling back and forth?

Or what if we want to compare two values on the sheet for analysis? Or even two values on different sheets? See the example posed below:

Keep Track of Important Cells

We have some dummy data that is, let's suppose, a scaled-down version (for ease of understanding) that actually consists of thousands of rows of a superstore chain's sales. Temporarily, we want to fix the totals of Regions A and B in place.

What are our options? Freeze panes? That would freeze a certain part of the data and may not contain the exact cells we need. Collapse groups? Thanks to the Subtotal feature used in the case example above, we can easily collapse the groups to show just the Region subtotals.

Keep Track of Important Cells

That's swell, we got the groups to bunch up but how are we going to access the data in the collapsed groups? We need something more foolproof and the best option for this example case is to employ the Watch Window for tracking cells of our choice. What can the Watch Window do for us?

Watch Window In Excel

What is Watch Window in Excel?

Watch Window is a super handy toolbar in Excel that helps you keep a "watch" over the formulas and values of important cells as you work on the rest of the sheet or another sheet. Use the Watch Window to view the value, formula, and address of a cell or locate the cell added as a Watch.

This feature makes viewing changes reflected in the watch cells figures a breeze especially if the cells aren't visible on the sheet as part of a large dataset. The Watch Window is a most favorable feature for large worksheets as it pins the details of the specified cells so you can track them without having to scroll through or back and forth.

The Watch Window hovers on top of the workbook like a floating widget while the sheet can be accessed normally. It can be used to watch cells in the same sheet or different sheets in the workbook.

Excel binoculars at the ready and eyes peeled. Let's get window-watching!

Keep Track of Important Cells Using Watch Window

Now let's find out how to use the Watch Window for monitoring some selective important cells. To do that, you will have to add a cell to the Watch Window as a Watch. The steps for accessing the Watch Window from the Ribbon in Excel and adding a Watch are given below:

  • Go to the Formulas tab and select the Watch Window button from the Formula Auditing
  • What is Watch Window in Excel?
  • This will launch the Watch Window and it will look something like this:
  • Keep Track of Important Cells Using Watch Window
  • Now that the Watch Window is open, we can begin adding Watches. The steps right ahead will guide you on how to add a single cell as a Watch:
  • Select the Add Watch command button at the top of the Watch Window.
  • Keep Track of Important Cells Using Watch Window
  • A small dialog box will open with a field for entering the cell location.
  • Click on the cell that you want to pin as a Watch and the cell address will automatically get entered in the field. You may also type the cell address in.
  • In the provided example case, we want to track cell H16 and the selection is confirmed by the marching ants line. The field in the Add Watch dialog box now contains the cell address of H16 from Sheet1.
  • Keep Track of Important Cells Using Watch Window
  • Click on the Add

The selected cell will be added in the Watch Window as a Watch and can be tracked from there in terms of the value, formula, cell address, sheet, workbook, and cell name (if any).

Keep Track of Important Cells Using Watch Window

Now you can go anywhere in the workbook and still see the Watch's details in the Watch Window. Double-click on a Watch entry to relocate the cell on the worksheet.

Let's make a change in the worksheet. We'll increase the number of units for the item in row 15 by 1.

Keep Track of Important Cells Using Watch Window

As noted, the Watch Window reflects the change in the worksheet which has increased the subtotal from $2,145.13 to $2,170.88. If the changes do not affect the cell entered as a Watch, the change will not show in the Watch Window.

Adding Another Watch

The Watch Window can take more cells as Watches. Repeat the same steps (also given below) as above to add another entry to the Watch Window.

  • Select the Add Watch button in the Watch Window.
  • Adding Another Watch
  • Choose the cell that you want to add from the sheet or enter the complete cell address.
  • We're going to add another subtotal using our case example which is the total of Region B's figures located in cell H27.
  • Adding Another Watch
  • Hit the Add

The second cell, H27 in this case will be added to the Watch Window:

Adding Another Watch

Note: There is no requirement in Excel of having to add cells one by one as Watches. Multiple cells can be added as individual Watches depending on the selection made.

Adjacent cells: Let's consider selecting the unit prices of the last 3 items in Region A i.e. cells D13:D15. When selecting cells on the sheet while adding a Watch, click and drag the consecutive cells. The marching ants line will surround the selection and the field in the Add Watch dialog box will contain addresses of all the selected adjacent cells. When you press Add Watch, 3 Watches will be added for cells D13, D14, and D15 individually.

Non-adjacent cells: For a disjointed selection, (e.g. selecting totals of Regions A, B, and C), select Region A's total when adding an entry in the Watch Window. Then hold down the Ctrl key and select Region B's total and then Region C's. Let go of the Ctrl key. The marching ants line will surround H16, H27, and H31. Three Watches will be added separately for all three cells.

Watch Window Keyboard Shortcut

Open the Watch Window in Excel using a keyboard shortcut. The shortcut takes the Ribbon passage to access the Watch Window from the Formulas tab. The keyboard shortcut for opening the Watch Window with a keyboard shortcut in Excel is:

Alt, M, W

The given keys are to be entered in the given order, not all pressed together.

The Alt key is used to display the hotkeys above the Ribbon.

The M key selects the Formulas tab.

The W key chooses the Watch Window icon in the Formula Auditing group of the tab and launches the Watch Window.

With the Alt, M, W keyboard shortcut, this is how the Watch Window will open:

Watch Window Keyboard Shortcut

Hereon, you can proceed to add Watches.

Watch Cells from Multiple Worksheets

The utility provided by the Watch Window is not limited to a single sheet, cells can be watched from multiple sheets simultaneously. The process is effortlessly simple and is like adding another cell in the Watch Window. Use the following steps to watch cells in Excel from multiple worksheets alongside each other:

In the scenario below, we are adding cell H16 from Sheet1 as the first Watch.

Watch Cells from Multiple Worksheets
  • Once that is done, to add a Watch from another sheet, again click on the Add Watch button in the Watch Window.
  • Watch Cells from Multiple Worksheets
  • Click on the other sheet tab from which you want to add the cell. Select the cell in the other sheet.
  • We have selected H13 from Sheet2.
  • Watch Cells from Multiple Worksheets
  • Select the Add button to add the Watch.
Watch Cells from Multiple Worksheets

Now you can see that cell H13 has been added as well as H16 but both are from different sheets in the workbook.

Docking Watch Window Below Ribbon

The Watch Window can be resized from the edge of the window. Also, instead of having the Watch Window as a floating little screen, you can opt to dock it below the Ribbon as part of the toolbar. If you find that the Watch Window is a hindrance to viewing the contents of the worksheet, you are definitely not alone.

With the Watch Window docked in place, you won't have it floating above the worksheet, covering any of the data. A couple of quick tricks can pin the Watch Window below the Ribbon as given below:

You need the Watch Window open to dock it below the Ribbon.

  • Place the cursor below the top edge of the Watch Window until it changes to a four-headed arrow.
  • Docking Watch Window Below Ribbon
  • At this point, you can double-click and the Watch Window will be docked below the Ribbon. You can also click and drag the window to the Ribbon. Both methods will place the Watch Window below the Ribbon as shown here:
Docking Watch Window Below Ribbon

Notes: Similarly, you can drag the Watch Window left, right, or down to dock it as a pane to the edge of the workbook.

To restore the Watch Window from a pane to a window, hover the cursor along the title to make the 4-point arrow appear. Then click and drag the Watch Window, pulling it towards the center of the sheet to revert the pane to the floating window.

Delete Cells from Watch Window

Delete cells from the Watch Window when done with them. Taking our example case, we were comparing the totals of Regions A and B and added them as Watches. Let's say that we don't need to watch Region B's total anymore and we're up to delete it from the Watch Window.

Delete Cells from Watch Window

Here's what to do:

  • In the Watch Window, select the Watch that you are aiming to delete.
  • We'll select the second Watch i.e. of cell H27.
  • You can also select multiple cells to delete them together.
  • Then click on the Delete Watch button or press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Delete Cells from Watch Window

Instantly the selected Watch entry will be deleted from the Watch Window.

Delete Cells from Watch Window

Note: Be careful of deletion as there is no warning or reconfirmation before deleting a Watch entry.

Closing Watch Window

Close the Watch Window by clicking on the cross sign in the top-right corner.

Closing Watch Window

The same goes for the Watch Window docked as a pane:

Closing Watch Window

The Watch Window will immediately close. Closing the Watch Window does not refresh or reset it, the Watch entries will still be there when you reopen the Watch Window.

Were you watching? If you were, we take it that you've learned all there is to know about the Watch Window in Excel. Its true glory lies with large worksheets and throngs of data and makes keeping track of important cells convenient. We know you're up for further convenience in the Excel realm and want to gear up with more Excel tricks. We're prepping them for you. Ready? Tricky? Go!

About Mehwish Javaid

Mehwish, an ACCA-qualified professional, transitioned from an audit trainee to an Excel specialist. With a foundation in financial auditing, her 4+ years of Excel expertise, showcased as a Content Specialist at ExcelTrick, bridges her auditing background with advanced spreadsheet skills. Read more...