How do you change a reference or a value inside formulas across many Excel files on a Mac?

By Kayabyte · Last updated 11 November 2026

Excel’s Replace works inside formulas, so you can change a renamed sheet, a file name or a rate that is typed into a formula, but only in the workbook you have open. Microsoft’s page on find and replace (checked 11 November 2026) says that on the Replace tab only Formulas can be searched, and that Replace All changes every match at once. For a folder of workbooks, Gridhand’s Find and Replace searches formulas, values or both, lists every match in a preview and writes only the files that have a match. It takes .xlsx and .xlsm files only.

When this comes up

A sheet was renamed and the formulas in many files still say the old name.
A tax rate or a rate card is typed into formulas, such as =B2*1.2, and it changed.
A department or a product code appears inside lookup formulas.

The manual way in Excel for Mac

Open the workbook and press Ctrl-H (Cmd-H hides the app on a Mac).
Set Within to Workbook so every sheet is covered.
Enter the text and the replacement. Match entire cell contents is an option; leave it off for text inside a formula.
Replace All, save, and repeat for every file.

Limits: one workbook at a time, no preview, and a shorter text such as 1.2 also matches other formulas that contain it. Check the count before you press Replace All.

With Gridhand

Gridhand Find and Replace searches many workbooks at once. The options that matter here:

Formulas, values or both. Choose formulas to change what is inside formulas and leave displayed values alone.
Match case, whole cell and regular expressions. In the replacement, $1 is the first group.
A sheet filter, to leave sheets out.
The preview lists every match across every file before anything is written, so a too-wide search shows up as extra lines.

Only files with matches are written, as new files in the output folder. Files without matches are listed and not copied. A changed formula loses its saved result, and Excel recalculates when the file opens, so the numbers show after you open the copy. Table headers are never changed, because Excel would repair the file. Your originals are never modified.

Steps with Gridhand

Drop the workbooks, or a folder, into Gridhand and choose Find and Replace.
Type what to find and the replacement. Choose Formulas in the search options.
Read the match table. Narrow the search until it lists exactly the formulas you mean.
Choose an output folder and press Run. Open one result in Excel and check a changed cell.

Free for your first 2 runs (up to 2 files each), then Gridhand Pro is USD 49 once. Previews are always free. Download Gridhand

Questions

Will the numbers be right when I open the copy? Excel recalculates when the file opens. A changed formula has no saved result until then.

Does it run my macros? No. Gridhand does not run macros.

Can I try a search without writing anything? Yes. The preview is free and writes nothing.

Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Gridhand is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.