ADDRESS Function (Gnumeric)

ADDRESS(row_num, col_num, [abs_num], [a1], [text])

• row_num is the row coordinate; col_num is the column coordinate. In A1 mode, 1 means the first row or column.
• abs_num defaults to 1. Use 1 for absolute row and column, 2 for absolute row only, 3 for absolute column only, or 4 for neither.
• a1 defaults to TRUE. FALSE requests R1C1 notation.
• text optionally supplies the worksheet name. Omitting it produces an address without a sheet prefix.

Use integer coordinates. Gnumeric’s implementation converts coordinates and the reference-mode selector to integers; fractional values do not identify fractional cells. A1 coordinates outside the selected sheet’s dimensions return #VALUE!. For portable workbooks, use the documented mode values 1 through 4.

In a blank sheet, put 5 in A1 and 4 in A2. Enter these formulas away from those inputs:

The dollar signs are characters in the returned address, not a currency format. Changing A1 from 5 to 6 updates the row in the address. It does not move a value from D5 to D6.

Put 275 in D5 and keep A1=5 and A2=4. =INDIRECT(ADDRESS(A1,A2)) should return 275: ADDRESS makes $D$5, and INDIRECT resolves that string to a reference. Keep the coordinate inputs separate from the destination cell to avoid a circular dependency.

For a sheet-qualified label, use =ADDRESS(5,4,1,TRUE,"Sales 2026"). Gnumeric quotes names when needed. A sheet name in generated text does not establish that the named sheet exists. An invalid name can therefore produce apparently plausible text that a later INDIRECT call cannot resolve.

R1C1 relative mode requires particular care. With a1=FALSE and a relative component selected, the corresponding input is an offset; Gnumeric also checks the resulting position against sheet bounds. Do not reuse a positive A1 coordinate as an R1C1 offset without considering the formula cell’s position.

• =ADDRESS(0,4) in ordinary A1 mode returns #VALUE!; row and column numbering starts at one.
• =ADDRESS(5,4,9) returns #VALUE! because 9 is not a supported selector.
• If a downstream calculation receives text instead of a number, use a reference-resolving function where appropriate, rather than merely changing the address cell’s number format.
• Moving or renaming a target does not make a constructed text address behave like an ordinary direct reference. Recheck address-generating logic after structural workbook edits.

The 1.12.57 help text says selectors above 4 are errors, but its implementation additionally accepts 5–8 as the corresponding 1–4 modes. These undocumented aliases are not recommended for new formulas; the standard four choices express the intent clearly.

This guide is scoped to the official Gnumeric 1.12.57 implementation. The official release notes introduce ADDRESS in Gnumeric 0.27. No retirement or last-working-release claim is made. Official source was checked on 17 October 2026. The worked address cases, INDIRECT composition, and selected error cases were recalculated by the actual Gnumeric 1.12.57 engine under C.UTF-8 on that date. These multi-case checks are headless calculation evidence. The selected ADDRESS example was additionally displayed in the actual application, as shown below.

Use INDIRECT to resolve address text, ROW and COLUMN to obtain coordinates, or INDEX to select within a range directly.

• Gnumeric 1.12.57 function help and implementation
• Gnumeric function catalog
• Gnumeric lookup reference
• Gnumeric release history through 1.12.57

This separate screenshot worksheet uses B1 = 5; A2 = Column; B2 = 4. In B4, =ADDRESS(B1,B2) returns $D$5. The screenshot layout is independent of the cell positions in the earlier tutorial. Only this selected example is GUI-verified; the other checks retain their stated engine-test scope.