excel online function cell return destination cell

bhagghy 

Step by step

- if second parameter (reference) is omitted, as it it's taken the cell selected at the time of calculation

- next, when you enter the text in A2 by Enter, Excel selects next cell in A3 and recalculate the sheet. Assuming you are in Automatic mode.

The difference in behaviour for Excel desktop and Excel for web is:

• In automatic calculation mode, when a cell is modified by a user the calculation may be triggered before or after the selection has progressed, depending on the platform you're using for Excel.  For example, Excel for Windows currently triggers calculation before selection changes, but Excel for the web triggers it afterward.

Thus on desktop Excel first recalculates CELL() and after that changes selection on A3. Thus CELL() returns $A$2. Excel for web first changes the selection on A3, after that CELL() is recalculated and returns $A$3.

That is by design and articulated here CELL function - Microsoft Support