On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis, and then click Goal Seek. In the Set cell box, enter the reference for the cell that contains the formula that you want to resolve.

You can use Goal Seek to determine what interest rate you must secure in order to meet your loan goal. Cells B1, B2, and B3 are the values for the loan amount, term length, and interest rate.

The Solver add-in is similar to Goal Seek, but it can accommodate more variables. You can also create forecasts by using the fill handle and various commands that are built into Excel.

There are three kinds of what-if analysis tools in Excel: scenarios, data tables, and Goal Seek. Scenarios and data tables take sets of input values and determine possible results.

You can use Goal Seek when you know the desired result of a single formula but not the input value the formula needs to determine the result.

You can use a few other Excel tools to perform what-if analysis if you have specific goals or larger sets of variable data. If you know the result to expect from a formula, but don't know precisely what input …

You can use a few other Excel tools to perform what-if analysis if you have specific goals or larger sets of variable data. If you know the result to expect from a formula, but don't know precisely what input …

Oct 14, 2025 · Use Solver, a Microsoft Excel add-in program you can use for what-if analysis, to determine an optimal product mix.

Solver is a Microsoft Excel add-in program you can use for what-if analysis. Use Solver to find an optimal (maximum or minimum) value for a formula in one cell—called the objective cell—subject to …

Find and remove a circular reference. You can also learn about the circular reference warning message and iterative calculation in Excel.