All tracer arrows (tracer arrows: Arrows that show the relationship between the active cell and its related cells. Tracer arrows are blue when pointing from a cell that provides data to another cell, and red if a cell contains an error value, such as #DIV/0!.) disappear if you change the formula the arrows point to, insert or delete columns or rows, or delete or move cells. To restore the tracer arrows after making any of these changes, you must use auditing commands on the worksheet again.

If Microsoft Excel beeps when you click Trace Dependents or Trace Precedents on the Formula Auditing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, click Customize on the Tools menu, and then click the Toolbars tab.), either Excel has traced all levels of the formula, or you are attempting to trace an item that cannot be traced. The following items on worksheets that can be referenced by formulas cannot be traced by using the auditing tools:

• References to text boxes, embedded charts (embedded chart: A chart that is placed on a worksheet rather than on a separate chart sheet. Embedded charts are beneficial when you want to view or print a chart or a PivotChart report with its source data or other information in a worksheet.), or pictures on worksheets
• PivotTable reports (PivotTable report: An interactive, crosstabulated Excel report that summarizes and analyzes data, such as database records, from various sources, including ones that are external to Excel.)
• References to named constants (constant: A value that is not calculated and, therefore, does not change. For example, the number 210, and the text "Quarterly Earnings" are constants. An expression, or a value resulting from an expression, is not a constant.)
• Formulas located in another workbook that refer to the active cell if the other workbook is closed

• If more than one error path exists, Excel stops tracing at the branch point when you use Trace Error . To continue tracing the error, click Trace Error again.

• If the formula that displays the error contains a reference to another worksheet or workbook, double-click the arrow that displays the worksheet icon . In the Go to list, double-click the reference you want to locate. Then, click Trace Error again.

When you are tracing formula dependencies (dependents: Cells that contain formulas that refer to other cells. For example, if cell D10 contains the formula =B5, cell D10 is a dependent of cell B5.) or precedents (precedents: Cells that are referred to by a formula in another cell. For example, if cell D10 contains the formula =B5, cell B5 is a precedent to cell D10.), Excel cannot go to a cell in a workbook that is not open. Open the workbook that contains the cell, and then try going to the cell again.