The frustration in that question is unmistakable. A user who once knew exactly how their spreadsheet behaved, cut a formula, paste it elsewhere, the references stay put, lost that behavior after a clean Windows install. They searched, found nothing, and turned to a forum hoping someone else had solved the mystery. Our take is plain: this should not be a mystery at all. A tool as foundational as a spreadsheet should not hide its own behavior behind a setting that can silently flip during an OS reinstall.
The practical reality here is that the behavior this user remembers is tied to a specific calculation option in Excel: "Update references as you cut and move formulas." It is not new. It is not experimental. It has been available for years, tucked inside the Advanced options under "Cut, copy, and paste." When enabled, cutting a formula and pasting it elsewhere leaves the original cell references intact, relative or absolute, no dollar signs required. When disabled, cutting behaves like copy-and-delete: references adjust to the new location. A fresh Windows install often resets Excel to its default configuration, and that default disables the option. The user's muscle memory was correct; the software just changed the rules without telling them.
This is a small frustration, but it reveals a larger pattern. Spreadsheet applications have accumulated decades of settings, many of them invisible to the average user. A clean install wipes away customizations that took years to dial in. The result is a jarring mismatch between what a user expects and what the software delivers. The fix is straightforward: File > Options > Advanced > "Cut, copy, and paste" section > check "Update references as you cut and move formulas." Apply it, and the old behavior returns. No macros, no registry edits, no workarounds.
What this story underscores is that even experienced users can be blindsided by default settings that change without notice. The solution exists, but the burden of finding it falls on the user. That is the real issue, not that the setting exists, but that it can vanish without explanation. For anyone reading this who has felt that same confusion, check that checkbox. Then take five minutes to review your other Advanced settings. You might discover a few more surprises waiting to be restored.