Only row 2 is right; the others are wrong.

You dragged the formula but forgot the $ signs. Type the formula again with $ in front of the column letter and row number: $B$1.

Every row shows the same amount.

You locked the wrong cell — maybe =E$2 instead of =E2. Only the tax cell (B1) needs the $, not the amount cell. E2 must move down with each row.

On some laptops F4 needs the Fn key: press Fn+F4. Or just type the $ signs by hand.

Google Sheets: Apply a Formula to the Whole Column Without It Breaking

Quick answer

Use the $ sign to lock the cell that should stay the same. For example, if your tax rate is in Settings!B1, write =E2*(1+Settings!$B$1) and drag it down. The $ keeps B1 locked; E2 moves to E3, E4 and so on.

You write a formula that works in one row, drag it down to copy it to the others, and suddenly row 3 shows the wrong answer. The reason is that every cell in the formula moves down when you drag, even the ones that shouldn't. The $ sign fixes this.

From the book: ① With tax is right in row 2 ② …but in row 3 the tax is missing

Why the formula breaks when you drag it down

When you drag a formula from row 2 to row 3, Google Sheets moves every cell address down one row. If your formula is =E2(1+Settings!B1), it becomes =E3(1+Settings!B2). That's what you want for E2, but B1 is your tax rate — it shouldn't move to B2 (which is empty).

So row 3 adds 0% tax instead of 8%, and you get the wrong answer with no error message.

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Lock the cell with $

Type the formula in row 2 with $ signs in front of the column letter and row number for the cell that should stay put.=E2*(1+Settings!$B$1)
The $ before B means "don't move this column when I drag"; the $ before 1 means "don't move this row".
Click the blue square at the bottom right of the cell and drag it down to row 11.
Every row now adds the right tax. The formula in row 3 is =E3*(1+Settings!$B$1): only E2 moved to E3, while B1 stayed locked.

Quick way to add the $ signs

While typing a formula, put your cursor on the cell address you want to lock (for example B1) and press F4. It becomes $B$1 automatically. (On some laptops, use Fn+F4 instead.)

If you want to lock only the column (B stays, 1 moves), press F4 once more: $B1. Press it again to lock only the row: B$1.

One $ is the start of bigger control

The $ sign stops the wrong cell from moving when you copy a formula. But a sheet with scattered $ signs is hard to read and full of places where one small typo breaks everything.

Google Sheets for Absolute Beginners teaches you how to build tables that work instead: settings in their own cells, formulas organized in columns so you only write one and drag it down, and the $ sign as a tool you understand, not a magic character. The book walks you through every step with real data from a bakery.

Common questions

Only row 2 is right; the others are wrong.: You dragged the formula but forgot the $ signs. Type the formula again with $ in front of the column letter and row number: $B$1.
Every row shows the same amount.: You locked the wrong cell — maybe =E$2 instead of =E2. Only the tax cell (B1) needs the $, not the amount cell. E2 must move down with each row.
F4 did nothing.: On some laptops F4 needs the Fn key: press Fn+F4. Or just type the $ signs by hand.