What does the "@" symbol mean in Numbers formulas?

The @ sign indicates that your formula includes a function that can accept a range or a cell, and clarifies how Numbers should process it.

For example, take this simple table:

Here, Cell C2 has the function =SUM(A:B).

Since A:B is a range, it's interpreted as the sum of all cells in those columns. Filled down, the entire column has the same value (sum of all values in columns A and B)

By comparison, SUM(@A:B) in D2 tells Numbers to interpret A:B as single values, i.e. the SUM() of column A and B in this row, rather than the entire column.

Now as this is filled down, it sums the A and B columns for each row, rather than the entire column.

This is a simple example, but there are more complex use cases.

It's also possible to achieve the same result in column D using =SUM(A2:B2) and filling down (A3:B3; A4:B4, etc.), but this offers a neater solution.

You're seeing this message because you're opening a sheet that uses formulas that could be interpreted either as ranges or cells, so Numbers it telling you it added the @ sign to maintain integrity/compatibility.

Could you send a screenshot of what you mean? I've never heard of an at sign being used outside of regex, and entering @ at the start of a formula returns a syntax error. If you're thinking of "$", that refers to keeping the column or row constant when using autofill.

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Same question. Opening files since latest upgrade (v 14.4) this message

Same here, after update to Numbers 14.4. Some more screenshots:

Just to be clear, this is a feature of the most recent Numbers release. I opened a spreadsheet with a lot of functions and discovered the @ in front of many of them.