Apply Number Formatting in Excel Guide
Apply Number Formatting in excel
To apply number formatting in Excel, follow these steps:
1. Select the Cells:
• Click and drag to select the cells or range of cells you want to format.
2. Open the Format Cells Dialog Box:
• Right-click on the selected cells and choose "Format Cells" from the context menu.
• Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + 1 (Windows) or Cmd + 1 (Mac) to open the Format Cells
dialog box.
3. Choose a Number Format:
• In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Number tab.
• Select the desired category from the list on the left:
o General: No specific format.
o Number: For general numbers, with options for decimal places, thousand separators,
and negative numbers.
o Currency: For monetary values, with options for currency symbols, decimal places,
and negative numbers.
o Accounting: Similar to Currency, but aligns the currency symbols and decimal points
in a column.
o Date: For date values, with various date formats.
o Time: For time values, with various time formats.
o Percentage: For percentages, with options for decimal places.
o Fraction: For fractions, with options for different fraction types.
o Scientific: For scientific notation.
o Text: Treats the content as text, exactly as entered.
o Custom: Allows you to create your own number format.
4. Adjust Formatting Options:
• Depending on the category you selected, you may have additional options to customize the
format (e.g., decimal places, currency symbol, date format, etc.).
5. Apply the Format:
• Click OK to apply the formatting to the selected cells.
6. Using the Ribbon:
• You can also apply number formatting directly from the Home tab on the Ribbon:
o In the Number group, use the drop-down menu to select a format (e.g., Number,
Currency, Percentage, etc.).
o Use the Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal buttons to adjust decimal places.
o Use the Accounting Number Format button to apply accounting format with a
currency symbol.
7. Custom Number Formatting:
• If you need a specific format not available in the standard options, you can create a custom
format:
o Go to the Custom category in the Format Cells dialog box.
o Enter your custom format code (e.g., #,##0.00 for thousands separator with two
decimal places).
Examples of Custom Number Formats:
• 0: Display the number without decimal places.
• 0.00: Display the number with two decimal places.
• #,##0: Display the number with a thousands separator.
• $#,##0.00: Display the number as currency with a dollar sign, thousands separator, and two
decimal places.
• 0%: Display the number as a percentage without decimal places.
• mm/dd/yyyy: Display the date in the format MM/DD/YYYY.
8. Clear Number Formatting:
• To remove number formatting, select the cells, go to the Home tab, click on the Clear button
in the Editing group, and choose Clear Formats.
By following these steps, you can easily apply and customize number formatting in Excel to suit your
data presentation needs.
