The most frequently used formatting codes are those that affect straight numbers. Excel provides many of them, as shown here:
| Symbol | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| General | Uses the general display format. | |
| # | Indicates a single-digit position. The digit is only displayed if there is a digit in that position. | |
| 0 | Indicates a single-digit position. If there is no digit in the position, a 0 is displayed. | |
| ? | Same as the 0 symbol, except results in a space being displayed for insignificant 0s on either side of the decimal point. | |
| . (period) | The decimal point. | |
| % | Percentage. The number is multiplied by 100 (for the display) and the % sign is added. | |
| , (comma) | Thousands separator (if surrounded by digit place holders) or a thousands scalar (if the comma follows all the place holders). | |
| E- E+ e- e+ | Displays in scientific format. | |
| $ - + / ( ) : space | Displays that character | |
| \ | Forces display of the following character | |
| * | Repeats the next character to fill out the column width. | |
| _ (underscore) | Leaves a space the width of the following character. | |
| "text" | Displays the text within the quotes. | |
| @ | Text place holder. |
To understand better what these codes do, take a look at the information in the following table, which shows several common formats and how they affect numbers.
| Category | Format | Value | Displayed As | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | #,##0.00 | .01 | 0.01 | |||
| .1 | 0.10 | |||||
| 1234 | 1,234.00 | |||||
| -5678 | -5,678.00 | |||||
| Percentage | 0.00% | .01 | 1.00% | |||
| .1 | 10.00% | |||||
| 1.234 | 123.40% | |||||
| -5.678 | -567.80% | |||||
| Scientific | 0.00E+00 | .01 | 1.00E-02 | |||
| .1 | 1.00E-01 | |||||
| 1234 | 1.23E+03 | |||||
| -5678 | -5.68E+03 | |||||
| Currency | $#,##0.00_);[Red]($#,##0.00) | .01 | $0.01 | |||
| .1 | $0.10 | |||||
| 1234 | $1,234.00 | |||||
| -5678 | ($5,678.00) |
No matter which format is used to display numbers, the actual accuracy of the number is not affected. Thus, if a number is displayed using two decimal places, it is still maintained internally to 15 decimal places. All calculations are performed using the more accurate internal representation.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1939) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!
Want to apply a custom format to your dates and times? To do it effectively you need to understand the custom formatting ...
Discover MoreNeed to have your worksheet printout start on a new page every time a value in a column changes? There are a couple of ways ...
Discover MoreWhen entering data in a worksheet, Excel tries to figure out how your entry can best be shown on the screen. When it comes to ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments