Displaying Zeros

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 19, 2021)

2

By default, Excel displays your information pretty much as you enter it. This includes zero values. If you enter a zero, the zero shows on the worksheet. If you don't enter a value in a cell, then Excel shows a blank in that area. If the result of a formula is zero, then that result typically shows, as well. There may be times, however, when you don't want zero values to show. To control the display of zero values, follow these steps:
  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the View tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The View tab of the Options dialog box.

  3. In the Window Options area, note the Zero Values check box. If it is selected, then zero values are displayed. If it is cleared, then zero values are not displayed.
  4. Click on OK.
You should note that the setting of the Zero Values check box affects not just what you see on the screen, but how information is printed by Excel, as well.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2629) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Getting Context-Sensitive Help

Word employs what is called a context-sensitive help system. This means that the program tries to direct you to the ...

Discover More

Printing an Outline

Outlining is a great way to develop the content of your document. If you need to, you can even print the outline and only ...

Discover More

Understanding the VLOOKUP Function

Functions are at the heart of Excel's power in working with data. One of the most misunderstood functions provided by ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Wrapping Your Text

Want to see all the text that is in a cell, even if it is quite a bit? You need to make sure that text wrapping is turned ...

Discover More

Handling Negative Numbers in a Complex Custom Format

Custom formats are great for defining how a specific value in a cell should look. They aren't that great at doing complex ...

Discover More

Notation for Thousands and Millions

When working with very large numbers in a worksheet, you may want the numbers to appear in a shortened notation, with an ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three more than 4?

2024-09-13 14:32:17

AMRV

We often work with insurance companies and their claim numbers sometimes start with "0". Excel was removing the zero which caused problems. There are a couple of ways to resolve that.

1. Set the cell "number" to text (my preference).
2. Add a space or a character (such as an apostrophe) before the number.

2021-06-19 18:00:08

Rohn S, MVP 2012-2018

Time to create a Ribbon equivalent

Ribbon: File menu > Options command > Advanced option > Display Options for this Workbook section > Show Zero in in cells that have zero value
.

This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.