How to Format Numbers Quickly and Set Decimal Points in Excel

How to Format Numbers Quickly and Set Decimal Points in Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet application that allows you to perform various calculations, analyze data, and create charts and graphs. One of the features of Excel is the ability to format numbers in different ways, such as adding commas, currency symbols, percentages, or decimal places. In this article, we will show you how to format numbers quickly and set decimal points in Excel using three methods: the decimal buttons, the format cells option, and the default decimal places setting.

Method 1: Use the Decimal Buttons

If you only want to change the decimal places for a few cells, the easiest way is to use the decimal buttons on the Home tab. These buttons allow you to increase or decrease the number of digits after the decimal point by one with each click.

To use the decimal buttons, follow these steps:

Select the cells that you want to format.
On the Home tab, in the Number group, click Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal to show more or fewer digits after the decimal point.

For example, if you have a cell with the number 3.14159 and you want to round it to two decimal places, you can click Decrease Decimal twice to get 3.14.

Method 2: Format the Cells

Another way to change the decimal places for a range of cells is to use the Format Cells option. This option gives you more control over the number format, such as adding commas, currency symbols, percentages, or scientific notation.

To use the Format Cells option, follow these steps:

Right-click a cell or range of cells and pick “Format Cells”.
On the Number tab and with Number selected on the left, enter the number of decimal places or use the arrows to move up or down in small increments on the right.
Click “OK” to apply the change.

For example, if you have a cell with the number 1234.56789 and you want to display it as a currency with two decimal places and a dollar sign, you can select Currency from the Category list and enter 2 in the Decimal places box.

Method 3: Set Default Decimal Places

If you want to apply the same number of decimal places to every number in Excel, you can set the default in the application’s options. This way, you don’t have to format each cell individually.

To set the default decimal places in Excel, follow these steps:

On Windows, select File > Options. Choose “Advanced” on the left. Then check the box for Automatically Insert a Decimal Point and enter or use the arrows to set the number of decimal places.
On Mac, select Excel > Preferences from the menu bar. Choose “Edit” in the box that appears. Check the box for Automatically Insert a Decimal Point (Places) and enter or use the arrows to set the number to the right.

For example, if you set two decimal places as the default and you enter 999 in a cell, Excel will automatically insert a decimal point and display 9.99.

However, there are some caveats to using this method:

Whole numbers will display without decimal points. For instance, if you set two decimal places as the default and you enter 999.00 in a cell, Excel will display 999. To remedy this, you can use one of the other methods to change the decimal places for whole numbers.
You have to type all digits when entering a decimal number. For example, if you set two decimal places as the default and you want to enter 29.95 in a cell, you have to type 2995. If you type 29.95, Excel will display 0.30.

Conclusion

Formatting numbers quickly and setting decimal points in Excel can help you present your data more clearly and accurately. You can use one of these three methods depending on your needs:

Use the decimal buttons on the Home tab for quick changes.
Use the Format Cells option for more control over the number format.
Set default decimal places in Excel’s options for consistent formatting.