Microsoft Excel 2008

Formatting Numbers

Excel provides preset number formats to help you standardize how numbers will appear in your worksheet. You may also customize number formats to fit your needs.

EXAMPLES:
When formatted as Currency, the number 9.25 will appear as $9.25.
When formatted as Fraction, the number 9.25 will appear as 9 1/4.

Number Formatting Options
Formatting Numbers: Formatting Palette Option
Formatting Numbers: Dialog Box Option
Clearing Number Formatting

Number Formatting Options

Excel provides many formatting options for numbers and even allows for you to customize number formats to fit your needs.

Name	Description

General	This option leaves numbers as typed with no number formatting except for the number being aligned the right NOTE: Text is aligned to the left.
Number	Used for the general display of numbers
Currency	Used for general monetary values
Accounting	Used to line up the currency symbols and decimal points in a column
Date	Used to display date and time serial numbers as date values
Time	Used to display date and time serial numbers as time values
Percentage	Used to format the number as a percentage by multiplying the number by 100 and adding a percentage symbol
Fraction	Used to format the number into a fraction EXAMPLE: .25 into ¼
Scientific	Used to display formulas with numbers and letters where the numbers have decimals
Text	Used to format the cell with a number as a text cell NOTE: The cell is displayed exactly as entered and aligned to the left.
Special	Used to display numbers such as a zip-code, phone number, or Social Security number
Custom	Used to customize a number formatting to fit your needs

Formatting Numbers: Formatting Palette Option

The Formatting Palette offers a simple way to apply number formatting. To customize number formatting, refer to Formatting Numbers: Dialog Box Option.

Select the cell(s) you want to format
Click TOOLBOX
The Formatting Palette appears.
If the Number section is not expanded, click it
The Number section expands.
In the Number section, from the Format pull-down menu, select the desired format
The desired format is applied.
HINT: The default format is General.

Formatting Numbers: Dialog Box Option

The Format Cells dialog box can help you customize your number formatting.

Select the cell(s) you want to format
From the Format menu, select Cells...
The Format Cells dialog box appears.
If the Number tab is not selected, select it
From the Category list, select the desired number format
Additional options may appear.
From any additional option(s), make the desired selection(s)
Click OK
The desired format is applied.

Clearing Number Formatting

The General number format is the default format. Changing the formatting to General will remove all other number formatting for the selected cells.

Select the cell(s) you want to format
Click TOOLBOX
The Formatting Palette appears.
If the Number section is not expanded, click it
The Number section expands.
In the Number section, from the Format pull-down menu, select General
The formatting is cleared.