Excel 2010 Bible

551

CHAPTER

Using Custom

Number Formats

IN THIS CHAPTER

An overview of custom

number formatting

How to create a custom

number format

A list of all custom number

format codes

Examples of custom number

formats

W

hen you enter a number into a cell, you can display that number in

a variety of different formats. Excel has quite a few built-in number

formats, but you may find that none of them suit your needs.

This chapter describes how to create custom number formats and provides
many examples that you can use as-is, or adapt to your needs.

About Number Formatting

By default, all cells use the General number format. This format is basically

“what you type is what you get.” But if the cell isn’t wide enough to show the

entire number, the General format rounds numbers with decimals and uses

scientific notation for large numbers. In many cases, the General number for-

mat works just fine, but most people prefer to specify a different number for-

mat for consistency.

The key thing to remember about number formatting is that it affects only

how a value is displayed. The actual number remains intact, and any formulas

that use a formatted number use the actual number.

Note

An exception to this rule occurs if you specify the Set Precision as Displayed

option on the Advanced tab in the Excel Options dialog box. If that option is in

effect, formulas use the values that are actually displayed in the cells. In gen-

eral, using this option is not a good idea because it changes the underlying val-

ues in your worksheet. n