Excel Number Formats: Dates, Percentages, Currency, and Text

Excel number formats control how a value appears without normally changing the value stored in the cell. The same underlying number can be displayed as currency, a percentage, a date, a time, or a decimal. Choose a format that matches both the data's meaning and the calculations you plan to perform.

Format	Example display	Typical use
Number	1,250.50	Measurements and calculations
Currency/Accounting	$1,250.50	Money
Percentage	15%	Rates and proportions
Date	Oct 12, 2026	Calendar dates
Text	02415	Identifiers that are not calculated

Why number formats matter

Number formatting not only makes spreadsheets easier to read but also easier to use. When you apply a number format, you're telling your spreadsheet exactly what type of value is stored in a cell. For example, date formatting tells the spreadsheet that you're entering specific calendar dates. This allows the spreadsheet to better understand your data, helping to ensure that your data is consistent and formulas are calculated correctly.

Unless you need to use a specific number format, spreadsheets will typically apply a general number format by default. However, the general format may apply some minor formatting changes to your data.

Apply number formats

Just like other formatting options, such as changing the font color, you apply number formatting by selecting a cell and clicking on the desired formatting option. There are two main ways to select number formatting:

1. Go to the Home tab, click the Number Format drop-down menu in the Number group, and select your desired format.

2. Click on one of the quick number formatting commands below the drop-down menu.

You can also select the desired cells and press Ctrl + 1 on your keyboard to access additional number formatting options.

The example has applied the Currency format, which adds currency symbols ( $ ) and displays two decimal places for any numeric value.

If you select any cell that is formatted as a number, you can see the actual value of that cell in the formula bar. The spreadsheet will use this value for formulas and other calculations.

Use number formats correctly

It's not simply a matter of selecting a cell and applying formatting. Spreadsheets can actually apply number formatting automatically based on how you enter the data. This means you'll need to enter the data in a way the program can understand, and then ensure that the cells are using the appropriate number formatting. For example, the image below shows how to correctly use number formats for dates, percentages, and times:

Now that you know more about how number formats work, let's look at some specific number formats.

Percentage format

One of the most useful number formats is the percentage (%). It displays values ​​as percentages, such as 20% or 55%. This is especially helpful when calculating things like sales tax or tips. When you enter a percentage (%) after a number, the percentage format is automatically applied to that cell.

Excel stores percentages as decimal values: 15% is 0.15, 7.5% is 0.075, and 55% is 0.55. You can type 5% directly, or enter 0.05 and then apply Percentage format. Applying Percentage format to an existing value of 5 displays 500%, because the stored value is five rather than five hundredths.

As you can see, the calculation in the spreadsheet on the left doesn't work correctly. Without percentage formatting, the spreadsheet assumes you want to multiply $22.50 by 5, not 5%. The spreadsheet on the right works fine without percentage formatting, and the one in the middle is easier to read.

Date formatting

Whenever working with dates, you'll want to use date formatting to let the spreadsheet know that you're referring to specific calendar dates, such as July 15, 2014. Date formatting also allows you to work with a powerful set of tools that include functions that use date and time information to calculate answers.

Excel recognizes dates according to your regional settings, so an entry such as 10/12/2026 can be ambiguous: it may mean October 12 or December 10. When sharing workbooks across regions, use an unambiguous entry or a consistent format such as 12-Oct-2026, then apply the display format your audience expects.

Now that you've formatted the dates correctly, you can do various things with this data. For example, you can use the Fill Handle to continue filling the subsequent dates in the column:

If the date format isn't applied automatically, it means the spreadsheet doesn't understand the data you've entered. The example below entered March 15th. The spreadsheet doesn't understand that the author is referring to a date, so this cell is still using the generic number format.

On the other hand, if you enter March 15 (without the "th"), the spreadsheet will recognize it as a date. Because it doesn't include the year, the spreadsheet will automatically add the current year so the date part will have all the necessary information. It's also possible to enter the date in several other ways, such as 15/3, 15/3/2014, or 15/3/2014, and the spreadsheet will still recognize it as a date.

If you want to add the current date to a cell, you can use Ctrl + ; as shown in the video below.

Other date formatting options

To access other date formatting options, select the Number Format drop-down menu and choose More Number Formats. These are options for displaying dates differently, such as including the day of the week or omitting the year.

The Format Cells dialog box will appear. From here, you can select your desired date formatting option.

A custom date format changes how the stored date is displayed; it does not normally change the date itself. Select the cell and check the formula bar when you need to verify the underlying value.

Number formatting tips

Here are some tips for getting the best results with number formatting:

Applying number formatting to the entire column : If you intend to use the column for a specific type of data, such as dates or percentages, the easiest way to select the entire column is to click on the column character and apply the desired number formatting. This way, any data you add to this column in the future will have the correct number formatting. Note that the header row is usually unaffected by number formatting.

Carefully check your values ​​after applying number formatting : Applying number formatting to existing data can lead to unexpected results. For example, applying percentage (%) formatting to a cell with a value of 5 might give you 500% instead of 5%. In this case, you need to re-enter the values ​​correctly in each cell.

If you reference a cell with number formatting in a formula, the spreadsheet may automatically apply the same number formatting to new cells. For example, if you use a value with currency formatting in a formula, the calculated value will also use currency formatting.

Use Text format for identifiers that should not be calculated, such as phone numbers, postal codes, account codes, or values with leading zeros. Apply Text format before entering the data when possible. Numbers stored as text may need conversion before they can be used reliably in arithmetic.

Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal commands

The Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal commands allow you to control the number of decimal places displayed in a cell. These commands do not change the value of the cell; instead, they display the value to a set number of decimal places.

Decrease Decimal will display the value rounded to that decimal place, but the actual value in the cell will still be displayed in the formula bar.

The Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal commands do not work with some number formats, such as Date and Fraction.

Related Excel formatting help

For more formatting options, see how to format data in Excel. If imported dates are stored as text, the DATEVALUE guide explains how Excel converts recognizable date text to a date serial number.