How to Change the Number of Decimal Places in Excel

Round a number to the exact amount of decimal spaces you want

By
Ted French
Writer
Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs.
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Ted French
Updated February 28, 2020
Illustration of a woman using excel on a desktop computer with

Lifewire / Miguel Co.

Microsoft Excel allows you to round a number to the exact amount of decimal spaces you want. Perhaps you don't want unnecessary decimal places in your cells, you don't need an extreme level of accuracy, or you just want to round to the next major unit. Whatever the reason, it's easy to change the number of decimal places displayed in Excel.

These instructions apply to Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007; Excel for Mac 2016 and 2011; Excel for the web; Excel for Office 365 and Excel for Office 365 for Mac; and Excel Mobile.

Changing the Number of Decimals Displayed

There are a few different ways to change the number of decimals displayed in Excel: using the Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal buttons, applying a built-in number format, or setting a default decimal places number for all your spreadsheets. Here's a look at each of these methods.

Use the Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal Buttons

For numbers you've already entered in a worksheet, increase or decrease the number of decimal places displayed by using the toolbar buttons.

  1. Open Excel to your current worksheet

  2. Select the cells you want to format.

  3. On the Home tab, select Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal to show more or fewer digits after the decimal point.

    Increase and Decrease Decimal buttons in Excel

    Each selection or click adds or removes a decimal place.

  4. Your new decimal places setting is now in effect.

Apply a Built-In Number Format

In desktop versions of Excel, create custom decimal rules for the various built-in number types using the Number Format dialog box. 

  1. On the Home tab, in the Number group, select the arrow next to the list of number formats, and then select More Number Formats.

  2. In the Category list, depending on the type of data you have, select Currency, Accounting, Percentage, or Scientific.

    Specify the Decimal Places for Built-in Number Formats

  3. In the Decimal places box, enter the number of decimal places you want to display.

  4. Your new decimal places setting is now in effect.

Set a Default Decimal Places Number

If you have a preference and want to set the number of decimal places to display automatically:

This feature isn't available in Excel for web.

  1. Select Options.  (In older versions of Excel, select the Microsoft Office Button  > Excel Options.)

  2. In the Advanced category, under Editing options, select the Automatically insert a decimal point checkbox.

    Specify a Fixed Decimal Point for All Numbers in a Worksheet

  3. In the Places box, enter a positive number for digits to the right of the decimal point or a negative number for digits to the left of the decimal point.

  4. Select OK.

    The Fixed decimal indicator appears in the status bar.

  5. On the worksheet, click a cell, and then type the number that you want.

The change doesn't affect any data entered before you select a fixed decimal.