How to Change the Number of Decimal Places Displayed in Excel

There are a few ways to do this

Illustration of a woman using excel on a desktop computer with

Lifewire / Miguel Co 

by Ted French
Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs.
Updated July 25, 2019

Excel lets you control the number of decimal places displayed when you have numbers that aren't whole. The options for displaying decimals in Excel include:

  • Altering existing data using the toolbar
  • Setting the number of decimal places for existing data or empty cells using the Number Format dialog box
  • Changing the default number of decimal places shown in all cells in a worksheet

These instructions apply to Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, Excel for Mac, Excel Online, and Excel for Office 365.

The Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal Buttons

Increase and Decrease Decimal buttons in Excel

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

  1. Select the cells you want to format.

  2. Click the Home tab of the ribbon.

  3. Click the Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal button in the Number group to increase or decrease the number of decimal places. Each click adds or removes a decimal place.

Specify the Decimal Places for Built-In Number Formats

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

Specify the Decimal Places for Built-in Number Formats

  1. Select the cells you want to format.

  2. Click the Home tab of the ribbon.

  3. Click the arrow next to the list of number formats in the Number group and select More Number Formats at the bottom of the drop-down list.

  4. Choose Currency, Accounting, Percentage, or Scientific in the Category list.

  5. Enter the number of decimal places you want to display in the Decimal Places box.

Specify a Fixed Decimal Point for All Numbers in a Worksheet

Specify a Fixed Decimal Point for All Numbers in a Worksheet

To have Excel enter the decimal points automatically, you can specify a fixed decimal point for all numbers in your worksheet.

Excel Online does not have this feature.

  1. Click the File tab.

  2. Click Options to open the Excel Options window.

  3. Click Advanced in the left pane.

  4. Select the Automatically insert a decimal point checkbox under Editing Options.

  5. Enter the number of decimal places you want to display in the Places box and click OK.

  6. Type the numbers you want to use into any cell on the worksheet.

The change will not apply to any data entered before you select a fixed decimal.