Excel: Custom Number Format (Part 1)

Custom Number Formats can control the display of numbers, dates, times, fractions, percentages, and other numeric values. Using custom formats, you can do things like format dates to only show the names of the month, format large numbers in millions or thousands, and display negative numbers in red. Number Formats control how numbers are displayed in Excel. The key benefit of Number Formats is that they change how a number looks without changing any data. They are a great way to save time in Excel because they perform a huge amount of formatting automatically. As a bonus, they make worksheets look more consistent and professional.

On the home tab of the ribbon, you'll find a menu of built-in number formats. Below this menu to the right, there is a small button to access all number formats, including custom formats. By default, cells start with the general format applied. The display of numbers using the general number format is somewhat "fluid". Excel will display as many decimal places as space allows, and will round decimals and use scientific number format when space is limited. The screen below shows the same values in column B and D, but D is narrower and Excel makes adjustments on the fly. You can select standard number formats (General, Number, Currency, Accounting, Short Date, Long Date, Time, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific, Text) on the home tab of the ribbon using the Number Format menu.