What does Increase Decimal do?

Displays one more decimal place

Number Formatting

By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated October 20, 2026

Show values as numbers, currency, percentages, dates, times, and custom formats. Then format an invoice in the Chapter 3 project.

A value such as 0.15 can represent different things depending on how it is displayed. It could mean fifteen cents, fifteen percent, or part of a date or time. Number formatting helps readers understand what a value represents without changing the actual value stored in the cell. In this lesson, you'll learn how to use number, currency, percentage, date, time, and custom formats. You'll also apply these skills to create a professional invoice in the Chapter 3 project.

Open the Excel sandbox and follow along. Number formatting tools are available in the Number group on the Home tab. These include the format dropdown list, which usually displays General, along with buttons for currency, percentage, and decimal places.

Number formatting changes only the way a value is displayed. The underlying value remains unchanged, and formulas continue to use the original value. For example, a cell displaying $12.50 may actually contain 12.4999.

Number Format

General is the default format used by Excel. It usually displays values as they are entered. The Number format provides greater control over decimal places and thousand separators.

To apply the Number format:

Select the cells.
Choose Number from the format dropdown.
Use Increase Decimal or Decrease Decimal to adjust the number of displayed decimal places.

For example:

1234.5 can be displayed as 1,234.50

Currency Format

Currency formatting displays values as monetary amounts by adding a currency symbol, thousand separators, and decimal places.

For example:

1500 becomes $1,500.00

To apply Currency formatting:

Select the cells.
Choose Currency from the format dropdown, or click the $ button.

Enter only the number and allow the format to add the currency symbol automatically.

Percentage Format

Percentage formatting displays a value as a percentage by multiplying the stored value by 100 and adding a percent sign.

For example:

0.15 displays as 15%

To apply Percentage formatting:

Select the cells.
Choose Percentage from the format dropdown, or click the % button.

Excel stores 15% as 0.15. If you format a cell containing 15 as a percentage, Excel displays 1500%. To display fifteen percent, enter either 0.15 or 15%.

Date Format

Dates are stored as numbers, allowing Excel to perform date calculations and comparisons. You can choose how dates appear without changing the stored value.

Format	Example
Short Date	`3/15/2026`
Long Date	`Sunday, March 15, 2026`
Custom dd-mmm-yyyy	`15-Mar-2026`

To format dates:

Select the date cells.
Choose Short Date or Long Date from the format dropdown.

Time Format

Times are stored as fractions of a day.

Examples:

0.5 represents noon.
0.75 represents 6:00 PM.

Enter a time such as:

9:30
2:15 PM

Then select a Time format from the format dropdown if you want to change the way it is displayed.

Custom Format

When built-in formats do not meet your needs, you can create a Custom Format.

Select More Number Formats or Custom, then enter a format code.

Code	Displays `1234.5` As	Purpose
`0`	`1235`	Whole numbers
`0.00`	`1234.50`	Two decimal places
`#,##0`	`1,235`	Thousand separators
`0.0 "kg"`	`1234.5 kg`	Display a unit while keeping the value numeric
`dd-mmm-yyyy`	`15-Mar-2026`	Custom date format

The format 0.0 "kg" is especially useful because the unit appears in the cell while the value remains a number that can be used in calculations.

If the sandbox does not provide a Custom option directly, open More Number Formats. You can also press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog and create custom formats from the Number tab.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Result	Solution
Typing `$1,500` directly into a cell	The value may be stored as text	Enter `1500` and apply Currency formatting
Formatting `15` as a percentage	It displays as `1500%`	Enter `0.15` or `15%`
Hiding decimal places and expecting totals to round	Totals may appear slightly different	Use rounding functions if needed
A date displays as `46096`	The date format was removed	Apply a date format again
`#####` appears after formatting	The column is too narrow	Increase the column width or use AutoFit

Exercise

Click Reset in the sandbox header and enter the following data:

A1: Price, B1: 1500
A2: Discount, B2: 0.1
A3: Date, B3: 3/15/2026
A4: Weight, B4: 12.5

Then complete each task and click Check.

Chapter Project

Apply everything you've learned in Chapter 3 to create a professional invoice using formatting, alignment, borders, and number formats.

Invoice for a Bakery Order

What to Remember

Number formats change how a value appears, not the value itself.
Number format controls decimal places and thousand separators.
Currency format adds a currency symbol and decimal places.
Percentage format displays values such as 0.15 as 15%.
Dates and times are stored as numbers and can be displayed using different formats.
Custom formats such as 0.00, #,##0, and 0.0 "kg" provide additional display options.
Enter plain numbers and use formatting to add symbols, units, or display styles.

That's the end of Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, you'll begin creating formulas and using functions to perform calculations in Excel.