A number format in Excel is a special code that controls how a number is displayed on the worksheet. For example, the number 0.51 can be displayed as 51% with the number format:

0.0%

The date January 1, 2021 can be displayed as "1-Jan-20" with the number format:

d-mmm-yy

The most important thing to understand about number formats is that they control the display of numbers only – number formats have no effect on underling numeric values. There are quite a few number formats built into Excel, including:

You can apply number formats from the Home tab of the ribbon:

Excel Number Formats on Ribbon

Excel also allows custom number formats.

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Excel custom number formats

Excel custom number formats

Number formats are a key feature in Excel. Their key benefit is that they change how numeric values look without actually changing any data. Excel ships with a huge number of different number formats, and you can easily define your own. This guide explains how custom number formats work in detail.

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