How to use currency formatting in Excel

In this lesson we'll take a look at the Currency format. The Currency format is designed to display a currency symbol along with numbers. It has options for the currency symbol itself, the number of decimal places, and negative number handling.

Let's take a look.

Let's start off by copying a set of numbers in General format across our table, and then apply the default currency format to the columns C through H.

Now let's select cells in column D and check the options available for currency in the Format Cells dialog box. Like Number format, the Currency format provides options for decimal places and handling negative numbers. However, it does not provide an option for a thousandths separator—this is always enabled for Currency.

Let's set decimal places to zero, and close the dialog. Like Number format, we can also adjust decimal places up and down using the buttons on the ribbon.

To display negative numbers in parentheses, we need to visit the Format Cells dialog box again.

With parentheses enabled, Excel shifts all numbers a bit to the left to keep numbers aligned on the decimal point.

We'll need to head to the Format Cells dialog box again to change the currency symbol to the British Pound. Excel provides a huge list of options for currency symbols, including abbreviations.

Note that there are shortcuts on the ribbon that include a currency symbol, but these actually apply the Accounting number format, which may not be desired.

You can use the Format Cells dialog to switch from Accounting back to Currency, leaving the Euro symbol intact.

One more visit to the Format Cells dialog to select the currency symbol of None.

Note that selecting None as the currency symbol has an interesting result: the format of the cells in column H is now no longer Currency, but is simply Number.