Formatting numbers in the Format Cells dialog box

Numbers in Excel can assume many different formats: date, time, percentage, and decimals.

To format the appearance of numbers in a cell:

• Select a cell or range of cells.
• Choose FormatCells from the menu bar.
  
  
  
  (You could also right-click and choose Format Cells from the shortcut menu.)
• The Format Cells dialog box opens.
• Click the Number tab.
  
  
• Click Number in the Category drop-down list.
  
  
• Use the Decimal places scroll bar to select the number of decimal places (2 would display 13.50, 3 would display 13.500, and so on).
• Click the Use 1000 Separator box if you want commas (1,000) inserted in the number.
• Use the Negative numbers drop-down list to indicate how numbers less than zero are to be displayed.
• Click OK.

Formatting dates in the Format Cells dialog box

The date can be formatted in many different ways in Excel XP. Here are a few ways it can appear:

October 6, 2003
10/06/03
10-Oct-03

To format the appearance of a date in a cell:

• Select a cell or range of cells.
• Choose FormatCells from the menu bar.
• The Format Cells dialog box opens.
• Click the Number tab.
• Click Date in the Category drop-down list.
  
  
• Select the desired date format from the Type drop-down list.
• Click OK.

Formatting time in the Format Cells dialog box

The time can be formatted in many different ways in Excel XP. Here are a few ways it can appear:

13:30
1:30 PM

To format the appearance of time in a cell:

• Select the range of cells you want to format.
• Choose FormatCells from the menu bar.
• The Format Cells dialog box opens.
• Click the Number tab.
• Click Time in the Category drop-down list.
  
  
• Select the desired time format from the Type drop-down list.
• Click OK.

Formatting percentages in the Format Cells dialog box

There may be times when you want to display certain numbers as a percentage. For example, what percentage of credit cards bills account for your total monthly expenses?

To express numbers as a percentage in a spreadsheet:

• Select a cell or range of cells.
  
  
• Choose FormatCells from the menu bar.
• The Format Cells dialog box opens.
• Click the Number tab.
• Click Percentage in the Category drop-down list.
  
  
• Define the Decimal Places that will appear to the right of each number.
• Click OK.
  
  

Challenge!

• Type a number in cell B2 and format it to have four decimal places.
• Type a date in cell B3 and format it to look like October 6, 2003.
• Type a time in cell B4 and format it to look like 1:30:00 AM.
• Type a large number in cell B5 and a smaller number in cell C5. In cell D5, define a formula to divide cell B5 by cell C5. Format the answer in cell D5 to be a percentage with one decimal place.