How to Format Cells in Excel
Formatting changes how a value looks, not the value itself. A cell showing $25.89 still holds the number 25.89, and calculations use that number.
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Type 25.89 in cell C3.
New cells use the General format, which shows numbers as you typed them. Let’s give it a currency format.
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Select C3, right-click it and click Format Cells (or press Ctrl + 1).
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On the Number tab, click Currency. The Sample box shows how the number will look.
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Click OK. The cell now shows the number in dollars.
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To use another currency, click the arrow next to the $ button on the Home tab and choose one, for example € Euro.
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Try the other buttons in the same group, such as Percent Style, Comma Style, and Increase/Decrease Decimal, and see how the same number changes its look.
Note: The Home tab has many more formatting tools, grouped into Font, Alignment and Number. The next lessons cover the most useful ones.
