Numbers in Excel aren’t just digitsâthey tell stories. Whether you’re dealing with money, percentages, dates, or fractions, the right format makes your data clear and professional. Letâs explore Excelâs different number formats and the shortcut keys that make switching between them a breeze.
đ What Is Number Formatting in Excel?
Number formatting changes how values in cells look, without changing the actual data. You can show âš100 as âš100.00, 10% as 0.1, or even 5/10 as ½.
⥠Common Number Formats with Shortcut Keys
Here are Excel’s popular number formats and how to apply each with just a couple of keystrokes:
| Format Type | Description | Example | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | Default formatâshows numbers as-is | 12345 | Ctrl + Shift + ~ |
| Number | Shows decimals and comma separator | 12,345.00 | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| Currency | Adds currency symbol, formats with decimals | âš12,345.00 | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Accounting | Like currency but aligns symbols neatly | âš 12,345.00 | No shortcutâuse Ribbon (Alt + H + N + A) |
| Percentage | Converts to percent form, multiplies by 100 | 50% | Ctrl + Shift + 5 |
| Date | Displays value as date (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY) | 16/07/2025 | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Time | Formats value as time (HH:MM:SS) | 19:00:00 | Ctrl + Shift + 2 |
| Fraction | Converts to readable fraction | 1/2 | Ctrl + Shift + 6 |
| Scientific | Displays in exponential notation | 1.23E+04 | Ctrl + Shift + ^ |
| Text | Treats numbers as plain text | 00123 | No shortcutâuse format cells (Ctrl + 1) |
đ Tip: You can always open the Format Cells dialog using Ctrl + 1 to explore and customize all formatting options.
𧪠Real-Life Use Cases
- Currency Format: For financial reports, budgets, invoices.
- Percentage Format: For calculating growth rates, discounts, and success ratios.
- Date & Time: For scheduling, logs, or attendance tracking.
- Text Format: When working with mobile numbers, IDs, or zip codes that shouldn’t auto-convert.
đ Conclusion
With just a few keyboard shortcuts, you can make your Excel sheets look polished and informative. Whether you’re a student, entrepreneur, or data wizard, mastering number formats helps you communicate your data with clarity.