Let Excel enter decimal points for you

by Mary Ann Richardson | Aug 15, 2006 7:00:00 AM

Tags: Microsoft Office, Mary Ann Richardson, Microsoft Excel, decimal, Fixed Decimal, Microsoft Office Suite Excel Tips Newsletter

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Takeaway: You may be able to get away with entering numbers without decimal places, but what about whole numbers or uneven places? Mary Ann Richardson shows you how you can make Excel enter decimal points for you.

If you need to enter columns of numbers with a fixed number of decimals into Excel worksheets, you can make your job a lot easier by having Excel enter the decimals for you. To do so, follow these steps:

Go to Tools | Options.
On the Edit tab, click the Fixed Decimal checkbox.
Click OK.

Now, when you enter 1234, Excel automatically interprets it as 12.34. Entering 1200 will be interpreted as 12 and will display as 12.00 in accounting format.

Activating the Fixed Decimal option has no effect on existing values (i.e., it will not add the decimal to any numbers entered before the option was changed). However, you should use this option with caution, because once the Fixed Option is set, Excel will continue to add decimals automatically as you enter new data to any workbook. If other users will be using your machine or working with your files, be sure to clear the Fixed Decimal checkbox before ending your Excel session.

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