Excel includes an array of cell formats that you can apply to your worksheets. Most of these are pre-built options that work great for many applications. But on occasion, you’ll need a very specific format that may not be included by default. Fortunately, this is easy to arrange in Excel. Let’s learn how to custom format in Excel.
How to Custom Format in Excel
Custom formats, like other formats, exist in the Format Cells menu. They can be applied to one or more cells in your Excel sheets. Formats tell Excel how to display given values. Changing a format or applying a custom design won’t actually change the value or values.
To add custom formats, begin by clicking into a cell in your worksheet where you have – or want to add – data to display. With the cell selected, right-click inside it. Then, from the dropdown, choose Format Cells.
Excel will launch the Format Cells window. Make sure you’re working on the Number tab here. Then, from the Category list, click on Custom to select it.
You’ll see an array of preset options which control how values will be formatted and displayed. These may specify decimal places, time and date formats, and countless other options. Think of the presets as starting points for your data. In the Type box, you can also add your own custom format text. Start it from scratch, or begin with a preset and modify it.
For example, click on 0.00% in the Type box, and change it to 0.000%. Then, click OK. In the newly-formatted cell, type in 5.65089. Excel will automatically apply the formatting, rounding your value down to display as 5.651%.
As you can see, custom formats in Excel give you precise control over how data values are displayed on your spreadsheets.
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