Raw numbers look like a draft; formatted figures look like a finished report. Two quick shortcuts switch between currency and plain numbers, so your spreadsheets always look ready to send.
Step by step
- Select the cells containing your amounts.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+$ to apply currency format with two decimal places.
- To remove number formatting, press Ctrl+Shift+~ to go back to the General format.
Tips & troubleshooting
- The currency symbol follows your Windows regional settings, so a UK PC shows pounds.
- Ctrl+Shift+% applies percentage format with no decimal places.
- Use the number row keys, not the number pad.
- For more control over decimals and symbols, press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells.
Currency or Accounting format?
Excel has two money formats. The shortcut applies Currency, which puts the symbol directly against the number and shows negatives in red. The Accounting format, the button with the banknote icon on the Home tab, lines the symbols up at the left edge of the cell, shows zero as a dash and keeps decimal points aligned down the column. Currency suits individual figures; Accounting suits columns in financial statements.
The family of number format shortcuts
Ctrl+Shift with the keys along the number row covers most formats you need.
- Ctrl+Shift+$ : currency with two decimal places.
- Ctrl+Shift+% : percentage with no decimal places.
- Ctrl+Shift+! : number with two decimal places and a thousands separator.
- Ctrl+Shift+# : date.
- Ctrl+Shift+~ : General, which removes number formatting.
Formatting changes the look, not the value
A cell holding 19.995 shows £20.00 in currency format, but Excel still calculates with 19.995. Over a long column the displayed figures may not appear to add up to the displayed total. Where pennies matter, round the value itself with =ROUND(A2,2) rather than relying on the format.
Changing the symbol or the decimals
The shortcut uses the currency from your Windows regional settings. For anything else, press Ctrl+1, choose Currency and pick a symbol such as € or $ from the list. Set Decimal places to 0 there for whole pounds, or use the Decrease Decimal button on the Home tab.