How To Remove [ And Reduce] Decimals In Excel: 5+ Methods

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Microsoft Excel is an essential tool used by millions around the world for data analysis, record-keeping, and reporting. One of the most common tasks when working with numbers in Excel is dealing with decimals. Sometimes, you may need to remove decimals or round numbers to a specific decimal place for easier presentation or calculations. Excel provides several ways to remove decimal points or reduce decimal precision, and knowing how to do this can save you time and help you present data more effectively.

In this article, we'll explore how to remove decimal points in Excel, the various methods to reduce decimals, and answer some frequently asked questions. 

Why Remove or Reduce Decimals in Excel?

Removing or reducing decimals in Excel serves several purposes:

1. Improved readability: Excessive decimal points can make numbers harder to read and interpret, especially in financial reports or presentations.
2. Data consistency: Rounding or removing decimals ensures consistent data formatting, which is crucial when preparing reports or performing calculations.
3. Simplifying calculations: Sometimes, working with too many decimal places can introduce small errors or create unnecessary complexity in formulas.

Excel allows users to control the number of decimals displayed, making it easy to format data to suit specific requirements.

How to Remove Decimal Points in Excel

There are multiple ways to remove the decimal point in Excel. Let's look at the most common methods:

1. Using the Decrease Decimal Button

Excel has a built-in button in the Home tab that lets you easily reduce the number of decimals displayed in your data.

• Step 1: Select the cells or range of cells where you want to remove or reduce decimals.
• Step 2: Navigate to the Home tab on the Excel Ribbon.
• Step 3: In the Number group, you will see two buttons labeled Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal (icons with left or right arrows and a decimal symbol).
• Step 4: Click the Decrease Decimal button until the number of decimals is reduced to your preference. For example, clicking the button once will reduce the decimal place by one digit.

This method only changes the display format and doesn't alter the underlying value in the cells. It's a quick way to round numbers for presentation purposes.

2. Using the ROUND Function

If you want to remove decimals permanently or reduce the number of decimal places in calculations, you can use the ROUND function.

• Step 1: Select the cell where you want to apply the formula.
• Step 2: Enter the ROUND function: =ROUND(number, num_digits)
  • Replace number with the cell reference or number you want to round.
  • Replace num_digits with the number of decimal places you want (use 0 to remove decimals).

For example, if you want to remove decimals from cell A1, you would write: =ROUND(A1, 0)

• Step 3: Press Enter. This will round the value in cell A1 to the nearest whole number (no decimals).

The ROUND function is useful when you need to modify the actual value in your cells rather than just the display format.

3. Using the TRUNC Function

If you want to remove decimals in Excel without rounding, you can use the TRUNC function, which cuts off the decimal part of a number without any rounding.

• Step 1: In a new cell, type the formula: =TRUNC(number, num_digits)
  
  • Replace number with the cell reference or number you want to truncate.
  • Replace num_digits with the number of decimal places to keep. For example, use 0 to remove all decimals.

For example, =TRUNC(A1, 0) will truncate the value in cell A1 and remove any decimals without rounding.

The TRUNC function is useful when you need to discard the fractional part of a number, not round it.

4. Using the INT Function

The INT function can also be used to remove decimals by rounding a number down to the nearest integer.

• Step 1: Select a cell where you want the result.
• Step 2: Enter the formula: =INT(number)
  
  • Replace number with the cell reference or the number from which you want to remove the decimal.

For example, if you use =INT(A1), it will round the value in cell A1 down to the nearest whole number.

Note that the INT function rounds down to the nearest integer, even if the decimal is greater than 0.5.

How to Reduce Decimals in Excel

In addition to completely removing decimals, you might want to reduce decimal places (i.e., round numbers to a specific number of decimal places). Here's how:

1. Using the ROUND Function for Specific Decimal Places

If you want to reduce decimals to a specific number (e.g., two decimal places), use the ROUND function.

• Step 1: Select the cell where you want to apply the formula.
• Step 2: Enter the formula: =ROUND(number, 2)
  This will round the value in the cell to two decimal places.

For example, if A1 contains 3.14159, =ROUND(A1, 2) will display 3.14.

You can adjust the second argument of the ROUND function to reduce decimals to any number of places you need.

2. Using the Format Cells Dialog Box

You can also reduce decimals using the Format Cells dialog box:

• Step 1: Select the cells you want to modify.
• Step 2: Right-click on the selected cells and choose Format Cells from the context menu.
• Step 3: In the Format Cells window, select Number from the category list.
• Step 4: Adjust the Decimal places value to reduce the number of decimals.
• Step 5: Click OK to apply the changes.

This method changes only the visual display of the numbers, without affecting the actual value.

Conclusion

Whether you're working with financial data, scientific measurements, or any other type of number-based information, knowing how to remove decimal points in Excel or reduce decimals in Excel can improve the presentation and accuracy of your data. Excel offers several functions such as ROUND, TRUNC, and INT, as well as formatting options to manage decimal places effectively.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily remove or reduce decimals to suit your needs, whether you're preparing reports, analyzing data, or performing calculations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. How do I remove decimal points in Excel?

You can remove decimal points by using the Decrease Decimal button on the Ribbon, or by using the ROUND or TRUNC function to permanently remove decimals.

Q2. How do I reduce decimals in Excel to two decimal places?

To reduce decimals to two places, use the ROUND function: =ROUND(A1, 2) This will round the value in A1 to two decimal places.

Q3. What is the difference between ROUND and TRUNC in Excel?

• ROUND rounds a number to a specified number of decimal places.
• TRUNC removes the decimal part without rounding, simply cutting off the decimals at a specified point.

Q4. How do I remove decimals without rounding in Excel?

Use the TRUNC function to remove decimals without rounding. For example: =TRUNC(A1, 0) will remove the decimals from the value in cell A1 without rounding.

Q5. Can I automatically remove decimals in Excel based on conditions?

Yes, you can use Conditional Formatting in Excel to format numbers based on specific conditions. However, to remove decimals, you would typically use one of the functions like ROUND, TRUNC, or INT.

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