Format Cell in Excel: 6 Feature Formatting For Beginners

Format Cell in Excel is one of the most frequently used features. This feature plays an important role in data processing in Microsoft Excel.

All content in a cell uses the default formatting. However, to make it easier for you to process large amounts of data, Excel provides a Format Cell feature

By using Format Cell, you can change the font type, cell color, alignment, display thousands (or decimal) separation operators, and highlight certain cells that meet the criteria.

Before I discuss examples in more detail regarding the Format Cell features, let’s first understand what cell formatting is in Excel.

What is Format Cell in Excel?

Format Cell in Microsoft Excel is a feature that allows users to change the appearance of data without changing the original values.

Remember this! Just change how the data is displayed without changing the original values.

For example, to display currency symbols (such as $), you don’t need to type the $ symbol manually. If you do, it will change the original value of the data.

Another example, data such as 0.25, 25%, and ¹/₄ have the same value. You can display data in either decimal numbers, percentages, or fractions using the Format Cell feature.

Important! Before you continue studying this guide, make sure you already know what Excel Column, Row, Cell, and Range are. Visit the Excel Range, Cell, Column, and Rows Guide if you don’t already know them.

Types of Cell Formats in Excel

To gain an in-depth understanding, please download the following practice file:

Currently, there are 6 main types of Format Cells in Excel. You can find this feature by opening the Format Cell dialog first.

Right-click on any cell, then click Format Cells. You can also press Ctrl + 1 on the keyboard simultaneously to open the Format Cell dialog.

The following displays the Format Cell dialog in Excel:

Important! I’ll explain the specific use of each cell formatting in a special Guide – See Shortcut Guide.

Format Number

Format Number is useful for formatting (changing) the display of data in the form of numbers, text, or a combination of numbers and text. You can also set a date and time format, etc.

Currently, there are 12 types of Number Formats that you can know about. Let’s study them one by one.

#1 General

General Number Format is the default format used by Excel. For example, if you type the number 2000, Excel will display the same number, namely 2000 (without the thousands separator).

#2 Number

Format Number is useful for formatting data in numerical form. You can determine how many digits are after the comma in a decimal number (for example 2,154.12).

Apart from that, you can also determine how negative numbers appear in cells. Do you use black or red font? You can set it up easily.

This makes a lot of sense and can make it easier for you to manage thousands or more of data.

Note: In order not to change the original value of the data, you shouldn’t type the negative symbol (-) or the thousands and decimal separation operators directly into a cell. Format Number can do this automatically.

#3 Currency

The Currency format is useful if you want data (numbers) to appear along with the currency symbol. For example, you want to enter the number $2.000,00.

You only need to enter the number 2000, while you can set the currency symbol in the Currency > Symbol section. You can also set the number after the comma and set the display of negative numbers.

#4 Accounting

The Accounting format is very suitable for those of you who are working on financial reports in Excel.

The features you can use are almost the same as Currency Format. The difference is, that you can’t change the display of negative numbers for the Accounting Format as shown in the following image:

#5 Date

This is the Format Cell type in Excel for data in the form of dates. You can set how dates appear in cells. For example, I type the date 4/1/2024, then I change it to Monday, April 1, 2024, using the Date Format.

You can also set the date format type based on location (country). Because not all countries use the same date format.

#6 Time

Time Format is useful for formatting data in time form. As we know, not all countries use the same time format.

Germany, France, Indonesia, and several other countries use the 24-hour format. Meanwhile, America, Canada, Australia, and several other countries use the 12-hour AM and PM format. You can set whether the time uses a 24-hour or 12-hour format (AM/PM)

#7 Percentage

You can type the Percent Symbol (%) on a percentage number directly into a cell. However, if you want to type the data in decimal form (example: 0.2545), you can change the display to a percentage (25.45%).

You can also set the number after the comma in the percentage number.

#8 Fraction

Fraction Format is a Format Cell in Excel to display numbers in fractional form. For example, if you want to display the fraction ¹/₄, then please type 0.25 in cell B9. Then change the Number Format to Fraction. Results:

However, if you want to enter the fraction number ³/₇, do you have to calculate the decimal value of the fraction number and then type it into the cell?

Of course not, you can type 0 3/7. Automatically, Excel will convert the number into a fraction.

Important! The number 0 before 3/7 is used to differentiate fractional data with date format. I’ll discuss the most specific example in the Fractions Sub-Chapter – View Shortcut Guide.

#9 Scientific

Scientific Format is a type of cell format for exponential numbers. This type is useful if you have very small decimal numbers or very large numbers.

A very small decimal number is a number that has many zeros after the comma.

For example, you want to type 0.00000000000000000000000125. If you type that long, the data will not appear within the default column width.

The solution is that you can use the Scientific format so that 0.00000000000000000000000125 becomes 1.25E-24

#10 Text

Text Format is cell formatting to convert data to text. If you use text format for numbers, Excel will treat the numbers as text, not numbers.

This type is very useful if you want to enter non-decimal numbers starting with 0. For example, if you want to enter Product ID 021356, then please use the Cell Format Text type.

#11 Special

The Special type Number Format is useful if you want to enter data in a special format. For example, for data in the form of postal code, telephone number + area code, serial number, etc.

#12 Custom

If none of the 10 types of Cell Formats above can meet your needs, then please use Custom Format.

Custom formats allow you to change the format to another type as desired. For example, in the Number type, you can change the color of negative numbers to yellow.

Another example is that you can use a special format that automatically enters certain characters when you enter data.

Format Alignment

Alignment Format is a Cell Format for aligning data horizontally or vertically – this type of cell format can also combine two or more cells into one cell.

There are several features available that you can use:

1. Text Alignment: This is a feature for adjusting the orientation of data (text/numbers) horizontally and vertically.
2. Text Control: This is a feature for adjusting the width and height of lines for text that is too long (Wrap Text). You can also combine two or more cells using Merge Cells and make long text to fit the column width (Shrink to Fit).
3. Right to Left: To input text from right to left, for example, Arabic writing.

Format Font

You can set the font using Format Cell Font. Currently, you can organize several sections as follows:

1. Font: Set the font type. You can choose many types of fonts provided by Excel.
2. Font Style: The font style is Bold (Bold), Regular (regular), Italic (italic), and Bold Italic (Bold + Italic).
3. Size: Change the size of letters/numbers.
4. Underline: Underlined text or letters.
5. Color: Change the font color.
6. Effect: Uses Strikethrough (crossed out word), Superscript (Power: 20²), and Subscript (H₂O).

Format Border

By default, you will see the Excel Worksheet in the form of gridded boxes (called gridlines). These boxes will not print when you print the Excel file

However, this box is just to make it easier for you to know the boundaries between each column and row.

So, you can use Format Border to create lines that can be printed.

Usually, the Cell Border Format is used to create a table as desired. For example, like the following image:

In Border Format, you can set the following parts:

1. Style: Border Style. Available in dotted, double, thick line styles, and so on.
2. Presets: Determines which parts will have a border. Available are None (not at all), Outline (outside only), and Inside (inside only).
3. Color: Useful for setting the Border color.
4. Border: Useful for setting which part you want to give a border more specifically.

Format Fill

Format Fill is useful for setting cell colors. You can use various colors for each cell as shown in the following image:

Format Protection

For Format Protection, you can set protection/security/lock/hide formulas. You can learn more in the Protect Excel Guide.