How to Format Negative Numbers in Brackets in Excel
Question details
The user wants to format whole numbers in a spreadsheet so that positive values display normally, while negative values are enclosed in brackets without any currency symbols or decimal places.
- Product
- Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Preparing financial reports or data tables where negative values need to be clearly distinguished using parentheses instead of a standard minus sign.
- Observed behavior
- By default, negative numbers are displayed with a preceding minus sign (e.g., -10). The goal is to change this display format to show the number inside brackets, such as (10).
Ensure you have selected the specific cells or range of data where you want to apply the negative number formatting before adjusting the format settings.
Apply a Custom Number Format
Using Excel's custom formatting is the most direct way to change how negative numbers are displayed. You can define exact rules for positive, negative, zero, and text values.
Excel number formats are divided into four sections separated by semicolons: Positive format; Negative format; Zero format; Text format.
By modifying the second section (Negative format), you can force Excel to wrap negative numbers in brackets.
Highlight the cells containing the numbers you want to format.
Right-click the selected cells and choose 'Format Cells' from the context menu, or press the 'Ctrl + 1' keyboard shortcut.
In the Format Cells dialog box, make sure you are on the 'Number' tab. In the Category list on the left, select 'Custom'.
In the 'Type' text box, enter the following code: #,##0;(#,##0);-
Click 'OK' to apply the formatting. Your negative numbers will now be displayed in brackets.
Change Windows Regional Settings
If you want negative numbers to display in brackets by default across all files and applications on your Windows computer, you can modify the system's regional settings.
Easily Apply Custom Number Formats in WPS Spreadsheet
WPS Office offers a powerful, user-friendly Spreadsheet application that perfectly handles all standard and custom Excel formatting codes, allowing you to easily format negative numbers in brackets.
- 1. Open your file in WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office and open your spreadsheet document.
- 2. Select your data: Highlight the cells containing the negative values you wish to format.
- 3. Access Format Cells: Press 'Ctrl + 1' or right-click the selected cells and choose 'Format Cells'.
- 4. Apply Custom Format: Go to the 'Custom' category, type '#,##0;(#,##0);-' in the Type box, and click 'OK'.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a currency symbol to the bracket format?
You can add your desired currency symbol to both the positive and negative sections of the custom format code. For example, to include a Pound sign, use the code: £#,##0;(£#,##0);-
How can I make negative numbers in brackets appear in red?
You can add a color command in square brackets at the very beginning of the negative section of your format code. To make the bracketed numbers red, use: #,##0;[Red](#,##0);-
Why do my zero values show as a dash when using this format?
In the format code '#,##0;(#,##0);-', the third section (which controls how zeros are displayed) is set to a hyphen (-). If you want zero values to display as '0', change the format code to: #,##0;(#,##0);0
Will this custom format change the actual value of my negative numbers?
No, custom number formatting only changes how the data is displayed visually. The underlying value remains a negative number, so formulas and calculations will still work correctly.
