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Fix Excel Regional Date and Number Formats Not Applied on Mac
Question details
Users are experiencing incorrect date and number formats in Excel for Mac, as the application ignores system regional settings and separator configurations.
- Product
- Excel for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS Sonoma
- Scenario
- Using Excel after upgrading the operating system to macOS Sonoma.
- Observed behavior
- Excel displays incorrect date formats, as well as wrong decimal and thousands separators, completely ignoring the configured macOS regional preferences.
Ensure you have saved all open Excel workbooks and have administrative access to your Mac, as you will need to use the Terminal app to adjust global system preferences.
Override macOS Global Locale via Terminal
Force macOS to apply the correct regional locale for applications like Excel using a standard Terminal command.
Due to a compatibility bug between macOS Sonoma and Microsoft Office, Excel may fail to read your selected region from the System Settings. Manually writing the locale preference to the Global Preferences file forces the system to broadcast the correct regional format to all applications.
Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search, type 'Terminal', and press Enter to launch the application.
Type the following command into the Terminal window: defaults write .GlobalPreferences AppleLocale en_NL
Press the Enter key to execute the command. Note that you should replace 'en_NL' with your actual language and region code if you are not using English (Netherlands).
Completely quit Excel for Mac (Command + Q) and reopen the application to verify if the correct date and number formats are now applied.
Report the Persistent Issue to Microsoft
If the Terminal fix does not resolve the formatting bug, report the issue directly to Microsoft developers for further investigation.
Try WPS Office for Seamless Regional Formatting on Mac
If Excel continues to struggle with macOS Sonoma updates and regional settings, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative for macOS users, ensuring your dates and numbers format exactly as you intend without complex Terminal fixes.
- 1. Download the App: Visit the official WPS website and download the free macOS version of WPS Office.
- 2. Install WPS Office: Open the downloaded file and follow the simple on-screen instructions to install the application.
- 3. Open Your Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open your .xlsx files to enjoy accurate, hassle-free regional formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my Excel date formats change after updating to macOS Sonoma?
macOS Sonoma introduced underlying changes to how system-wide regional preferences are communicated to applications. Excel for Mac currently has a known bug where it fails to pull these updated locale settings correctly, causing dates and numbers to default to incorrect formats.
Can I manually set the decimal and thousands separators directly in Excel for Mac?
Yes, you can manually override system settings within Excel itself. Go to Excel > Preferences > Edit, and uncheck 'Use system separators'. From there, you can manually type your preferred decimal and thousands separators.
How do I find my specific Apple Locale code for the Terminal command?
You can find your current system locale code by typing 'defaults read .GlobalPreferences AppleLocale' in the Terminal and pressing Enter. If the output does not match your desired region, you can override it using the 'defaults write' command with the appropriate language and region code.
