How to Change Excel Currency and Number Formatting to US Standards on Mac
Question details
The user needs to change the default number formatting and currency display in Excel for Mac to match United States standards, such as using periods for decimals and commas for thousands.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel for Mac
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Formatting spreadsheet data with US standard currency symbols and decimal separators.
- Observed behavior
- Excel for Mac pulls its default decimal and thousands separators from macOS system region settings and lacks a dedicated currency display option in its Preferences menu.
Save your current workbooks, as you will need to completely restart Excel for Mac for any system-wide macOS regional changes to take effect.
Adjust macOS Region Settings and Use Format Cells
Since Excel for Mac relies on system preferences for number formatting, you must set the Mac region to the United States and then manually format your cells.
A common misconception is that Excel for Mac includes a 'When displaying currency' setting in its Preferences. This option does not exist on Mac. Default number formats are exclusively controlled by macOS system settings.
Open 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences') on your Mac. Navigate to 'General' > 'Language & Region', and change your Region to 'United States'.
Completely quit Microsoft Excel and reopen it. This ensures the application fetches the new decimal and thousands separator settings from macOS.
In your Excel workbook, highlight the specific cells or columns you wish to format as US currency.
Right-click the highlighted area and select 'Format Cells' from the context menu, or press 'Command + 1' on your keyboard.
Under the 'Number' tab, click on 'Currency' or 'Custom'. Select the $ symbol and ensure the format is set to something like $#,##0.00. Click 'OK'.
Apply US Currency Formatting Directly in WPS Spreadsheet
If navigating system-wide macOS settings slows down your workflow, use WPS Office. WPS Spreadsheet offers comprehensive, independent cell formatting tools that let you seamlessly apply US currency and decimal standards.
- 1. Open Your File in WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office on your Mac and open the workbook containing your numerical data.
- 2. Highlight Your Data: Select the cells, rows, or columns that need to be formatted to US currency standards.
- 3. Access Cell Formatting: Right-click your selection and click 'Format Cells', or use the 'Command + 1' keyboard shortcut.
- 4. Choose the US Currency Format: In the 'Number' tab, click 'Currency', select the US Dollar ($) symbol, define your decimal places, and click 'OK'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn't the decimal separators change immediately after updating my Mac settings?
Excel for Mac only reads macOS system settings during startup. You must fully quit and restart the Excel application for changes in decimal and thousands separators to appear.
Is there a 'When displaying currency' setting in Excel for Mac?
No, Excel for Mac does not have this preference option. Any instructions claiming otherwise apply to the Windows version or are outdated. Mac users must rely on macOS Language & Region settings.
Can I format currency without changing my whole Mac region?
Yes, you can manually format specific cells by selecting them, pressing Command + 1 to open Format Cells, choosing the Currency category, and selecting the US Dollar format ($#,##0.00). This bypasses the default system settings for those specific cells.
