Office Settings & Configuration

How to Change the Currencies Shown in Excel's Currency Button

Olivia Miller Sep 25, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user wants to modify the currency symbols available directly from the Currency button dropdown on the Excel ribbon.

How to Change the Currencies Shown in Excel's Currency Button

Product: Excel
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Formatting financial spreadsheets where the required currency symbols are not listed in the quick access ribbon menu.
Observed behavior: Excel lacks a built-in feature to directly customize the list of currencies in the Home tab's Number group, as these are controlled by Windows regional settings.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have administrative access to your computer, as modifying the default Excel currency options requires making changes to your underlying Windows regional settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Modify Windows Regional Settings

Adjust your system's regional settings to change the default currency symbol inherited by Excel's Number format group.

Excel does not have an independent setting for the quick-access currency dropdown. Instead, it pulls these default symbols directly from your Windows Regional Settings. Changing the system default will update the primary currency button in Excel.

Open Windows Control Panel

Press the Windows key, type 'Control Panel' in the search bar, and hit Enter to open the application.

Navigate to Region Settings

Click on 'Clock and Region', then select 'Region' to open the region configuration dialog.

Access Additional Settings

In the Formats tab, click the 'Additional settings...' button located at the bottom right of the window.

Change the Currency Symbol

Navigate to the 'Currency' tab. In the 'Currency symbol' dropdown, type or select your desired currency symbol, then click 'Apply' and 'OK'.

Restart Excel

Close and reopen Microsoft Excel. The Currency button on the Home tab will now reflect your newly selected system default currency.

System-Wide Change: Changing this setting will affect the default currency format across all applications on your Windows computer, not just Microsoft Excel.

Solution 2

Create a Custom Macro Button

Record a formatting macro and add it to your toolbar to quickly apply a specific currency without altering Windows system settings.

Easily Format Currencies with WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Spreadsheet provides a highly compatible and intuitive interface for managing financial data. You can seamlessly format numbers with international currency symbols directly within your document without needing to navigate complex system settings.

1. Select Your Data: Open your spreadsheet in WPS Office and highlight the cells containing the numbers you wish to format.
2. Open Format Cells: Right-click the selected cells and choose 'Format Cells' from the context menu, or simply press Ctrl+1.
3. Apply Currency Symbol: In the Number tab, select 'Currency' from the category list, pick your exact currency symbol from the dropdown, adjust decimal places if needed, and click OK.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx and .xls) formatsIntuitive and easy-to-use Format Cells dialog for all global currenciesFree, lightweight, and fast office suite for all your daily tasksSeamless migration with familiar ribbons and shortcuts

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I manually add a new currency symbol to the Excel ribbon dropdown?

No, Excel does not offer a built-in feature to directly add or remove currencies from the quick-access Currency button dropdown on the Home ribbon. You must either change your Windows Regional Settings or use the 'Format Cells' dialog.

Why did my default Excel currency symbol change unexpectedly?

Excel syncs its default currency symbol with your Windows Regional Settings. If your system underwent an update, or if the region settings were modified by another user or application, Excel's default currency will automatically update to reflect that change.

Does changing the currency in Windows settings affect my older Excel files?

If your older Excel files were formatted using the 'Currency' format that relies on the system default, they will update to display the new symbol. However, if they were formatted with a specific hardcoded 'Accounting' symbol, they will typically remain unchanged.

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