Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix Excel Using Commas Instead of Decimal Points

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to change the decimal separator in Excel because the software is displaying commas instead of standard decimal points across all workbooks.

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: Windows desktop computer
Scenario: Viewing, entering, or formatting numerical data within Excel workbooks.
Observed behavior: Excel replaces standard decimal points with commas, which disrupts expected number formatting and data entry.

Before you start

Determine whether the comma separator issue occurs only within Excel or across all programs on your computer. This will help you decide whether to adjust Excel's internal settings or your global Windows regional configurations.

Solution 1Recommended

Change Separator Preferences in Excel Advanced Options

Modify Excel's built-in application settings to manually define your preferred decimal and thousands separators without affecting the rest of your Windows system.

By default, Excel follows the regional settings defined by your operating system. If you only want to change how decimals appear in Excel, adjusting the Advanced Options is the safest and quickest method.

Open Excel Options

Launch Microsoft Excel, click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner, and select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.

Navigate to Advanced Settings

In the Excel Options dialog box, click on 'Advanced' in the left-hand navigation pane.

Locate Editing Options

Scroll down to the 'Editing options' section to find the separator settings.

Adjust Separators

Uncheck the 'Use system separators' box. Then, manually set the 'Decimal separator' to a period (.) and the 'Thousands separator' to a comma (,).

Apply Changes

Click 'OK' at the bottom of the dialog box to save your changes and instantly update the formatting in your open workbooks.

Immediate Effect: Once applied, these settings will immediately affect all existing and new workbooks opened within this instance of Excel.

Solution 2

Adjust Windows Regional Settings

Update the global regional settings in the Windows Control Panel to ensure all applications on your computer use a period for decimal points.

Advanced Number Formatting

Format Numbers Properly with WPS Office

WPS Spreadsheet offers intuitive, deeply customizable number formatting options out of the box. You can easily adjust your decimal and thousands separators to match your local standards while maintaining perfect compatibility with Microsoft Excel files.

1. Open WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office and open your existing spreadsheet.
2. Access Options: Click the 'Menu' button in the top left corner and select 'Options' from the drop-down list.
3. Go to Edit Settings: In the Options dialog, navigate to the 'Edit' tab.
4. Modify Separators: Find the section for system separators. You can either check 'Use system separators' or manually assign the decimal point to a period (.).
5. Save Configuration: Click 'OK' to apply your preferred formatting globally across your WPS Spreadsheets.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) files and formatting.Easily toggle system separator settings directly from the intuitive options menu.Lightweight, fast to launch, and free to use for everyday office tasks.Familiar user interface requires no learning curve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my Excel decimal point suddenly change to a comma?

This commonly occurs if your Windows regional settings are accidentally changed to a format where commas are standard for decimals (such as many European country formats), or if Excel's 'Use system separators' option was toggled unexpectedly.

Will changing the Windows regional settings affect other programs?

Yes. Modifying the decimal symbol in the Windows Control Panel applies the change globally to all software on your computer that references the system's regional formats, including web browsers and calculators.

How do I fix the decimal point for only one specific Excel cell?

If only specific cells are displaying commas incorrectly while the rest of the document is fine, select the cells, press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog, and check the 'Custom' number format to ensure it hasn't been manually configured to use commas.

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