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How to Fix Incorrect Decimal and Thousands Separators in Excel for Mac
Question details
The user needs to correct the decimal and thousands separators in Excel for Mac, which are displaying improperly despite standard regional system settings.
- Product
- Excel for Microsoft 365 on Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Working with financial records or numerical datasets where accurate punctuation for thousands and decimals is required for data integrity.
- Observed behavior
- Excel displays commas for decimal separators and periods for thousands separators, which contradicts the configured macOS regional format.
Save your current workbooks and close any unnecessary background applications, as you will need to restart Excel for Mac for the regional setting modifications to take effect.
Adjust macOS Regional Settings and Excel Preferences
Verify your system-wide language settings in macOS and ensure Excel is configured to use the correct system separators for numbers.
Excel for Mac generally relies on your macOS system settings to dictate how numbers are formatted. However, sometimes individual workbooks disable this synchronization, leading to formatting mismatches.
Click the Apple menu icon in the top-left corner of your screen, select 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences'), and navigate to 'Language & Region'.
In the Language & Region menu, click on the 'Number Format' or 'Advanced' button to confirm that your preferred decimal and thousands separators are set correctly for macOS.
Launch Excel for Mac. In the top menu bar, click on 'Excel' and select 'Preferences' from the dropdown menu.
Navigate to the 'Edit' section (or 'Calculation' depending on your version). Locate the option that says 'Use system separators'. If it is unchecked, check it so Excel matches macOS. Alternatively, keep it unchecked and manually type your preferred characters in the 'Decimal separator' and 'Thousands separator' fields.
Completely quit Excel for Mac by pressing Cmd + Q, then reopen your workbook to see the applied separator changes.
Try WPS Office for Mac for Seamless Number Formatting
Tired of dealing with regional setting conflicts in Microsoft Excel? WPS Office offers a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative for Mac users. Its Spreadsheet tool accurately respects your system's regional settings by default, ensuring your decimals and thousands separators are always displayed correctly.
- 1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website and download the WPS Office suite specifically optimized for macOS.
- 2. Open Your Workbooks: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and easily open your existing Excel workbooks or CSV data files.
- 3. Enjoy Accurate Formatting: View and edit your numerical data with perfectly synchronized macOS regional separators without extra configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my Excel separators changing when I send the file to someone else?
If the recipient has different regional settings on their computer and 'Use system separators' is enabled in their Excel settings, the software will automatically adapt the display of commas and periods to match their local system configuration.
Can I use different separators for different workbooks in Excel for Mac?
Yes. By unchecking 'Use system separators' in Excel Preferences > Edit, you can manually define the decimal and thousands separators for a specific workbook without affecting your other spreadsheets or the rest of the application.
Will changing macOS language settings affect other applications on my Mac?
Yes, modifying the decimal and thousands separators in macOS System Settings > Language & Region will change how numbers, dates, and currencies are formatted across all native applications on your Mac, not just Excel.
