Why Excel Status Bar Shows Dollars Instead of Pounds & How to Fix It
Question details
The user wants to resolve an issue where the Excel status bar displays averages and sums using a dollar ($) symbol instead of a pound (£) symbol, despite the selected cells being formatted in pounds sterling.
- Product
- Excel 2016
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Checking sum and average values of currency cells via the bottom status bar.
- Observed behavior
- The status bar calculates and displays values in dollars instead of pounds sterling, seemingly ignoring the formatting applied to the majority of the selected cells.
Ensure that your Windows regional settings are configured correctly to your local currency, as spreadsheet applications often pull default currency formats directly from system preferences.
Change the Format of the Active Cell to Pounds (GBP)
The status bar inherits its currency format from the 'active cell' in your selection. Ensuring this specific cell is formatted in pounds will correct the display.
Excel's status bar calculations (like Sum and Average) take their formatting cue entirely from the active cell within a highlighted range. If the active cell happens to be unformatted or is formatted as dollars, the entire status bar calculation will display in dollars, regardless of how the rest of the cells are formatted.
Click on a specific cell within your data that is already properly formatted in Pounds Sterling (£). This becomes your active cell.
While holding down the Shift key, click the last cell in your desired range to highlight all the cells you want to calculate.
Look at the status bar at the bottom of the Excel window to verify that the Sum or Average calculation now displays the correct pound symbol.
Format Cells as Standard Numbers
If your worksheet contains mixed currency formats, changing the cell format to a standard number avoids incorrect currency symbols altogether.
Easily Manage Currency Formats with WPS Spreadsheet
WPS Spreadsheet provides a seamless and intuitive way to manage currency formats, ensuring that your status bar calculations accurately reflect the specific currency of your selected data without format confusion.
- 1. Open your workbook in WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office and open the spreadsheet containing your currency data.
- 2. Select your currency cells: Click and drag to highlight the cells you want to calculate.
- 3. Adjust cell formatting: Right-click the selection, choose 'Format Cells', and select your desired local currency from the Currency tab.
- 4. View accurate calculations: Check the status bar at the bottom right to see instant sums and averages displayed in your chosen currency format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my spreadsheet default to dollars instead of pounds?
Spreadsheet applications pull their default currency formatting from your computer's system regional settings. If your operating system's region is set to the US, the default currency will automatically display as dollars.
How do I change the default currency setting on my computer?
In Windows, open the Control Panel, navigate to 'Clock and Region', and select 'Region'. Under the Formats tab, change your format to English (United Kingdom) to set pounds as the default currency.
Can the status bar calculate multiple currencies at once?
No, the status bar can only display one format at a time. It uses the specific format of the active cell in your current selection. For mixed currencies, it is highly recommended to format the values as standard numbers and keep the currency codes in a separate column.
