Display Negative Numbers in Parentheses (Brackets) in Excel: Simple Methods

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How to Format Negative Numbers in Parentheses in Excel: Easy Methods

Excel offers various number formatting options to accommodate different professions and industries. When dealing with financial data and accounting reports, it's common to display negative numbers in parentheses (brackets). In this tutorial, I'll guide you through different ways to achieve this formatting and cover additional formatting options available in Excel.

Show Negative Numbers in Parentheses Using Built-in Formats
Excel provides built-in number formats that automatically display negative numbers within parentheses. Follow these steps to apply this format:

Select Cells: Choose the cells containing the numbers you want to format (you can select a range).

Access Format Dialog Box: Navigate to the 'Home' tab and click on the dialog box launcher icon in the 'Number' group.

Select Format: In the 'Format Cells' dialog box, within the 'Number' tab, choose the third option in the 'Negative Numbers' list (the one showing numbers in parentheses).

Optional: Specify the number of decimal places or set it to zero if not needed.

Apply Changes: Click 'OK' to apply the formatting.


Create a Custom Format to Display Negative Numbers in Parentheses

If you need more control over how negative numbers are displayed, you can create a custom number format. Follow these steps:

Select Cells: Choose the cells with the negative numbers you want to format.

Access Format Dialog Box: Go to the 'Home' tab, click on the dialog box launcher in the 'Number' group.

Choose Custom Format: In the 'Format Cells' dialog box, within the 'Number' tab, select the 'Custom' option.

Enter Custom Format: In the 'Type' field, enter the custom format: 0;- (0). This format displays negative numbers in parentheses with a minus sign.

Apply Changes: Click 'OK' to apply the custom format.


Understanding Custom Number Formatting
Custom number formatting in Excel allows you to specify how different types of data (positive numbers, negative numbers, zero, and text) should be displayed. The format is structured as follows:

<Format for Positive Number>;<Format for Negative Number>;<Format for Zero>;<Format for Text>
You can customize each format according to your preferences.

Additional Formatting Options
Excel offers flexibility in formatting negative numbers. Here are some examples:

  • Thousand Separators with Parentheses: #,##0.00;(#,##0.00)
  • Red Color for Negative Numbers in Parentheses: #,##0.00;[Red](#,##0.00)
  • Red Color with Negative Sign Outside Parentheses: #,##0.00;[Red]- (#,##0.00)
  • Positive Numbers in Green, Negative in Red: [Green]#,##0.00;[Red]- (#,##0.00)
  • Fixing Formatting Options Not Showing Parentheses
  • If you don't see the option to format negative numbers in parentheses, adjust your system settings:

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Navigate to 'Change date, time, or number formats.'
  3. Click on 'Additional Settings' in the 'Region' dialog box.
  4. In the 'Numbers' tab, change the 'Negative Number Format' dropdown.
  5. Click 'OK' to save changes.
  6. By following these steps, you can easily format negative numbers in parentheses and customize other formatting options in Excel to suit your needs.

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