How to Make Excel Numbers Negative

Making numbers negative in Microsoft Excel is a simple task that can be useful for various purposes. Whether you need to represent losses for a financial report or to modify data for further analysis, changing numbers from positive to negative is straightforward. In this blog post, we will guide you through different methods to make Excel numbers negative in just a few clicks. You will learn how to use formulas, formatting, and shortcuts to help you to perform this task with ease.

Using a Formula to Make Excel Numbers Negative

The first method to make Excel numbers negative is by using a formula. This method is useful if you have a column or a row of numbers that you want to change. You can follow these simple steps:

1. Select the cell where you want to show the negative version of the number.
2. Type the = sign followed by a minus sign (-).
3. Select the cell that contains the number you want to make negative.
4. Press Enter.

For example, if you want to make cell A1 negative, you would type =-A1. Excel will automatically change the number to its negative value.

Using Formatting to Make Excel Numbers Negative

Another method to make Excel numbers negative is by using formatting. This method is useful if you want to change the appearance of the number without changing its value. You can follow these simple steps:

1. Select the cell or range of cells you want to format.
2. Right-click on the selection and click on Format Cells.
3. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Number tab.
4. From the list of categories, select Number.
5. Under Negative numbers, select the format you want to use.
6. Click OK to apply the formatting changes.

For example, if you want negative numbers to be in red font, select the Number category and then the Red (Negative numbers) format. This will change the appearance of negative numbers in the selected cells to red.

Using a Shortcut to Make Excel Numbers Negative

The third method to make Excel numbers negative is by using a shortcut. This method is useful if you want to change one number to its negative value quickly. You can follow these simple steps:

1. Select the cell you want to make negative.
2. Press the Ctrl key and the 1 key at the same time.
3. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Number tab.
4. From the list of categories, select Custom.
5. In the Type field, type 0;-0.
6. Click OK to apply the formatting changes.

Once completed, the selected cell will show the negative value of the number.

Using Conditional Formatting to Highlight Negative Numbers

If you have a large dataset with both positive and negative numbers, you can use conditional formatting to highlight the negative values. This makes it easy to identify the negative values at a glance. You can follow these simple steps:

1. Select the range of cells you want to format.
2. Go to the Home tab on the Ribbon and click on Conditional Formatting.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Highlight Cell Rules and then Less Than.
4. In the value field, enter 0. This means that any number less than zero will be highlighted.
5. Select the formatting style you want to use.
6. Click OK to apply the formatting changes.

You can also customize the formatting by selecting Custom Format from the list of styles. This allows you to choose the font, color, and style of the formatting for the negative numbers.

Using Paste Special to Multiply by Negative One

If you have a large dataset with only positive numbers, you may want to convert them to negative numbers without changing the appearance or formatting of the cells. One way to do this is to use Paste Special to multiply the values by negative one. You can follow these simple steps:

1. Select the range of cells you want to convert to negative numbers.
2. Copy the selected range (Ctrl+C or right-click and select Copy).
3. Right-click on a cell where you want to paste the negative values and select Paste Special.
4. In the Paste Special dialog box, select Values.
5. In the Operation section, select Multiply.
6. In the second value field, enter -1.
7. Click OK to apply the changes.

This will convert all the positive values in the selected range to negative values, without changing any other formatting or appearance of the cells.

In conclusion, making Excel numbers negative is a simple task that can be done in various ways depending on your needs. You can change the number value, appearance, or format. Also, you can convert many positive numbers in one go with the paste special method or highlight negative numbers using conditional formatting. By learning these methods, you can easily make your data work better for you and improve your productivity in Excel.

FAQ

In this section, we will address some common questions that may arise when making Excel numbers negative. If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to ask in the comments below.

Can I change a positive number to a negative number without changing its appearance?

Yes, you can change a positive number to a negative number without changing its appearance using the Paste Special method. This method multiplies the values by negative one, which converts positive values to negative without changing any other formatting or appearance of the cells.

Can I use a formula to make a range of numbers negative?

Yes, you can use a formula to make a range of numbers negative. Select the cell where you want to show the negative version of the number and type =-(reference to the cell with the number you want to make negative). Then, copy and paste the formula to other cells in the range, and Excel will automatically adjust the reference to the cells accordingly.

What if I want to highlight only a certain range of negative numbers?

You can highlight only a certain range of negative numbers using conditional formatting. Select the range of cells you want to format, go to the Home tab on the Ribbon, and click on Conditional Formatting. Select Highlight Cell Rules and then Less Than. In the value field, enter the threshold for the negative numbers you want to highlight. For example, if you only want to highlight negative values less than -100, enter -100 in the value field.

What if I want to show numbers in parentheses instead of using a minus sign for negative numbers?

You can show numbers in parentheses instead of using a minus sign for negative numbers using formatting. Select the range of cells you want to format, right-click on the selection, and click on Format Cells. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Number tab, and select Custom from the list of categories. In the Type field, type: #,##0_);(#,##0). This will show negative numbers in parentheses and positive numbers without any formatting.

Can I make a negative number positive?

Yes, you can make a negative number positive by multiplying it by -1 or by using the ABS function. For example, if you have the value -10 in cell A1, you can change it to 10 by typing =ABS(A1) in another cell. This will return the absolute value of the number, which is always positive.