How to Round Numbers in Excel

As a powerful tool for data analysis and manipulation, Microsoft Excel makes handling numerical data easy and intuitive. One useful function that Excel offers is the ability to round numbers. Rounding numbers is an important task when working with data that requires specific levels of accuracy or precision. It simplifies the numbers and improves readability while ensuring that we don’t compromise the integrity of the data. Knowing how to round numbers in Excel is a valuable skill that every Excel user should possess.

Selecting The Cell or Range of Cells to Round

The first step to rounding numbers in Excel is to select the cell or range of cells that you want to round. To do this, simply click on the cell or click and drag to select a range of cells. You can also use the keyboard by clicking on the cell and then pressing the Shift and arrow keys to select a range of cells.

The ROUND Function in Excel

The ROUND function is one of the simplest and most commonly used functions for rounding numbers in Excel. To use this function, simply enter “=ROUND” followed by the cell reference or value you want to round and the number of decimal places to round to.

Example:

If you want to round the number in cell A1 to two decimal places, you would enter “=ROUND(A1, 2)”.

The ROUNDUP Function in Excel

The ROUNDUP function is useful when you need to always round numbers up. To use the ROUNDUP function, enter “=ROUNDUP” followed by the cell reference or value you want to round up and the number of decimal places to round up to.

Example:

If you want to always round the number in cell A1 up to one decimal place, you would enter “=ROUNDUP(A1, 1)”.

The ROUNDDOWN Function in Excel

The ROUNDDOWN function is useful when you need to always round numbers down. To use the ROUNDDOWN function, enter “=ROUNDDOWN” followed by the cell reference or value you want to round down and the number of decimal places to round down to.

Example:

If you want to always round the number in cell A1 down to zero decimal places, you would enter “=ROUNDDOWN(A1, 0)”.

Using the ROUND Function with Negative Numbers

When using the ROUND function with negative numbers, rounding can cause discrepancies with the expected result. For example, if we round -12.55 to 1 decimal place, we would expect to get -12.6. However, if we use the ROUND function with a negative number, we would get -12.5.

To get the expected result when using the ROUND function with negative numbers, we can use a combination of the ROUND and SIGN functions. To round a negative number to a specific number of decimal places, enter the following formula:

=(-1)^COUNTIF(A1,”<0")*ROUND(ABS(A1),Places)

Using Custom Formats to Round Numbers in Excel

Custom number formats in Excel can help you achieve any number formatting that you require. A custom format allows you to display a number with different symbols, such as commas or dollar signs, and to round a number to a specified number of decimal places.

To use a custom format to round numbers, select the cell or range of cells you want to format. Press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog box. Click Number, and then select Custom. In the Type box, enter the custom format code for rounding to a specific number of decimal places.

Example:

If you want to round the number in cell A1 to two decimal places and display it with a dollar sign, you would enter “$#,##0.00;-$#,##0.00” into the Type box.

The MROUND Function in Excel

The MROUND function is particularly useful when rounding to the nearest specified multiple of a number, such as 5 or 10. To use the MROUND function, enter “=MROUND” followed by the cell reference or value you want to round and the multiple to round to.

Example:

If you want to round the number in cell A1 to the nearest multiple of 5, you would enter “=MROUND(A1, 5)”.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about rounding numbers in Excel:

Q: What is the difference between rounding up and rounding down?

A: Rounding up means increasing the number to the nearest higher number, while rounding down means decreasing the number to the nearest lower number. For example, rounding up 3.14 to the nearest whole number would result in 4, while rounding down 3.14 to the nearest whole number would result in 3.

Q: How do I round numbers to the nearest whole number in Excel?

A: To round numbers to the nearest whole number in Excel, use the ROUND function with 0 as the number of decimal places. For example, to round the number in cell A1 to the nearest whole number, enter the formula “=ROUND(A1, 0)”.

Q: How do I round time values in Excel?

A: To round time values in Excel, use the ROUNDUP, ROUNDDOWN, or ROUND function with the appropriate unit of time. For example, to round the time in cell A1 to the nearest minute, enter the formula “=ROUND(A1, “00:01″)”.

Q: Can I use custom formats to round numbers in Excel?

A: Yes, you can use custom number formats in Excel to display rounded numbers. Simply select the cell or range of cells you want to format, open the Format Cells dialog box, select Custom, and enter the custom format code for rounding to the desired number of decimal places.

Q: How do I round numbers with negative values in Excel?

A: When rounding numbers with negative values in Excel, discrepancies can occur with the expected result. To get the expected result, use a combination of the ROUND and SIGN functions. For example, to round a negative number in cell A1 to one decimal place, enter the formula “(-1)^COUNTIF(A1,”<0")*ROUND(ABS(A1),1)"