How to Remove Commas in Excel

If you are working on Excel spreadsheets, you might encounter a scenario where you do not need commas in a cell. Keeping commas can sometimes cause confusion, especially if you’re dealing with numbers. While it’s common to use commas to separate values in Excel tables, it is crucial to know how to remove them when necessary. Fortunately, Excel offers a simple solution to get rid of commas in a dataset quickly. In this blog post, we will show you how to remove commas in Excel in a few easy steps.

Why Remove Commas in Excel?

Commas are an excellent way to separate thousands or millions in Excel. But sometimes, you may need to remove them to make data more readable or to fulfill certain data requirements. Removing commas can also make it easier to perform calculations without creating errors. Whether you need to remove commas in a selected range or the whole workbook, Excel offers an efficient way to go about it.

Steps to Remove Commas in Excel

The following steps will show you how to remove commas in Excel.

Step 1: Highlight the Data

First, select the cell range or the entire column from which you want to remove commas.

Step 2: Press CTRL+H

Pressing the “CTRL + H” shortcut button activates the Find and Replace window.

Step 3: Use the Find and Replace Window

The Find and Replace window allows you to search for specific characters and replace them with your preferred characters. In this case, you will be searching for commas and replacing them with nothing.

1. In the Find What field, type a comma (“,”).
2. Leave the Replace With field empty.
3. Click the “Replace All” button. All commas will be replaced with empty space.

Step 4: Verify the Changes

Check whether all of the commas in the selected range have been removed. Verify your data to ensure that the resulting values are to your liking.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have walked you through the four easy steps on how to remove commas from your Excel spreadsheet. Now you can make your data look even more professional and easy to read.

Other Methods for Removing Commas in Excel

Although the Find and Replace method is the most common way to remove commas in Excel, it is not the only way.

Using Text to Column

If you want to remove commas from only specific cells, or if the Find and Replace method did not work for you, you can try using the Text to Column feature of Excel.

1. Select the cell range that you want to modify
2. Go to the Data tab
3. Select the Text to Columns option
4. In the dialog box that appears, select Delimited
5. Uncheck all boxes
6. Check the Comma option
7. Click Finish

This method splits the selected cells into separate columns, with each value being placed in its individual cell.

Customizing Your Excel Settings

If you find that you are constantly working with numbers with commas, you might want to consider customizing your system settings. You can change your regional settings in Windows to use periods instead of commas. To do this, go to your Control Panel, select Clock, Language, and Region, then click Region. From here, you can customize your Decimal symbol and digit grouping symbol.

Wrapping Up

Removing commas in Excel is a straightforward process. Whether you want to remove commas in an individual cell or a range of cells, Excel has several methods to get the job done easily and quickly. Select a method that works best for your data, and you will have cleaned up your spreadsheet in no time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions people ask about removing commas in Excel.

Can I remove commas from only specific cells in Excel?

Yes, you can remove commas from specific cells in Excel. Simply select the cells you want to modify, use the Text to Columns feature, and deselect all the options except for the Comma option. Alternatively, you can use the Find and Replace method and skip the cells you want to keep the commas in.

What do I do if I want to keep the value but remove the comma in Excel?

If you want to retain the value but remove the comma, you can use a formula in a new column. For example, if you have the value 1,234 in cell A1, you can enter the formula =SUBSTITUTE(A1,”,”,””) into cell B1, and it will remove the comma and keep the value as 1234.

What are some common errors I might run into when removing commas in Excel?

One of the most common errors when removing commas in Excel is accidentally removing commas that are part of a numeric value. To avoid this, make sure to verify your changes and look for any errors in the formula bar or cell values. Another error is removing commas that are used to separate arguments in functions.

Can I remove thousands separators in Excel?

Yes, you can remove thousands separators in Excel by using the Find and Replace feature or by using the Text to Columns feature. Additionally, you can customize your system settings to use a period instead of a comma as the digit grouping symbol.

How do I remove decimal points in Excel?

If you want to remove decimal points in Excel, you can use the same methods as removing commas, but replace the decimal point instead. Keep in mind that this will remove all decimal places from a value, so if you want to round a number instead, use the ROUND function or set a number format.